Storied Bodies and Temporal Lives: A Narrative Inquiry Exploring the Experiences of Young Adults Living with an Eating Disorder

An eating disorder is a type of mental illness, characterized by a disturbance in eating related behaviour, resulting in significant physical and psychological impairments. Despite this recognition, eating disorders remain poorly understood and plagued by high mortality and low recovery rates. Furthermore, individuals living with an eating disorder rarely have opportunities to shape study design or inform treatment. This study used narrative inquiry to explore the experiences of two young adults, aged 18 to 30, living with Anorexia or Bulimia Nervosa, and self-identified as living with an eating disorder. Participants were interviewed five times over 3 months, and narrative accounts were co-composed through a collaborative process emphasizing relational engagement and therapeutic alliance. By centring the lived experience of participants this study engages with the complexity of living with an eating disorder rather than taking it for granted. Resonant narrative threads that were constructed through co-creation of knowledge are discussed. This article extends traditional research approaches by responding to participants' priorities, fostering co-constructed understanding, and offering pathways to inform research and care design that reflect the nuanced realities of living with an eating disorder.