La prochaine séance du Philosophy of Psychiatry Webinar sera l’occasion d’assister à la conférence conférence intitulée « Losses and Loneliness in Anorexia Nervosa » donnée par Lucy Osler (Cardiff University)

Organisé par Anne-Marie Gagné-Julien et Sarah Arnaud, pour le Groupe de recherche en philosophie de la psychiatrie.

Résumé:

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder characterized by self-starvation. Talking of loss in the context of AN is not surprisingly associated with weight loss. However, in this presentation, I consider how AN can involve experiences of social loss in the form of recognition and understanding. While loneliness is not generally considered a core diagnostic feature of AN, many individuals with AN report being lonely. They describe feeling stigmatized, stereotyped, and cut off from communities who can understand and support them. I suggest that individuals with AN can experience a loss of access to the social resources, relationships, and recognition that others take for granted. I explore how loneliness can prompt the start of, return to, and continuation of disordered eating. On the one hand, AN can give rise to experiences of loneliness and isolation. On the other hand, attempts to find community and support can encourage people to enter social spaces, such as ProAnorexia sites, that both scaffold disordered eating practices and cement one’s identity as an anorectic person by providing recognition that is missing from other communities. In these ways, loss and loneliness drive and even exacerbate the disorder. In order to successfully — and respectfully — treat AN, therefore, it seems likely that we need to understand the key role loneliness plays in perpetuating it.

La conférence sera donnée en anglais. La participation au webinaire est gratuite, mais l’inscription est obligatoire.