Former anorexia and bulimia sufferer Stephanie McAliden shared her concerns over the new Netflix movie To the Bone, starring Lily Collins, with Dave Fanning.
McAliden, 29, is currently a PhD student at Queens University Belfast specialising in research into eating disorders spoke with Fanning on The Ryan Tubridy Show on RTÉ Radio 1.
The film follows a young woman suffering from anorexia as she struggles with the recovery process after entering a new treatment facility where she encounters others with similar issues.
Stephanie says she will be steering clear of the film and anyone with an eating disorder should do the same.
She explained her reasons for this as she feels the film uses imagery which could be a potential trigger for men and women with eating disorders.
She thinks in many cases you may not know if someone is suffering.
"The reality is you would not be able to identify most people with an eating disorder. A lot of people with eating disorders will actually continue to look like a normal weight", she explains.
As a primary school pupil, Stephanie developed anorexia nervosa. She says the disorders actually have "nothing to do with food and weight", but are mental disorders.
"I’ve always had a problem with very intense emotions", she says.
Stephanie explained that numbers play a huge part in the disorders.
"Everything boils down to a number, the obvious being the number on the scale… then it’s the BMI, it’s calories", Stephanie says.
You can listen back to the discussion between Stephanie and Dave above.
