– It probably started with me being a slightly vulnerable teenager. It was around Christmas – and we were going on holiday. This is how the story of Selma Løvendahl Mogstad Leraand begins. Today she is 19 years old and current with the book “Vår vei ut” which she has written together with her mother. It is a story about eating disorders and the Trondheim family’s fight against Selma’s disease. – We were going somewhere warm. So I tried on summer clothes, but they no longer fit. I got the idea that I had to go down for the summer, she continues. Losing weight and thus began what Selma, who was 15 at the time, describes as a weight loss project. – It went so fast – I lost weight. And I got into some bad habits when it came to food. When she decided to lose weight, Selma quickly developed what she describes as a restrictive relationship with food. Photo: Private She herself did not realize that it was harmful. But the restrictive relationship with food developed, and became more and more serious. She cut out more and more meals, and she exercised intensely. – And then it turned into an illness without me even knowing it, says Selma. – Did you notice that? – That is what is so terrible in such a situation, that you might notice it – but it is impossible to reach out to your youth, says mum Kari Løvendahl Mogstad. Both she and Selma’s father are doctors, and are used to working with people with eating disorders. – Ironically enough, comments Kari. She describes that it was perhaps easier for them to see what happened to their daughter, but that they felt a double sense of hopelessness. – We knew what to do, but even then it doesn’t help. Here mother and daughter tell their story at Lindmo: Mother and daughter Kari Løvendahl Mogstad and Selma Løvendahl Mogstad Leraand tells the story and talks about the book in Lindmo. Christmas meal ended in tears In the book which is now being launched, mother and daughter tell about different episodes from each of their perspectives. Among them a Christmas meal that ended in tears when it turned out to be almonds in the dessert. – I had an extreme fear of nuts. There is no logical explanation for it, it’s just one of those things I was extra nervous about eating, says Selma. “Fear-food” they call it in the book. – It felt like it was growing in my mouth and that I was suffocating. People around were frustrated – we had had a nice day, but suddenly I was sitting there crying and creating myself. It felt like I was going to die and put on 15 kilos at the same time. When they talk about it, the feelings come back for mom Kari. – Then it actually started to get better, but then it took so little for things to tip the wrong way. This photo was taken by Selma after the episode around the Christmas dinner. Photo: Privat The book is not Kari’s first publication. In 2017, she published “Kroppsklemma”, which is about body pressure and society’s great focus on appearance. – I know a lot about this, and that made it extra ironic. For a little while I felt like the world’s worst person and mother, and I have been afraid that those around me will think so too. Selma herself did not realize she had a problem until she was diagnosed with anorexia after visiting her GP. After that, it took seven or eight months before she started to see improvement. She was being treated at BUP, and they were given a place in family-based therapy. – This meant that mum, dad and siblings told me around the clock when I should eat. They prepared the food for me and sat there when I ate and followed along. Will shatter myths That mother and daughter should write a book together was not entirely accidental. Ever since Selma was a child, she has wanted to be a writer. – We had talked about how it would have been fun to write something together, she says. – But maybe not about this topic, adds the mother. Mother and daughter each with a copy of the book they have written together. Photo: Privat She says that they have spent a lot of time assessing how Selma in particular would cope with being extradited in this way. – We do it because we hope and believe that there are others who will benefit from our being open about it. And maybe we help to shatter some myths – and take away some of the shame around saying “we’ve had eating disorders in our family too”. In August, a new study was published which showed that one in ten young people in Norway suffers from eating disorders. In high school, every third girl is at risk of getting it. – And guess if there are many people who have come to us and said “thank you for doing this”, says Kari. For Selma, life has become different. She has recovered. – Now I am able to feed myself and live a healthy and free life. So I’m doing really well. – And I also feel much safer in this project. It has always been the case that I get cold feet – we could put it on ice straight away. But it feels important to be of help to others who are struggling.
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Selma struggled with anorexia – now mother and daughter launch book about eating disorders – news Trøndelag
