Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Hard road to recovery for anorexic teenager

By Mikaela Collins
Northern Advocate·
2 Jun, 2016 01:43 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Annalise Atherton was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa 18 months ago, and she and her mum Bella Atherton (right) want people to know it's okay to ask for help. Photo / John Stone

Annalise Atherton was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa 18 months ago, and she and her mum Bella Atherton (right) want people to know it's okay to ask for help. Photo / John Stone

Eating a meal was once as "terrifying" for Annalise Atherton as bungy jumping would be to someone with a fear of heights.

The 17-year-old Whangarei teenager was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa 18 months ago and said it has been a difficult road to recovery.

"It was a two to three hour battle every single meal. It was terrifying, people do say things like, 'Oh, just eat' but it was terrifying."

It was such a terrible way to lose weight. It was in no way healthy.

Annalise Atherton

Today marks the first annual World Eating Disorders Action Day and Annalise and mum Bella Atherton want people to know an eating disorder is nobody's fault, recovery is possible, and it's okay to ask for help.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Ms Atherton first noticed Annalise was unwell in November 2014 but believes the under-eating and over-exercising started when the pair, along with another daughter, decided to become healthier.

"Annie seemed to thrive on it and got really into going to the gym and getting fit and people would say Annalise you look amazing, you've lost all that weight," said Ms Atherton.

"The more weight I lost the more confidence I got, people were unintentionally encouraging my eating disorder. What they saw was the weight loss and people associate weight loss with being healthy, but actually the way I was doing it was such a terrible way to lose weight it was in no way healthy," Annalise said.

Annalise had lost a third of her body weight by over-exercising and under-eating. Her diet consisted of cucumber and rice. Ms Atherton said the illness came to light after Annalise had been unwell for "quite a while".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Annalise Atherton, 17, says eating a meal was once "terrifying" to her. Photo / John Stone
Annalise Atherton, 17, says eating a meal was once "terrifying" to her. Photo / John Stone

"Due to the nature of the illness she had managed to hide it from me. Once I confronted her about it, it was difficult because we were challenging her behaviour."

After a week of monitoring Annalise's eating at home, Ms Atherton took her to the general practitioner for help.

However, he was not trained to deal with anorexia so Ms Atherton went to Te Roopu Kimiora, the child and adolescent mental health service at Whangarei Hospital.

There they faced another barrier, the eating disorder specialist was leaving.

Discover more

Junk-free in dad's memory

01 Jun 01:30 AM

Call for Hundertwasser funds

01 Jun 08:30 PM

Holocaust survivor's story told through art

01 Jun 09:14 PM
New Zealand

GP dismayed by targeted funding

08 Jun 03:17 AM

"I spoke to the eating disorder specialist and pleaded my case on the phone," said Ms Atherton. "So they put me through to her and she gave me advice on what to do to feed Annalise to eradicate all anorexia behaviour."

In March 2015, four months along from seeing the GP, Annalise was seen by a psychiatrist and was officially diagnosed with anorexia nervosa.

Ms Atherton said if she had not pleaded her case on the phone it would have been four months of Annalise deteriorating.

Annalise underwent Family Based Treatment, a type of treatment based at home where the entire family is involved and parents control every choice.

Ms Atherton said since Annalise's diagnosis two Whangarei-based nurses have had training in Family Based Treatment and Te Roopu Kimiora receives support from the Regional Eating Disorder Service in Auckland.

Annalise and Ms Atherton said the most common misconceptions about eating disorders is that it is a choice and that weight reflects a sufferer's condition.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"People associate eating disorders with being underweight and being thin, people said to me 'why do you look so sad'.

"This was six or seven months ago, 'But you're better now, why are you still so sad'," said Annalise.

Ms Atherton has established a Whangarei-based support group for families of people suffering with eating disorders.

Where to get help

• For more information on the support group contact Ms Atherton on 0211157919.

• Visit http://www.ed.org.nz/ for more information on eating disorders.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

'Absolute tragedy': 21yo drove drunk and crashed into tree, killing younger brother

08 Jul 06:00 AM
Northern Advocate

Signal concerns: Power, transmission quality issues disrupt Freeview service

08 Jul 05:06 AM
Northern Advocate

Man who knocked officer unconscious fails to reduce prison sentence

08 Jul 02:46 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

'Absolute tragedy': 21yo drove drunk and crashed into tree, killing younger brother

'Absolute tragedy': 21yo drove drunk and crashed into tree, killing younger brother

08 Jul 06:00 AM

'The consequences are with you for the rest of your life', a judge told Rameka Rewiti.

Signal concerns: Power, transmission quality issues disrupt Freeview service

Signal concerns: Power, transmission quality issues disrupt Freeview service

08 Jul 05:06 AM
Man who knocked officer unconscious fails to reduce prison sentence

Man who knocked officer unconscious fails to reduce prison sentence

08 Jul 02:46 AM
Police arrest three, seize shotgun and rifles following dirt biker dispute

Police arrest three, seize shotgun and rifles following dirt biker dispute

08 Jul 12:09 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP