Eating Disorders Awareness Week is from 23 February to March 1st. The Eating Disorder Special Interest Group has produced a series of articles that are being released throughout the week. This piece is by Mr Sean Blake, a former patient at St Patrick’s Mental Health Services and a mental health advocate.
My eating disorder isolated me from family and friends. I pushed so many people away, and the eating disorder thrived in that isolation.
If I am honest, I spent most of my life feeling isolated from what I believed was “normal,” mostly because of my own negative view of myself. I always felt different. Eating disorders run deep, and there are many contributing factors.
When I set foot in St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, I believe that was the first time I truly experienced connection and community. I met people who understood me—both fellow service users and medical staff. It was incredibly validating to realise that I was not the only one who felt this way.
That was the beginning of a journey of self-discovery that is still ongoing. Along the way, I have learned so much about myself.
I began joining mental health and eating disorder advocacy communities, and these connections have been instrumental in my recovery. The opportunities that have opened up for me are things I never would have thought possible.
Connection with a medical team has also been vital. Many people believe that once you leave hospital, everything is fixed—but recovery doesn’t work like that. I still have contact with the team in St Patrick’s, and on several occasions that connection has prevented me from falling back into old patterns.
Check-in calls and Compassion Focussed Therapy for Eating Disorders (CFT-E) allowed me to show my vulnerability. Some members of the team knew me well enough to ask, “Are you okay?”—and that made all the difference.
I have found it most beneficial to be part of a community made up of people with similar backgrounds—either lived experience or professional experience within mental health services. It’s important to be surrounded by people who understand what mental health recovery truly looks like.
Last year, I travelled to Brussels for the Brain Innovation Days. At 43 years old, it was my first time travelling abroad on my own. It was an incredible moment in my life—and it happened because of the connections I made throughout my recovery journey.
I have gone from someone who lived with self-hate and no confidence for most of my life, to someone who feels proud and can stand up and speak openly about my lived experience.
My advocacy work continues to support my recovery, deepen my connections, and give my experiences meaning—and I truly love it.