Exploring eating disorder voice representations in first-person blog posts on a charity website

Eating disorders (EDs) involve severe and consistent disturbances in eating behaviours that are motivated by concerns about food, eating, and/or weight. An eating disorder voice (EDV) is one aspect of ED experiences that has received comparatively little research attention. Using corpus-assisted discourse analysis, this study explores representations of EDVs in 247 first-person submissions to a UK eating disorder charity’s online blog. Set against a backdrop of linguistic literature on non-self voice hearing, the linguistic analysis finds multifaceted depictions of EDVs as persuasive, pervasive, and akin to a toxic friend. The EDV is described as exacerbating feelings of not being good or sick enough, while responses to the EDV are represented as self-isolation, reframing thoughts, and active resistance. Renderings of negative emotional reactions to the EDV include fear and emotional numbness. The clinical relevance of the findings is considered.