Anorexia in this story began gradually and changed the lives of both daughter and mother. Sonia Denisicheva, her mother Yulia, and the therapist who worked with Sonia describe how the illness started, how treatment unfolded, and how recovery required changes far beyond food alone.
Anorexia in this account was first mistaken for a whim, then recognized as an illness that demanded professional help, family involvement, and a full rethinking of daily life. The story is told from two points of view and stays close to what Sonia and Yulia lived through.
The short version
- Anorexia in Sonia’s story began at age 12 after comments about her body, mockery from classmates, insecurity, and a decision to lose weight.
- Anorexia in Sonia’s story moved from dieting to severe restriction, fear of food, rapid weight loss, and a distorted perception of her own body.
- Professional help in Sonia’s story included a psychologist, a dietitian, hospitalization, and psychotherapy with several stages of work.
- Recovery in Sonia’s story was not linear, because periods of improvement were followed by relapse under stress, grief, exams, isolation, and difficult relationships.
- Family change in Yulia’s story became part of recovery, because Yulia came to see anorexia as a real illness and not a teenage whim.
How did anorexia begin in Sonia’s story?
Anorexia in Sonia’s story began when she was 12 years old. Sonia says the illness started with remarks from parents and a coach about her body, rejection, unkind jokes from new classmates, and her own insecurity.
A trip to the sea became the moment when Sonia decided to lose weight and get in shape. Sonia says that a strong-willed decision later turned into an endless pursuit of an unknown ideal.
Sonia was 158 cm tall and weighed 60 kg when the weight loss began. Sonia lost 10 kg over the summer and weighed 45 kg by winter.
Sonia says that the illness developed very smoothly and that she did not understand at first how she was losing control. Sonia says that she ate less, feared certain foods, and no longer knew how to eat normally without obsessive thoughts.
What happened as the weight loss became more severe?
The weight loss became more severe even after other people told Sonia that she already looked ideal. Sonia says that praise did not stop the process, because she had already become drawn to the feeling of control and to the results of losing weight.
Sonia continued doing sports and says that she still had enough strength for a time, even while continuing to lose weight. Sonia says that she did not want to return to normal eating because she liked what was happening to her body.
By the summer before her 14th birthday, Sonia’s weight had fallen to 40 kg. Sonia’s parents refused to sign permission for a climbing trip to the mountains because they were afraid that their daughter would become exhausted there.
After a trip to her father in Mexico, Sonia returned home weighing 38 kg. Sonia says that this period became the peak of the disorder, when the problem was no longer just weight loss but serious physical difficulties.
What signs showed that the illness had become dangerous?
The illness became dangerous when Sonia began to freeze even in summer, her body became covered with hair, and digesting food became difficult. Sonia says that she understood her body was trying to warm itself, but that the changes did not help her feel better.
Sonia says that the family then decided for the first time to seek help from a psychologist. Sonia says that she resisted the idea, and that there were hysterics, shouting, and arguments at home before she agreed.
Sonia says that even at 37 kg she still did not see herself as thin in the mirror. Sonia says that the number on the scale and the image in the mirror no longer matched, and that she believed she still needed to lose more weight.
Sonia says that when relatives, teachers, and classmates told her how alarming her appearance had become, she did not believe them. Sonia describes that stage as a mental deformation rather than simple disagreement with others.
What help did Sonia receive first?
The first effective help in Sonia’s story came from a dietitian. Sonia and Yulia had first gone to a psychologist, but they did not know which specialist was actually needed and could not solve the problem for some time.
The dietitian explained how nutrition works, why nourishment is necessary, and what food gives the body. Sonia was also given a meal plan, and Sonia followed that plan.
The meal plan helped Sonia raise her weight to 41 kg, restore her hormonal cycle, and improve her body’s functioning. Sonia also became used to eating properly, but Sonia then began to fear moving away from the plan.
A later trip to Turkey triggered those fears again because of the abundance of food. Sonia returned from that holiday weighing 37 kg.
Why was hospitalization chosen?
Hospitalization was chosen when Sonia’s condition became so serious that she and her family understood she could die. Sonia first resisted admission to the Center for the Study of Eating Disorders, but later recognized the danger herself.
Yulia says that the experience was very difficult because the setting was a psychiatric clinic. Yulia says that antidepressants and antipsychotics were used there to suppress the urge and obsessive persistence to keep losing weight.
Yulia says that the clinic showed her that anorexia can happen at any age and to people of any sex. Yulia recalls seeing patients who were very young children, adults, and older people.
Yulia also says that the clinic taught parents what to do at home and how to help their children. Yulia says that group work with other families helped her begin to see the problem differently and to reflect on the role of parents.
How did psychotherapy with Sonia work?
Psychotherapy with Sonia moved through several stages that are often typical in work with adolescents. Clinical psychologist Anfisa Zakharova says that teenagers in treatment for eating disorders often experience even more stress than adults because of adolescence itself, school exams, and the pressure of choosing a profession and future path.
The first stage was building trust. Anfisa Zakharova says that Sonia and the therapist spoke directly about the eating disorder from the start, often returning to the same topics about the illness and its treatment until trust and openness appeared.
The second stage was working through Sonia’s feelings about treatment, weight gain, and changes in eating. Anfisa Zakharova says that Sonia had many fears, including fear of drinking water because of swelling, fear that treatment would never end, and fear that specialists wanted to restore her weight too much.
