I absolutely do not believe that there is a place for blame in Michael's' death. I haven't wanted to write about this, particularly, but I find it necessary to clarify a few things for people.
First of all Michael was in the public eye since the age of 5. He was also abused physically and emotionally by his father throughout his childhood. Make no mistake -- emotional abuse can be just as horrible as physical abuse. With physical abuse, the abuse usually doesn't go on and on, there is usually a stopping point. A slap or a spanking and it’s done for the time. But emotional abuse is like water dripping on a stone. Self-esteem never gets a chance to develop when a person is severely emotionally abused.
Michael's father telling him what an ugly nose he had over and over was one of the precipitants for Michael's body-dysmorphic disorder.
Michael was depressed, had anxiety, was extremely thin, and had maturity fears. He didn't want to be fat. His appearance was of primary importance to him.
If we look at the symptoms of anorexia nervosa, we find that depression and anxiety are usually high, weight is low -- a BMI of 15.6 was Michael's BMI, and certainly maturity fears. This explains Michael's comfort in being with children. He personally had a soft, childlike nature. It is often said that a person stops growing emotionally at the exact age when the disorder started -- whether it's an eating disorder or substance abuse. The drug use is another matter. 40-50% of people with eating disorders can have substance abuse issues. With anorexia, as others have commented, drugs will definitely dampen the appetite.
Too often in our culture, people say, "Oh, he didn't have an eating disorder. He was just thin." Michael had too many etiological factors in his history for him to be "just thin." People have a picture in their minds of someone who is 60 pounds, but that is the extreme. Many more people are anorexic who look “just thin.” It is simply so sad about Michael that he wasn't able to get the help that might have changed his life.
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I absolutely do not believe that there is a place for blame in Michael's' death. I haven't wanted to write about this, particularly, but I find it necessary to clarify a few things for people.
First of all Michael was in the public eye since the age of 5. He was also abused physically and emotionally by his father throughout his childhood. Make no mistake -- emotional abuse can be just as horrible as physical abuse. With physical abuse, the abuse usually doesn't go on and on, there is usually a stopping point. A slap or a spanking and it’s done for the time. But emotional abuse is like water dripping on a stone. Self-esteem never gets a chance to develop when a person is severely emotionally abused.
Michael's father telling him what an ugly nose he had over and over was one of the precipitants for Michael's body-dysmorphic disorder.
Michael was depressed, had anxiety, was extremely thin, and had maturity fears. He didn't want to be fat. His appearance was of primary importance to him.
If we look at the symptoms of anorexia nervosa, we find that depression and anxiety are usually high, weight is low -- a BMI of 15.6 was Michael's BMI, and certainly maturity fears. This explains Michael's comfort in being with children. He personally had a soft, childlike nature. It is often said that a person stops growing emotionally at the exact age when the disorder started -- whether it's an eating disorder or substance abuse. The drug use is another matter. 40-50% of people with eating disorders can have substance abuse issues. With anorexia, as others have commented, drugs will definitely dampen the appetite.
Too often in our culture, people say, "Oh, he didn't have an eating disorder. He was just thin." Michael had too many etiological factors in his history for him to be "just thin." People have a picture in their minds of someone who is 60 pounds, but that is the extreme. Many more people are anorexic who look “just thin.” It is simply so sad about Michael that he wasn't able to get the help that might have changed his life.
Jeanne Rust, PhD
July 6, 2009 - 3:50pmwww.mirasol.net
www.edrecovery.com
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