Many people with anorexia don’t grasp that they are, in fact, sick. While parents generally sign their children into treatment, the power to do so vanishes when the child turns 18. Adult patients can also stop treatment if it gets too difficult – and it often does, because challenging the behaviours associated with eating disorders can create extreme anxiety. A longterm, chronic eating disorder often ends up alienating friends and family – the very people who are needed to support the patient through the recovery process.