‘I didn’t think I was ‘bad enough’ or thin enough to have an eating disorder, let alone warrant getting help’

Originally from the US, Dr Kielty Oberlin is a Kilkenny-based eating disorder treatment and recovery specialist with first-hand experience of the mental health condition

Dr Kielty Oberlin entered the field of psychology to understand ED, herself, and recovery. Photo: Dylan Vaughan

Dr Kielty Oberlin

‘My father was a US Air Force officer and we moved around a lot — so much so, that by the time I was 12 years old, I started in my eighth school.

My active eating disorder began between the age of 10 and 11, but I can see that my relationship with food had always been a bit off. I coveted it and was always really aware of what was on offer. I remember sneaking back home when I was six or seven to cut slivers off of a pumpkin pie which was cooling in our kitchen. I didn’t particularly like it, but once I started, I ate nearly the whole pie.