What's in a Name? The Social Meanings of Eating Disorder Diagnoses: An Autoethnography

Abstract

<p>This autoethnography examines my experience of diagnostic crossover during an eating disorder to explore the meanings I made of different diagnoses. Drawing on memory data, self-observation data, and medical records, I constructed three fictional stories centred on three main themes: diagnosis, female friendships, and physical observations. These stories represent the findings of my study. I then connect the data and stories with other eating disorder research and feminist theory to examine how my own experience of diagnoses intertwines with social constructions of femininity as well as social and medical portrayals of eating disorders. This autoethnographic account sheds light on the potential negative implications of the current diagnostic system and encourages the use of patient knowledge when constructing diagnostic categories.</p>