Jameela Jamil discusses her struggle with an eating disorder and shares a 10-year-old photo from when she felt 'too fat': 'I missed my teens/20s'
She finished filming her critically acclaimed comedy series The Good Place in August.
And Jameela Jamil opened up her struggle with an eating disorder in a tweet posted Friday.
The 33-year-old actress and TV presenter shared a 10-year-old photo from a party she was afraid to attend for fear to being 'too fat.'
Painful times; Jameela Jamil, 33, opened up about her struggle with an eating disorder in her teens and 20s and posted a photo from a time when she felt 'too fat' to be seen in public; pictured in 2009
The photo in question was a side profile from the Burberry after-party during London Fashion Week in September 2009.
The 5ft11in beauty was dressed in a short black dress that showcased her long legs and arms, along with a pair of black and gold platform heels.
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'This was a sad day 10 years ago. I didn't want to go to the event because I was convinced that I was "too fat" and that I would be publicly fat shamed the next day,' she wrote.
'I was so weak, I only managed to stay for 10 mins. Eating disorders/dysmorphia are so wild. I missed my teens/20s,' she concluded, adding a broken heart emoji.
LBD: The photo in question was a side profile from the Burberry after-party during London Fashion Week in September 2009, in which she wore a short black dress and black and gold platform heels
Cognitive distortion: The 5ft11in TV presenter worried she would be fat shamed if she went out in public in the dress
Jameela was referring to body dysmorphic disorder, a mental health condition that causes a person to obsessively focus on perceived flaws in their appearance.
The actress has previously spoken about developing an eating disorder when she was 14.
She told People in August that the condition was exacerbated by her lack of a close friend circle, which meant that she didn't have friends monitoring her mental health.
She continued to ruminate in her negative thoughts without anyone to tell them to.
Recommendation: The Good place star put in a word for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) treatment, which she said worked for her
Controversial: Studies have found the treatment to be effective overall, though many mental health professionals believe the eye movement component isn't beneficial and may only add to the price; pictured December 5
In a follow-up tweet, Jameela praised eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) treatment for helping her overcome her eating disorder.
'The therapy I used to help me was called EMDR, it works faster so it was much cheaper. CBT didn’t work for me personally. So if it doesn’t work for you, try EMDR. It’s free in some countries. I’m thankful to the brilliant “I Weigh” community for helping my recovery. Love you ❤️.'
EMDR is similar to cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), in which patients are aided in examining and changing their negative believes and cognitive distortions.
EMDR uses a modified version of CBT, and a therapist additionally directs a client to quickly move their gaze side to side to either follow their hand or a moving light.
Studios have found the technique to be as effective as CBT, but many experts believe the eye movement component is ineffective and have cautioned against the treatment because some providers may use the extra component to charge more than a standard CBT session.
In it together: Jameela's followers chimed in with words of encouragement, as well as their own stories of their own experiences with eating disorders
Coming soon: Jameela will be featured in the final episodes of The Good Place's fourth season, which begin airing Thursday, January 9; shown November 24
Jameela's followers chimed in with words of encouragement, as well as their own stories of their own experiences with eating disorders.
'The replies to this make me sad that so many others felt the same way. But are also very sweet and open. We are in this together,' she wrote in a subsequent tweet.
Since rising in stature thanks to her NBC series The Good Place, Jameela has been vocal about body positivity issues on social media, and she often criticizes social media stars such as the Kardashian–Kenner for their endorsements of laxative teas and other unscientific products that purport to help people lose weight.
She'll be featured in the final episodes of The Good Place's fourth season, which begin airing Thursday, January 9.
