Róisín Doyle has lived with an eating disorder for much of her life.
“I developed my eating disorder when I was 16, but I had always had a bit of a tumultuous relationship with food,” she says. “In my teenage years, I was obese and struggled with compulsive overeating, and then this switched to blame and anorexic behaviours. It was quite obvious in terms of people in my life noticing, and I suppose I knew straight away what was going on, but I had developed the eating disorder at 16 through losing my grandad, who lived with us. I experienced a lack of appetite from the grief and had a drastic weight loss of about 11st (70kg) in just 10 months.
“A few months later, I started bingeing and purging and over-exercising. So I would go days with severe restriction, and then would be bingeing and purging once a week. And then it kind of developed into my main behaviour and it really impacted my life because the weight loss was so drastic, and I developed a lot of health issues. I was hospitalised and was unable to attend school, so had to have classes in hospital as I was spending a lot of time there.”
The 24-year-old, who is still in recovery, says she was in treatment four times over the course of the past seven or eight years and was admitted to hospital on a number of occasions with complications relating to her condition. But says that the “turning point” came in 2022 after experiencing another death in the family.
“I had just finished college, having had my eating disorder all through secondary school and college, when my dad passed away in December 2022,” she says. “Funnily enough, it was grief that started my eating disorder and grief that actually motivated my recovery, which is kind of crazy. But when my dad passed away, it was a real eye-opener for me as to how much I had missed out on life with him because I had been putting so much energy into my eating disorder, so I wasn’t able to be present with the people around me.
“I had tried multiple inpatient admissions, for bulimia in particular, which is a little bit different to anorexia, because the behaviours are quite addictive. So this time, I started working with a therapist who recommended the 12 Step Programme, and taking quite a holistic, and I suppose, nonconventional, approach to my recovery.”
The Kerry woman, who is living in Galway and has just graduated with a master’s in adolescent health, is currently doing well and says she would advise others who are going through an eating disorder to try to find a solution that works best for them, as each situation is unique.
“I think bulimia should be treated a little bit different to anorexia as in terms of bulimia, the behaviours kind of give you a high, so it’s more addictive,” she says. “I worked with a multidisciplinary team, so I had a dietitian, a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist, who said, that when all other avenues fail, sometimes trying to separate the approaches can be beneficial. And that was my turning point, because I had realised that, just like any other addiction, there was a disease within myself.
![Róisín Doyle: 'It took me seven or eight years of hitting rock bottom multiple times before I got to that point [of wanting to change]'](https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/DGTKK3GZ4JHGPMJY3SQEBSY7FU.jpeg?auth=2cd68b4361737f26272a7c0d65a7a5a95b241ca1ef741d1d6f8eac759c51aaa1&width=400&height=533)
“So I think for anybody struggling with bulimia, it’s important to look at any other avenues in your life where you may have addictive behaviours, and maybe consider taking a 12 Step approach. Working very closely with a therapist and dietitian is so imperative, because I think the fundamental aspects of recovery are very important so that you have your cognition back. I lost a lot through my bulimia – including some of my teeth and also a lot of time which I had to spend in hospital, so I was missing out on connections with people that I loved.
“It took me seven or eight years of hitting rock bottom multiple times before I got to that point [of wanting to change], so the light-bulb moment doesn’t happen straight away. You need to take all aspects of how your eating disorder is affecting your life into consideration, and that gets you into recovery, which is where I’ve been for a year now.
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“It really takes a lot away from you – but I think when you’ve had enough, you’ve had enough and you’ll know that you’re ready to recover.”
Eating disorders can affect a broad range of people of all ages, gender and walks of life, and while anorexia nervosa is the most common in clinical practice, in the general population, it is binge eating that is the most common.
According to Bodywhys, the Eating Disorders Association of Ireland, almost 189,000 people across the country will experience an eating disorder at some point in their lives, with an estimated 1,757 new cases diagnosed each year in the 10-49 age group.
Barry Murphy, research and policy officer with Bodywhys, says eating disorders often overlap with other issues, including pregnancy, menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome, trauma, obesity and food insecurity. He says there are also people “who experience a more chronic, long-standing or enduring form of an eating disorder – they may have had various forms of treatment, multiple hospital admissions and may have been ill for many years”.
So it is important for people to know the signs and to seek help for themselves or a loved one if they have any concerns.
“Generally, the signs may be noticeable in three areas – behaviour, physical and emotional,” he says. “There may be change in eating patterns, or in weight, people may be eliminating food groups, skipping meals, having trips to the bathroom which seem unusual, developing food rituals or distress about social eating. And there could be a loss of periods, fainting, difficulties concentrating, stomach problems and bloodshot eyes.
“Eating disorders can cause damage to a person’s teeth and their heart as well as osteoporosis and muscle weakness. Other signs are a marked change in a person’s personality or having difficulties with flexibility such as if the family meal plan changes. The response from a family member depends on where things are at. If the carer has noticed red flags, they need to think about how they’ll communicate this. So, reading up in advance, being clear about what you want to convey, not focusing on behaviours, but feelings, not being confrontational, saying that you’re worried and that getting help is a good first step. Also, keep your expectations relatively low as a carer around that initial conversation – things won’t change overnight.”
The average age of onset for anorexia is 14-18, 14-22 for bulimia and late teens to early 20s for binge-eating disorder. But these conditions can occur at any age.
Murphy says that although recovery is very doable, it can take some time, so he would encourage people to be patient and let it take its course. “There is no set definition of recovery and there are different aspects to it. For example, a clinical recovery includes a reduction in symptoms, weight stabilisation and reduction in eating disorder behaviours, while a more personal recovery will involve feeling hopeful, feeling connected to others, getting back to social activities and feeling okay about spontaneity.
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“Recovery is a slow burn, and motivation can fluctuate because of the person’s eating disorder voice – which includes extreme negative self-talk, driven by the illness – and there are many parts to consider such as anything which might have contributed to the eating disorder and underlying or other associated issues including depression and anxiety. It is also vital that the person has a voice in their recovery.
“Eating disorders as a whole are significantly under-researched and there are many knowledge gaps – as less is known about the treatment experiences of men, gender minorities, siblings, spouses, fathers and those who are neurodivergent.
“So a breadth of research is needed to meet what’s happening on the front line and in clinical practice, to improve outcomes and care.”
- For more information visit bodywhys.ie or call the helpline on 01 2107906
