In this incredibly powerful interview, I sit down with Amelia, who recovered from anorexia, severe OCD, and suicidal ideation after spending 7 years in the UK mental health system. She shares the brutal reality of inpatient treatment, being misdiagnosed, having her autonomy stripped away, and ultimately recovering completely on her own terms. Now 20 years old, she's travelling the world - something that would have been impossible in her eating disorder. This episode is essential for anyone stuck in the system, anyone told they'll never recover, and...
In this incredibly powerful interview, I sit down with Amelia, who recovered from anorexia, severe OCD, and suicidal ideation after spending 7 years in the UK mental health system. She shares the brutal reality of inpatient treatment, being misdiagnosed, having her autonomy stripped away, and ultimately recovering completely on her own terms. Now 20 years old, she's travelling the world - something that would have been impossible in her eating disorder. This episode is essential for anyone stuck in the system, anyone told they'll never recover, and anyone who needs proof that full recovery IS possible.
Key Quotes from the Episode:
💬 "I was diagnosed with anorexia, but they blamed everything on the eating disorder. They were treating me with rigid rules and meal times that just fed straight into my OCD."
💬 "I couldn't see my family for years. My mum didn't see me. The system tore us apart. I felt so alone."
💬 "I had my treatment team deciding everything for me from age 12 to 19. What I ate, what I could do, whether I could work or go to school. I don't like being told what to do."
💬 "I looked at someone in their 60s with anorexia and went, 'That really can't be me.' My determination led me to be like, if I'm not getting help from the people meant to help me, I'll do it my own way."
💬 "One day I looked at my eating disorder breakfast and went, 'This is disgusting. I'm not doing this.' I made a video saying from today onwards, I'm eating exactly what I want. I've never gone back."
What I Cover in This Episode:
✨ Misdiagnosis and system failures - How being labelled with only anorexia meant Amelia's severe OCD wasn't treated, and how rigid meal plans fed her compulsions
✨ Inpatient treatment reality - Restraints, being surrounded by competitive illness, weight-based rewards/punishments, and why it doesn't support actual recovery
✨ Separation from family - How the system tore Amelia from her mum for years, causing isolation that made everything worse
✨ Psychiatric units and being sectioned - The reality of being moved to adult psychiatric care, having phones confiscated, and being treated like a prisoner
✨ OCD rituals consuming her life - Hundreds of daily routines taking hours, controlling every movement, making it impossible to participate in life
✨ The turning point - Seeing an older woman with anorexia and deciding "that can't be me," then choosing to recover on her own terms
✨ Work as a lifeline - How having a job gave Amelia purpose beyond being a patient, helping her want to live
✨ Reconnecting with her mum - The emotional reunion after years apart, and how it showed her where she wanted to be
✨ Leaving treatment on her own terms - Threatening to section her again, going to hospital willingly to prove she didn't need to be there, then moving into her first flat
✨ Stopping OCD rituals - Literally sitting on the floor mid-routine, singing songs to interrupt compulsions, exhaustion being the catalyst for change
✨ The decision to go all in - Making a video saying "I'm doing this," throwing away old clothes, eating 10,000+ calories daily without counting
✨ Extreme hunger and body changes - The 34-week pregnant belly, sweating, swelling, and trusting the process whilst her body distributed weight
✨ Coming off medication independently - Reducing antidepressants and antipsychotics herself (with mum's guidance) after years on them
✨ Full recovery and freedom - Eating whatever she wants, forgetting to eat sometimes, having boobs and a bum for the first time, travelling the world
This episode will give you hope that no matter how stuck you are, no matter how long you've been ill, no matter what the system says - full recovery IS possible when YOU decide.
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