Eating Disorders Blog

In association with the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Eating Disorders (ANAD), Montecatini is sponsoring two weekly support groups for individuals with eating disorders and family members whose lives have been impacted by their loved ones struggles:

Eating Disorder Support Group

• Mondays, 6:45 to 8 p.m.
• Group leader: Danielle Lullo, Montecatini Executive Director
• Next meeting: April 5

Family Support Group

• Thursdays, 6:45 to 8 p.m.
• Group leader: Danielle Beck-Ellsworth, Montecatini Program Therapist
• First meeting: April 15

Both groups will meet in our outpatient office in the La Costa Towne Center (7720 El Camino Real, Suite 2F [Upstairs], Carlsbad CA 92009).

Participation is free of charge, no reservations are required, and no prior association with Montecatini is necessary to join. Both groups are open to men and women.

For more information about Montecatinis ANAD Eating Disorder Support Groups call (760) 436-8930 or e-mail criddle@crchealth.com

Labels: support

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In a March 29 article on shreveporttimes.com, author Doreen Nagle provided the following details on the prevalence of eating disorders among teenagers:

• About 10 of every 100 teen girls suffer from two body image disorders, bulimia and anorexia. These two diseases are classified as psychiatric disorders and may run in families.
• Over 12 percent of high school students admit that they have gone without eating for 24 hours so they may lose weight or prevent weight gain.
• More than six percent of students nationwide admitted having taken diet supplements without a doctor's advice to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight.
• Forcing oneself to vomit as an aid in losing weight or keeping weight off is a practice used by about 5 percent of teens; the number of girls using this method is more than twice that of boys.

"Is your child unrealistically concerned with being 'fat' when she or he is too thin in your estimation? Does your child's weight fluctuate with no reasonable explanation?," Nagle wrote. "Watch for the signs of anorexia or bulimia."

Labels: bulimia, teen eating disorders, anorexia

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People who receive therapy for issues such as depression, eating disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder typically meet face-to-face with their counselors. But a new study has found that teletherapy -- therapy via teleconference -- can be just as effective.

As part of this study, 17 post-traumatic stress victims & underwent 16 to 25 sessions via teleconference with Montreal therapists. A control group consisted of patients receiving face-to-face therapy. &

The teletherapy group and the control group equally benefited from their therapy. "The same number of patients in both groups saw a significant decrease in their post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety symptoms," says Dr. [Stephane] Guay. [Source: ScienceDaily]

None of the patients expressed discomfort with the teleconference, and some like the idea that their therapist was farther away. As it expands, teletherapy could provide people around the world access to therapy from specialists who aren't available in their own city or state.

Labels: therapy

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Columnist Naomi Lakritz has had enough. Shes had enough of studies and reports that tell women and girls how sensitive they are to images of razor-thin models. Shes had enough of the inference that females arent smart enough to realize that those images are manipulated and airbrushed and not at all real.

I saw a photo not long ago of some women who were far more beautiful than any of the airbrushed babes with pouty lips and long, skinny legs who can be found in the pages of a magazine. They were nuns from a convent in Washington state, all of them in their late middle ages, none wearing any makeup. &

Their clothing would never be considered the latest fashion. But what made them beautiful was the character in their faces and the light in their eyes." [Source: The Calgary Herald]

The fashion, marketing, health and beauty industries continue to push an image of beauty that is unrealistic. Some, like Naomi Lakritz, would argue that it's also an image of beauty that's not that beautiful.

Labels: media

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In a Feb. 26 Huffington Post article (part of a post-New Year's Day series on food and health), Concordia College religion professor Michele Lelwica notes that fighting back against cultural pressures to be thin isn't as easy as simply eating more:

To challenge our culture's obsession with thinness is not to endorse a lifestyle that promotes obesity. Rather, my suggestion is simply that, in the long run, cultivating a nonviolent relationship with your body is actually a more viable road to overall health (physical, mental, spiritual) than torturing yourself with restrictive diets and weight-loss fantasies.

In fact, a crucial aspect of pursuing this kinder, more peaceful approach to your body is eating foods that genuinely nourish your body and spirit.

This means that instead of deciding what to eat based primarily on caloric, fat, or carbohydrate content, you try to eat foods that maximize your physical health. It also means eating them in a way that is attuned to how much your body really needs and that enhances your sense of gratitude and pleasure.

Labels: pressures, health, obesity

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Mental health experts are continuing their debate over where to include binge eating disorder in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V, which is scheduled to be published in 2013).

Some experts are arguing that binge eating disorder is just another form of overeating, and since 67 percent of Americans are overweight, they cannot all be mentally ill.

However, Chevese Turner, chairman of the Binge Eating Disorder Association, believes the disorder should be included, noting that only 3.5 percent of women and 2 percent of men suffer from it.

In order to be diagnosed with binge eating disorder, the person must experience shame, guilt and a lack of control during episodes of over eating. The disorder often starts in the teen years, and 70 percent of those who have it are obese. Most suffer from depression, anxiety, and other addictions.

