This thesis researches eating disorders with the help of existing literature and the life stories of four individuals, two women and two men, who all shared the treatment experience in the Slovenian healthcare system because of their eating disorders. First, the methodology and context in which the research occured are presented, followed by three thematic sections. The first part is devoted to definitions of eating disorders, with the help of professional international biomedical clasisification and works of professional literature. For a better in-depth understanding of how eating disorders can be expressed in an individual's life, the life stories of four interlocuturs with the experience of eating disorders follow. In the second part, popular notions about eating disorders and some false assumptions are presented. The last section focuses on the treatment of eating disorders and the experiences of the interlocutors during hospitalization at an eating disorders unit in Ljubljana. Based on the interviews, we can conclude that eating disorders are complex, based on emotional distress, and that popular and biomedical discourse have real consequences on the individual's ability to cope with this mental disorder.
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