Paradoxically, participants wanted both to have the
‘control’ and for patients to take ‘control’. This confusion
and ambivalence was a result of a poor understanding of
anorexia, compounded by the ongoing futile ‘struggle for
control’. Education is the key to less ambivalence and
frustration. Research shows that many health professionals
share these negative attitudes, do not enjoy caring for
mental health patients and provide them with less care
because they believe these patients are ‘causing their illness’
or have a ‘self-induced illness’ (Olsen 1997, Bulik &
Kendler 2000). It has also been found that negative attitudes
change with greater understanding (Fleming & Szmukler
1992).
Labelling
Labelling is the process of attaching negative tags to certain