I have been visiting the SDMB Depression Support thread often. I am working through recovering from an eating disorder, and while I’m eating regularly, I am still in the murky depths of depression, self-esteem, and overwhelming chronic guilt.
Recently, someone posted on the Depression Support Thread that she or he hadn’t eaten in five days.
This is a major trigger for ED sufferers. To ED sufferers, talking about going days without eating sounds like bragging about how much self control this person has.
Though I know this is not what the poster intended, I feel like this person punched me in the face while proclaiming, “You’re not good enough. You’ll never be good enough. You deserve to be treated like s**t because you have no self-control.”
I understand that the poster is working with his or her own issues with depression and I know I should respect his or her right to talk about their struggles. But I feel like this person attacked me. I don’t know what to do. I’m afraid to go back on that board and hear more about how this person doesn’t eat. I don’t want to be reminded about what a failure I am because people can stay away from food and I can’t .
If this poster is reading this. I’m sorry. I want to sympathize with you but I can’t when you say things like that. I feel jealous of you because you seem to have better willpower than me. Logically, I know you’re struggling, but my guilt over eating so much food all the time makes me feel so intensely ashamed of myself that almost any other problem in the world seems pleasant in comparison.
Other posters, please advise. Should I write to this person directly? If so, what do I say so I can address the issue without attacking this person? How can I get the message across in a constructive way?