Ostracism - Anorexia

All in the Mind

Why is being ostracised a painful experience? This is one of the questions Professor Kip Williams explores in experiments in his psychology lab at Purdue University, along with measuring aggressive behaviour which ostracism can stir up in someone given the silent treatment. He tells Claudia Hammond that the tools of his trade include a computer game called Cyberball and bottles of hot chilli sauce.

An 'All in the Mind' listener describes her state of mind when she attempted suicide several years ago. She contacted the show after last week's item on bereavement by suicide. She says she was not able to think rationally about the consequences of her actions on her family.

Claudia talks to people involved in a coaching scheme called Expert Carers Helping Others for the parents of people with anorexia. Looking after someone with the eating disorder can be extremely stressful and family emotional turmoil can make the anorexic person's symptoms even worse. To combat this, Professor Janet Treasure of the Maudsley Hospital set up a national skills coaching course where experienced carers of people with anorexia train other parents on how best to help their daughters or sons recover from their eating disorder.

If listeners are interested in joining the ECHO scheme, we advise them to approach the unit where the person with anorexia is being treated to see if that unit is taking part in the project.