If a person experiences a mental health issue, most people know that their family is also affected in varying ways. In this podcast, we look at the impact of eating disorders on siblings– how they feel about their brother or sister’s eating disorder, how they feel about their sibling’s experience, what support they feel able to offer, and what support they may actuallyneed for themselves. It’s a complex family dynamic and one that needs to be handled with awareness - for everyone’s sake.
Butterfly’s Clinical Director, Ranjani Utpala, tells us what the research says about the impact on siblings, their role in recovery and what may be helpful for their own wellbeing. Adam, Rose, and Jessica describe life with an eating disorder’s grip on a sibling, their concerns and frustrations, and offer insights from a sibling’s perspective for parents, carers, and health care professionals.