"The official definition of the binge eating is consuming a large amount of food in a brief time, usually under two hours," said Dr. Cindy Bulik, director of the Eating Disorders Program at the University of North Carolina. "The kicker is feeling out of control. This is not the Super Bowl or Thanksgiving -- it has to include an out-of-control feeling. Forty-one percent of liability to binge eating disorder is due to genetic factors. The rest is due to environment."

Labels: binge-eating, dsm-iv

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Montreal-based fashion designer Katrin Leblond, reports that it is still difficult to find healthier-sized models in Montreal, and she believes additional efforts are required.

"There's no centralized industry, there's no centralized monitoring of modeling agencies," Leblond said in a March 10 article by Andrea Hayley of The Epoc Times. "Most of the agencies couldn't even provide me with a choice of more than one or two girls of that size."

According to the Quebec Association for Assistance to People Suffering from Anorexia and Bulimia, as many as 65,000 women in the province struggle with disordered eating behaviors, The Epoc Times reported. The extreme thinness of fashion models is believed to be one of the media influences that contributing to the prevalence of eating disorders.

Labels: media, model, fashion

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On Feb. 22, Britains Royal College of Psychiatrists published a statement calling for warning labels on airbrushed photos of models and celebrities, and for a ban on underweight models at London Fashion Week.

According to an article on www.independent.co.uk, the college's call to action urges the government as well as the media and fashion industries to take greater responsibility in the fight against eating disorders.

The college believes that labels on photos would help to raise awareness of how widespread photo manipulation is, and to dissuade people from attempting to achieve "unattainable physical perfection."

The college also urged the British government to establish a forum, made up of politicians, experts and representatives from the media and advertising, for the development of an editorial ethical code.

Labels: media

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Anyone who still clings to the mistaken belief that eating disorders only affect adolescents and teenagers would be advised to read Krista Ramsey's March 7 Cincinnati Enquirer about the lifelong struggle of Michelle Trotta:

For 30 years, Trotta has battled various eating disorders in tortured pursuit of the size nothing.

The 48-year-old mother and grandmother has starved and binged, over-exercised and vomited compulsively and, as she says, worked hard to appear normal through it all.

"I've lost three-fourths of my teeth. I've fractured my tailbone three times. I have crutches in my house, and I don't think there's a day where I don't have some kind of pain," says Trotta, an Oakley resident and administrator in her family's child-care business.

"But it still doesn't stop me."

Ramsey's article notes that mental health experts report having seen an increase in cases of eating disorders among adult women.

Labels: middle aged women, adults

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Studies have found that about 60 percent of female college students have disordered eating habits, which means they use food to compensate for low self-esteem, stress, or sadness. In response to these statistics, the University of Virginia has launched an eating disorders program on campus.

"The program's education coordinator, Amy Chestnutt, is an alumna whose part-time job focuses on planning events and activities that emphasize eating disorder prevention & One of the biggest programs they present, 'Celebrate Every Body Week,' took place Feb. 22 through 26&' [Source: The News Leader (VA)]

The University of Virginia is believed to be one of the only U.S. colleges to have an eating disorder counselor, making its program a model for other Universities. The programs primary goal is to get people talking about eating disorders, seeking help if they need it, and encouraging students to challenge the "ideal" body image portrayed in the media.

Labels: awareness, colleges

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City officials and restaurants in Columbus, Ohio, are unveiling a new plan designed to address the city's growing problem with obesity. The Health Choices Committee is a joint venture of the mayor's office, Columbus Public Health officials, and business executives from Bob Evans Farms Inc., Donatos Pizzeria, LLC, and the Central Ohio Restaurant Association. The group will focus on promoting healthy menus and working with restaurants to provide consumers with nutritional information.

Mayor Michael Coleman said that a driving concern behind the new group is the problem of childhood obesity, which has recently reached "critical proportions." According to city data, more than two of every five kindergartners, third-graders and fifth-graders in Columbus schools are overweight. In addition, three in every five adults in the city are obese.

In a press release, Columbus Health Commissioner Teresa Long commented, "In addition to giving people the information they need, we also want to help parents embrace healthier choices."

(Source: Columbus.bizjournals.com)

Labels: obesity, childhood-obesity

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Scotland has announced plans to tackle the problem of obesity. Experts estimate that if rising obesity rates in the country remain unchecked, the rate of obesity in the nation will double to 40 percent by the year 2030. Currently, the treatment of obesity-related health problems costs Scotland £175 million ($266 million). This figure is likely to increase to approximately £457 million ($696 million) over the next two decades.

Public Health Minister Shona Robison, who unveiled the Scottish Government's strategy to tackle obesity, commented: "Obesity is a huge threat to Scotland's future and we are committed to tackling this. No country in the world has successfully addressed obesity - and we want Scotland to be the first.

"Excellent work is already under way but we have to go further and make serious changes that will transform our entire living environment. We plan to work across all areas of Government to ensure that policies are directed at supporting people to achieve and then maintain a healthy weight."

(Source: google.com/hostednews)

Labels: obesity

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