‘My friend has an eating disorder – why can’t she just snap out of it and eat normally?’

Oh, if only! The first time my friend asked me to ‘babysit’ her teenage daughter who had anorexia was over lunchtime. I was convinced that I would get her to eat. Surely this not- eating business was just down to persuasion, and kindness. So we sat down with our salads. We started chatting about her school work, and her favourite subjects. I began to eat, and encouraged her to do the same. It was only salad and a few bits of cheese, after all. She said she would in a minute. We carried on talking. I suggested she started with the lettuce. She said she might. I ate. She didn’t. I pointed out that lettuce had next to no calories, and would be easy to eat. She toyed with the lettuce on the end of her fork, but never lifted it off the plate. I asked her why. She shrugged. We continued like this, with me kindly persuading, and her politely refusing.