Jackie* had grown so obsessed with her food consumption that she would know immediately when she had been served with a bigger portion than she was used to.
“Bulimia is a cruel disorder. I went from comfort eating to not eating anything unless I prepared it myself,” Jackie says just before drama class at Dar Kenn Għal Saħħtek.
Three months ago, Jackie would probably not be talking about her ordeal to this newspaper, but today she is one of seven women with eating disorders who are rehearsing to perform in front of some 80 people, including President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca.
“Three months ago I used to feel grateful that I could not make it to drama classes because of other errands and I was initially upset when the drama class was moved to an earlier hour and I had to join the group.
“Nowadays, I actually look forward to the drama sessions. Drama has drawn us closer to each other and we feel like a family. We understand each other without having to say anything.”
Drama has drawn us closer to each other and we feel like a family
Jackie has been fighting bulimia for five years, but she feels she is on the path of recovery. She was referred to Dar Kenn Għal Saħħtek by a psychiatrist after the medicine she was taking was no longer effective. Dar Kenn Għal Saħħtek is run by a foundation set up between the Malta Community Chest Fund and the Health Ministry. The residential facility provides holistic treatment for patients with eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating, and obesity.
Jackie says she feels “safe and calm” because she trusts the people preparing her meals at the house. She is also slowly regaining her confidence through drama.
The drama classes form part of the outreach community theatre programme of the Malta Drama Centre, within the Lifelong Learning Directorate.
Jackie’s tutor, Dominic Said, believes drama helps the residents go beyond their social differences.
During his classes they interact and have fun, even though the sessions form part of the strict routine they have to follow as part of their therapy.
Apart from these seven women with eating disorders, the house hosts some 12 others who are fighting obesity.
The director of the house, Darleen Zerafa, explained that the residents were referred to the rehabilitation home by a doctor, and they then had to follow a therapy programme that included classes on nutrition and motivation among others.
“During their first week the patients are solitary and don’t speak much. But the barrier around them gradually dissolves as they start building relationships with fellow residents,” she says.
Their stay at the house varies from two to nine months and each patient has their own individual programme. However she believes that drama lessons, which are common for the residents, have helped the women regain their self-esteem shattered by the eating disorder.
*Name has been changed