Is the world ‘on pause’ due to Covid 19? One thing is for sure, mental health prob-lems are certainly NOT ‘on pause’. The pandemic has had a crippling effect on mental health.
Mother Lynn Craig, whose daughter, Natasha, died of an eating disorder, under-stands all too well the anxie-ty that the Covid crisis will be having on the mental health of many youngsters. Recent statistics released by Beat (one of the UK’s lead-ing eating disorder charities. and who receive the Royalties for Natasha’s book) show the irrefutable facts: Contact to Beat’s helpline channels (calls, social media, emails, online group attendance and web-chats) between March 2020 – August 2020, was up by 97% compared to the same period last year.
Desperate to help others understand and help those affected by Anorexia, Natasha bravely wrote and completed a book of her anorexic journey. Mother Lynn finally self published the book late last year. Keep Smiling (Taking Life with Anorexia One Small Bite at a Time) by Natasha Craig, was published by Amazon in December 19th, 2019. It is surely an indica-tion of the traumatic effect Covid 19 has had on everybody, but particularly those suffering from mental health already and those who have experienced anxiety during this crisis, that since the beginning of lockdown over 3,000 Kindles of Natasha’s book have been downloaded. The book has been a useful tool for therapists, doctors and eating disorder groups. The book has an introduction written by a leading Professor in this field. Professor Janet Treasure
Although Natasha did not survive this horren-dous illness which affected not just her, but her whole family and her friends, her book is written with total brutal honesty and incredi-ble positivity. Some say that they could not put the book down!
Lynn says “I am proud that this cheerful, caring young lady was our daughter”. If you have concerns about anorexia, relating to either yourself or to someone you know, support is available online or by phone from Beat: www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk, or call 0808 801 0677. And to get a first hand view from someone who lost their life to it, be sure to read Natasha Craig’s book.