The Standard "No" Answer
My journey with mental illness began when I was 16, and my parents pursued Christian counseling for me. I had developed anorexia as part of an identity crisis. In the summer between 10th grade and 11th grade, I switched schools. I went from a private, Christian school, where I was known as "The Brain," to a public school where what stood out to everyone was that I was slightly overweight. Initially, it started as a fast, eating only when I heard the Holy Spirit say to eat, but I lost control to the high of losing weight really fast. At one point I was meticulously counting and logging only 600 calories a day. I was not well, but the Lord has always been my friend through these dark times. One day, I was about to get in the shower, and I heard the Lord say, "You need to eat, and you need to eat now." I obeyed, and to some extent the obedience broke the anorexia, but I would carry the backage of food issues for many years to come. My real issue is within the mental