Exploring the educative potential of eating disorder memoirs

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential benefits that books, and specifically memoirs, may offer mental health students, positing that first person testimonials may make the complex experiences of a mental health challenge, in this case eating disorders (ED), accessible to learners. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a pedagogical approach, based on transformative learning (TL), to assist in encouraging the development of a Recovery Approach in students. TL is a pedagogy that is interested in problematic practices that keep afflicting an area such as mental health, such as the imbalanced focus on learning illness rather than wellbeing, and in pondering and revising the educational solutions. Findings – The paper proposes that forward movement in this area will be based on considering and developing such innovative curricula, and researching its impact. Originality/value – By virtue of their accessibility, memoirs could offer to a large audience the benefits of universality, empathy, hope and guidance. Teachers and learners could be making use of these books in face-to-face or online activities. This paper explores the groundwork that is needed before ED memoirs can be confidently recommended as an empowering tool.

Triumph and adversity: Exploring the complexities of consumer storytelling in mental health nursing education

“…Both groups described the powerful potential of story to enhance a deeper understanding of the experiences of people diagnosed with a mental illness, to view them first and foremost as people and to develop empathy skills that are so important for the practice of health professionals. These aspects of story have been described in the literature (Byrne et al 2013b;Grant et al 2012;McAllister et al 2014;Our Consumer Place 2011).…”

“…Recovery emphasizes individually based service delivery reflecting the goals and aspirations of consumers, in preference to the medical treatment of symptoms. This is essential if the concept of recovery focused mental health services are to move beyond rhetoric to reality (Byrne et al ; McAllister et al ).…”

A research approach for co‐designing education with healthcare consumers

“…Other humanities-based education includes narratives using doctor and patient stories to promote more patient or relationship-focused care, 20 and consumer storytelling in mental health education, 21 including memoirs which have the potential to create the 'emotional pull to surprise learners and reawaken empathy and compassion'. 22…”

“…Previous research includes the use of photographic storyboards, video vignettes and MRI images infused with poetry 16 and documentary style photographs and narratives of older adults 17 which was found to foster nursing 18 and medical students’ 19 empathy, insight and reflection on ageing. Other humanities‐based education includes narratives using doctor and patient stories to promote more patient or relationship‐focused care, 20 and consumer storytelling in mental health education, 21 including memoirs which have the potential to create the ‘emotional pull to surprise learners and reawaken empathy and compassion’ 22 . (p.71) Research‐based and theatre arts strategies are also being used, 23‐26 which Rossiter and colleagues 27 assert is an underutilised medium for the interpretation, translation and dissemination of research findings.…”

Things you can learn from books: Exploring the therapeutic potential of eating disorder memoirs

“…There are numerous theories about the structure of illness narratives that could be relevant to eating disorder memoirs, including Yalom's (1995) Many memoir narratives share a common structure, the narrative arc, where life experiences and perceptions unfold and reach a crescendo, after which a turning point, denouement, or resolution is reached (Gutkind 1997). Within the eating disorder memoir, this narrative arc is likely to involve a lengthy description of the extent of the eating disorder, the impact this has on a person's life, and finally how the person was able to change (McAllister Brien Alexander & Flynn 2014). Other theories of narrative suggest that there are only a limited number of storylines and plots that are reworked, recycled, and repurposed through the history of literature (e.g.…”