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Greta Thunberg struggled with autism and eating disorder when she was 11, says mother: 'She stopped talking'

In a new book written by the Thunberg family, Greta's mother Malena Ernman reveals how her daughter's concerns over climate crisis helped her get better
UPDATED FEB 23, 2020
Greta Thunberg (Getty Images)
Greta Thunberg (Getty Images)

Climate change activist Greta Thunberg fell sick at the age of 11. Her mother recently revealed how her daughter's concern over the climate crisis helped her get better.

Thunberg's mother Malena Ernman spoke of her daughter's struggles in a new book titled 'Our House is on Fire: Scenes of a Family and a Planet in Crisis' that has been written by the Thunberg family.

The loving mother described how Thunberg, now the world's most known climate change activist, became sick at the age of 11. Thunberg was diagnosed with autism described by her mother as 'high-functioning Asperger's' and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In a heartbreaking quote, Ernman writes, "She was slowly disappearing into some kind of darkness. She stopped playing the piano. She stopped laughing. She stopped talking. And she stopped eating."

Thunberg's mother is a Swedish opera singer and is married to actor Svante Thunberg. In the book, they speak about coping with their daughter's drastic changes in her diet where she ate only small amounts of rice, avocado and gnocchi. "After two months of not eating, Greta has lost almost 10kg (1.5st), which is a lot when you are rather small, to begin with. Her body temperature is low and her pulse and blood pressure clearly indicate signs of starvation. She no longer has the energy to take the stairs and her scores on the depression tests she takes are sky-high," Ernman wrote.

Thunberg, who is now 17, recently addressed the United Nations Climate Change summits in 2018 and 2019 to raise awareness about global warming. She also became Time magazine's youngest ever Person of the Year last year.

Extracts from the book reveal how after Thunberg became concerned after watching a film about trash in the oceans. Her mother writes of how the awareness of the climate crisis changed her mood.

She goes on to write about how her daughter planned a climate change strike from her school. "Svante has promised to take her to a building supplier's to buy a scrap piece of wood that she can paint white and make a sign out of it. 'School Strike for the Climate' it will say. And although more than anything we want her to drop the whole idea of going on strike from school – we support her. Because we see that she feels good as she draws up her plans – better than she has felt in many years. Better than ever before, in fact."

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