"The journey of a thousand miles starts with one small step." -Lao Tzu
Anorexia Nervosa is a puzzling and frightening illness to many caregivers, friends, onlookers, and clinicians due to the insidious nature of the disorder, difficulty in treating the disease, and potential for a fatal outcome.
Families and friends often witness the illness engulf their loved one's personality, actions, and physical body, all while their loved one denies their behavior is problematic and presents surprisingly compelling reasoning of why their behaviors are “healthy” or otherwise valid. Despite the apparent detrimental effects of the disorder, Anorexia is a master of seduction, relentlessly persuading the sufferer to maintain the illness, and even convincing loved ones such behaviors are acceptable.
On the other hand, as a parent or friend you may find yourself tirelessly using logic to counter the eating disorder to little or no avail. Logic and knowledge, as much as I wish it did, does not lead to recovery.
In both cases, the ego-syntonic nature of the disorder is showing up.