Hi! I just started a blog, and I'm wondering how you deal with negative comments from readers, particularly when the subject of your blog is about a personal issue--like eating disorders--that can be very sensitive.

A complex mix... Thanks, Carrie! I will comment on just two papers, which particularly grabbed my attention:

First: "Come play with me: an argument to link autism spectrum disorders and anorexia nervosa through early childhood pretend play." I think that research in this field would be really useful. There does seem to be a link between ASD and AN, alongside the presence of a subgroup of individuals with AN who have strong/many autistic traits. As a small child, I didn't engage much in pretend play, and I absolutely didn't understand why many small girls were interested in playing with dolls. I really didn't like dolls, although I loved teddy bears and other soft toys. Most of all I liked trains and trucks and lego...

Second, the qualitative study "Eating disorders and social support; perspectives of recovered individuals". One of the most difficult issues during recovery from AN (for me and for others I know) has been social integration and coping with others' responses to your ED. I know that I have found social support really critical in aiding my recovery.

I haven't downloaded either of the full papers, but the abstracts to these two papers certainly look interesting!

Nikki,

There really should be a blogger school for that!

I've been on the receiving end of negative, hateful comments. Thankfully, it's been minimum.

Here's the thing: the ability to comment on a blog post, newspaper story, whatever, can bring out the worst in someone, especially if it's anonymous. {{The short answer is: people can be assholes.}} I'm not saying you should tolerate it or like it BUT it helped me to expect it.

It hurts and it sucks but DON'T take it personally. Like I said, some people are assholes and they will display their asshattery on any number of sites, yours included. Apparently you drew the unlucky number.

I generally ignore the mean comments. I will say something once, maybe twice, and if the nastiness continues, I close down comments on the post because there's just no point in continuing the discussion. I am firm about not allowing any meanness on my blog because it needs to be a safe place for people. Typically I let the comments up unless they're really offensive just so that a) other readers know what's going on and also b) as a memorial to their asshattery. I am also aboveboard about why I've closed down comments or deleted something.

I've been lucky- I haven't had much of a problem with it. Mostly, I ignore it and that's been helpful.

That's interesting that the study found that quetiapine was not effective for anorexia, since I credit it—along with an excellent eating disorders psychiatrist—with my recovery, I think because it went a long way in reducing my anxieties about eating.