Harriet Brown's daughter was diagnosed with anorexia at age 14 and nearly died because of it. At 4-foot-11 and weighing 71 pounds, she saw herself as fat. She was starving herself, exercising obsessively, her relationship with food was complex - she was terrified by a slice of cake. "Faced with a plate of food, the demon inside my daughter bargained, cried, lashed out." Brown talks about that demon that tormented their family in her memoir Brave Girl Eating, a story of pain, frustration, hospitalization, treatment, relapse and recovery. While she's in Charlotte for an event with Teen Health Connection, she joins us, along with medical experts, to share her story, discuss the causes, prevention and treatments of eating disorders as well as some of the myths and stereotypes and the importance of family-based treatment.
Guests
Harriet Brown - Author of Brave Girl Eating: A Family's Struggle with Anorexia
Dr. Preeti Matkins - Medical Director at Teen Health Connection
Libby Safrit - Psychologist and the Executive Director of Teen Health Connection
- Harriet Brown's website
- Event: Power of Parenting and Healing: When it is more than just a diet - a community conversation with Harriet Brown on Wednesday, May 8 at 6pm at The Levine Jewish Community Center. Free event, registration is required. Details.