A very brief fantasy letter to the medical professionals

Dear GPs, CAMHS, the local hospital and everyone else I came across in the course of my son Ben's anorexia and all those other medical professionals out there, I am putting a book together where I talk to approximately 20 families across the UK about their own journeys through anorexia and you know what?


Early intervention, GP & general hospital awareness, parental knowledge & empowerment, and good, evidence-based treatment plus parental involvement, respect and support adds up to a faster and more sustained recovery for the young person - and less of a drain on ever-decreasing NHS resources.

Late intervention or mis-diagnosis, GP & general hospital ignorance, parental lack of knowledge or empowerment, and poor, outdated treatment where families' instincts and wishes are ignored or overlooked adds up to a much, much slower and more painful recovery with a high instance of relapse for the young person - and more of a drain on ever-decreasing NHS resources.

This screams out from the pages of my manuscript as if emblazoned in Las Vegas lights.

What do you have to say about that then?