The third stage was identifying Sonia’s personal vulnerability factors that could worsen her condition or provoke relapse. Anfisa Zakharova says that Sonia’s key factors were anxiety and fatigue, and that Sonia used a daily diary of emotions and states to notice overload, anxiety, rest, and the links between her condition and her symptoms.
Did hospitalization bring lasting improvement?
Hospitalization did not bring a lasting result in Sonia’s story. The article says that drips and therapy in the clinic did not create long-term improvement, and that many psychologists believe productive psychological work is difficult when strong medication suppresses emotions and reactions.
After returning home, Sonia began losing weight again. Sonia says that she felt intense loneliness after the hospital, along with a sense of betrayal by relatives and anger toward doctors, and that those feelings themselves became new triggers for the illness.
Sonia was later brought back to the clinic again under the pretext of renewing a prescription. Yulia says that the second admission was forced, deeply traumatic, and happened during another rapid fall in weight.
Yulia asked for Sonia to be discharged after about a month because Yulia again saw the effect of the medication and found it painful to watch. Yulia then took three months of unpaid leave from work to help Sonia at home and not leave her alone with food.
What helped outside the hospital?
Support at home helped Sonia rebuild eating and daily life outside the hospital. Yulia says that after the clinic she took Sonia to Ayurveda and massages to help her recover from the impact of drips on her kidneys, while also staying close to support food and mental wellbeing.
Yulia says that the family achieved a good result and that Sonia began eating in restaurants and cafés again. Yulia says that anorexia also takes life away by making a person less social and unable to spend time with others and eat in front of them.
Improvement was followed by setbacks when hormonal disruption and outside pressures returned. The article names coronavirus, lockdown, an unhealthy relationship with a boyfriend who insulted Sonia, and exams as factors that worsened the illness again.
Sonia says that she became used to the cycle of gaining and losing weight and even began to think that her whole life would continue that way. Sonia later shifted more attention toward study, creativity, and herself rather than her appearance, and Sonia says that her new relationship no longer undermined her self-esteem.
What triggered relapse again later?
Grief triggered another relapse later in Sonia’s story. Sonia says that after the death of her grandfather, who was very close to her, she again refused food.
Sonia says that refusing food and losing weight brought her relief. Sonia describes food restriction, control of eating, and calorie counting as her way of coping with negative feelings and stress by pushing emotional pain into the background.
Another hospital admission seemed likely at that point, but it did not happen. Sonia says that when she was 16, her mother told her that she was already grown up and that her mother could not keep chasing her forever and trying to make her come to her senses.
Sonia says that this conversation gave her real motivation to recover for the first time. Sonia then went to a psychologist on her own and began training in the gym to gain weight, with support from her mother and boyfriend.
What changed when Sonia took responsibility for recovery?
Recovery began to feel different when Sonia took responsibility for it herself. Sonia says that she started to enjoy gaining weight, felt satisfied with her figure, and wanted to feel like a girl again rather than keep suffering in the same cycle.
Yulia says that she told Sonia she was ready to support her emotionally but no longer wanted to control her or carry full responsibility, because Sonia was growing up and now had enough knowledge and support to ask for help herself.
Yulia also says that illness can bring secondary gains, such as attention, admiration, and a sense of being special. Yulia says that this dynamic became very obvious at a certain point in Sonia’s case.
Sonia is now 18 years old and says that she feels much better and is in stable remission. Sonia says that her self-esteem is now at its peak and that she is proud of the result she achieved.
How did the illness change Sonia and her mother?
The illness changed both Sonia and her mother. Yulia says that the story taught her to accept and love her daughter as she is, without waiting for achievements or measuring her value through performance.
Yulia says that Sonia’s illness showed her that something in Yulia’s own life also needed to change. Yulia says that she had suppressed much inside herself, including her own moments of not accepting herself and her body, and that psychotherapy helped her live through that experience.
During Sonia’s treatment, Yulia translated methodical materials about eating disorders because there were very few available in Russian. Yulia also later received a psychological education, and the article says that this changed how mother and daughter saw life and their relationship.
The article closes by saying that the tragedy became a turning point for both Sonia and Yulia. The illness changed both women and helped them recognize fundamental problems in their lives.
Questions readers may ask
How old was Sonia when anorexia began?
Sonia says that anorexia began when she was 12 years old. Sonia links the beginning to comments about her body, mockery from classmates, insecurity, and a decision to lose weight.
How much weight did Sonia lose at the start?
Sonia was 158 cm tall and weighed 60 kg when the weight loss began. Sonia lost 10 kg over one summer, weighed 45 kg by winter, and later reached 38 kg and then 37 kg.
Who helped Sonia during treatment?
Sonia’s treatment involved a psychologist, a dietitian, hospital care, and psychotherapy with clinical psychologist Anfisa Zakharova. Yulia, Sonia’s mother, was also deeply involved in supporting Sonia at home.
Did treatment work immediately?
Treatment in Sonia’s story did not work in a straight line. Sonia had periods of improvement, but stress, fear, grief, exams, lockdown, and difficult relationships were followed by relapse.
What finally helped Sonia move toward remission?
Sonia says that real motivation appeared when she decided to recover herself at age 16. Sonia says that therapy, support from her mother and boyfriend, and shifting attention toward study, creativity, and life beyond appearance helped her.