Eating Disorder Recovery: Insights From Catherine Perry on Shame, Secrecy, and Support
Medically reviewed by Paul Hornsey
Catherine Perry, Specialist Eating Disorder Therapist
Eating disorder recovery is often discussed in terms of eating behaviours and weight restoration. Yet beneath these visible markers sit emotional and psychological realities that can be harder to recognise and more difficult to talk about openly, despite being central to long-term, sustainable recovery. As a result, many eating disorders remain unnoticed and undiagnosed for long periods of time – shaped by shame, secrecy, and wider social norms.
In this Q&A for Eating Disorders Awareness Week, Specialist Eating Disorder Therapist Catherine Perry shares her clinical perspective on why eating disorders so often go unnoticed, the role shame plays in delaying support, and what recovery looks like in practice. Drawing on her experience working with individuals and within multidisciplinary settings, Catherine reflects on the importance of compassion, patience, and joined-up care in supporting meaningful and lasting change.
How Can Eating Disorders Go Unnoticed – Especially for Those in the Public Eye?
“What we are repeatedly exposed to often becomes normalised. In a world shaped by social media, comparison culture, and increasingly AI-driven beauty ideals, certain eating-disordered behaviours can become normalised, or may even be subtly rewarded.
For individuals in the public eye, where bodies are frequently commented on or scrutinised, changes in eating or weight can be minimised, rationalised, or praised. This can make early signs harder to recognise, delaying support and complicating eating disorder recovery by allowing difficulties to remain hidden and reinforced by secrecy.”
Before Eating Disorder Recovery Begins, What Early Warning Signs Might Families or Clinicians Miss?
“Early signs of emerging eating disorders are often subtle rather than dramatic, which is why they can be easy to miss.
Changes may first appear in the language someone uses around food or body image, such as increasingly categorising foods as “good” or “bad”, or expressing guilt after eating certain meals. These shifts can seem harmless in isolation but may signal a growing preoccupation.
Behavioural changes can also develop gradually. This might include increased rigidity around food or exercise, compulsive calorie counting, or a heightened reliance on fitness tracking apps to manage eating or movement.
More broadly, changes in how someone engages with daily life can be an important indicator. This could look like withdrawing from social situations that involve food, or prioritising exercise over connection and rest.”
In Your View, What Role Does Shame Play in Preventing People from Seeking Help?
“Eating disorders can be profoundly isolating. Food is not only a basic human need, but also a central part of pleasure, routine, and social connection. When someone’s relationship with food becomes fraught or restrictive, it can feel deeply uncomfortable to talk about what is happening.
Shame often compounds this isolation. Many people worry that their eating-disordered behaviours will be judged, misunderstood, or dismissed if they are shared, which can create significant barriers to seeking support. This fear of judgement can keep difficulties hidden long after they have begun to affect someone’s wellbeing. Reaching out for help can therefore feel really daunting.
It is important to be clear that struggling with an eating disorder is not a personal failure. Seeking support is valid, deserved, and a meaningful step within the process of eating disorder recovery.”
How Does a Multidisciplinary Approach Change the Trajectory of Eating Disorder Recovery?
“Eating disorder recovery is not just about food.
A multidisciplinary approach allows us to support the whole person, bringing together physical health, psychological understanding, emotional support, and social context.
When eating disorder recovery is approached in this joined-up way, individuals are less likely to feel reduced to symptoms or behaviours. Instead, they feel properly seen and supported, which creates the conditions for recovery that is both meaningful and sustainable over time.”
What Do People Often Misunderstand About Eating Disorder Recovery?
“Recovery is not linear.
One of the most common misunderstandings about eating disorder recovery is the expectation that progress should be linear. In reality, recovery involves ups and downs, periods of growth, and moments that feel harder or more uncertain.
These more difficult moments are not failures. They are part of the process of learning, unlearning, and adapting, which sits at the heart of recovery. Eating disorder recovery is multi-layered and takes time, patience, and practice, much like learning any new skill.
Progress often unfolds gradually, even when it might not always feel that way.”
What Message Would You Want Someone to Hear This Eating Disorders Awareness Week – Whether They’re Living with an Eating Disorder Themselves or Supporting Someone Who Is?
“Eating disorder recovery is possible.
Change rarely happens all at once. Recovery tends to unfold through many small, gradual steps over time, and even the smallest of those steps matter.
During the recovery process, it is easy to overlook or dismiss these moments as insignificant, particularly when progress feels slow or uneven. Yet these steps are still progress. Over time, they accumulate and lead to meaningful, lasting change. Whether someone is living with an eating disorder themselves or supporting another person, patience, compassion, and persistence all play a vital role in recovery.”
Eating disorder recovery requires more than a single intervention. It calls for time, discretion, and a carefully coordinated, multidisciplinary approach that meets each individual where they are.
If you would like to learn more about how we support eating disorder recovery in a private, structured, and clinically led setting, you can explore our approach or contact us for a confidential conversation.
