I don't believe people with anorexia are looking for shallow attention. The control aspect is there, but it's about feeling a lack of control in other areas of their life. Not small things like controlling the TV remote.  My family / friends didn't know I was bulimic in high school and I didn't want them to. I didn't want that attention. It was a private struggle. My dad has PTSD and schizoaffective bipolar type, both triggered by his time in Vietnam. He didn't get real help until I was maybe 8-9. Even then it took quite a few years to get his meds / counselor right. My parents relied on our help for things early as my mom also had back injuries that left her unable to sit or hold over 15ish lbs. I love my family, but we grew up early and lived in a violent unpredictable environment. I needed control of something and that fed in to it, but it wasn't because I was privileged and spoiled.