depression help: If I had cancer, would you shout at me for being ill? - Help.com

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no.

id have to say… i wouldnt shout
mike19… it isnt a choice at all.. even some peoples stomachs shrink so much they cant eat anyway, they get really depressed… im sorry lkd3, im not sure how to help… but i agree with you.

You have a really good point.
You shouldn’t be judged that way.
Nobody should be shouted at for a disorder of any kind, even one that can be cured or not by treatment.
I totally agree with you all the way.
=)

i agree with lkd3
mike19… the argument IS logical, if someone could choose whether they have an eating disorder or not, would they choose to have it? no.. therefore once you have an eating disorder, it doesnt feel like a choice..it isnt a choice…
otherwise no one would have an eating disorder.

sure.. ill try and invite the friendliest people though… dont want this turning into an argument. im glad you posted this by the way.

Because not eating is a choice.For god sakes just eat a muffin for breakfest and a good dinner.

no

Coming from a person that was diagnosed with depression and two eating disorders, I can say that I agree with you. I get horribly judged all the time, and some people don’t understand that it’s not a choice. It’s not like people actually want an eating disorder. Telling someone to ‘just eat’ is very illogical. An eating disorder is a compulsion to eat or not eat depending on the condition. It’s very hard trying to make people who don’t have an eating disorder understand that it really isn’t a choice.

because people aren’t conditioned to accept it

true

ultimately we all have free will and can therefor
make choices as to our future.
Many conditions seem to remove our free will.
Drug addition to name one.
However underlying every condition is a cause.
If we look for the cause we can often find the
cure.
Eg. If you think that you are ugly and over weight
you may wish to not eat.You are possed with a choice
ugly or don’t eat.If you choose don’t eat you live or die
with that.If you decide that you don’t care about ugly v.s.
food then you maybe can see a solution.

Eating Disorders are ilnesses just like any others…
People dont ask for it.
People may want to become thinner, they may be aiming for something that in their eyes is healthy, but I don’t really think their original goal was to become anorexic or bulimic.
Once they actually realize that they have it, it’s harder to stop, they are too afraid of food now and becoming “fat” again. You can’t blame people for their phobias can you though?
Not eating may be a choice… but think of whatever phobia any of you might have that disagree and imagine if the thing you dread the most would be something you have to do 3x a day, for the rest of your life…
You’d probably rebel, wouldn’t you?
But perhaps you do not have a phobia that is as HUGE as food for anorectics. You might think.. if it’s a matter of life and death, I’d do it!
You’d think you have strong willpower to do that. For people with eating disorders not eating is the biggest symbol of self control and will power.
It’s more important to them than being healthy.

I think it is wrong to shout at someone for haveing a problem but sometimes thats all people know what to do to help, or try to help.
Also with cancer and depression they are not self inflicted, eating or not eating however messed up the mind maybe of self image is still a choice you make and an act you do yourself.