Eating Disorders Blog

In an April 1 article on the Huffington Post, author Dr. Susan Albers wrote about American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi's revelation of struggling with an eating disorder -- and how her problem (binge eating disorder) is often misunderstood:

Kara recently spoke about her battle with an eating disorder. Specifically, she discussed her struggle with the symptoms of "Binge Eating Disorder," which is generally characterized by eating large amounts of food, feeling out of control while doing so and using food to deal with emotions.

It's not just about overeating. When your eating is out of control, causes you distress or is impacting your physical and emotional health, you may have Binge Eating Disorder. ...

Without proper diagnosis, it is often difficult to get treatment and to fully understand the nature of the problem. It's estimated that 3.5 percent of American women and two percent of American men have binge eating disorder.*

Labels: binge-eating

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In an April 12 article on CNN.com, writer Elizabeth Landau reported on the impact that diagnosis terms can have on the likelihood that individuals with eating disorders will get the treatment that they need:

Some insurance companies will only cover treatment for eating disorders if the patient meets all of the criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a guidebook for diagnosing mental illnesses, doctors say.

Patients who don't match all the symptoms, which include severe weight loss, are labeled "eating disorder not otherwise specified" (EDNOS) and sometimes don't qualify for the level of care they need.

A new study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found more than 60 percent of patients with EDNOS met medical criteria for hospitalization and were, on average, sicker than patients diagnosed with full-blown bulimia.

That means more than 60 percent of patients with EDNOS may have trouble getting care covered by an insurance company, said Dr. Rebecka Peebles of the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Labels: treatment

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Kristen Haglund, Miss America 2008, will speak about her struggles with disordered eating April 9 during an event in Costa Mesa, California.

Haglund will be the keynote speaker at "Awareness & Action on Eating Disorders: Confronting America's Silent Danger," which is being sponsored by The Victorian, an eating disorder treatment facility in Newport Beach, California.

Haglund will be joined at the event by retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey and Barry Karlin, CEO of CRC Health Group.

For more information about this event call Paige Willard at (949) 554-1114 or e-mail pwillard (at) crchealth.com.

Labels: eating disorder, awareness

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According to a March 29 article by Kathy Chu of USA Today, Asian women are coming under intense pressure to remain thin, which has led to an increasing prevalence of extreme dieting in many Asian nations:

In most developed parts of the world, women feel pressure to be thin. But such pressure is especially intense in Asia  in places like Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo  where scores of skinny women seem always to be looking for ways to get even skinnier.

Experts say dieting in Asia tends to be more extreme than in the West because of cultural perceptions of beauty.

"The magic number is to be below 100 pounds, no matter your height or your weight," says Philippa Yu, a clinical psychologist at the Hong Kong Eating Disorders Association.

In Asia, women want to stay skinny without exercising because muscles aren't considered a feminine feature, says Sing Lee, director of the Hong Kong Eating Disorders Center at Chinese University.

Extreme diets and other types of rapid or drastic weight loss measures are far from healthy behaviors, and have been associated with a wide range of physical and emotional problems.

Labels: extreme diets, pressures, body image

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Dr. Laura Anders spent her childhood and most of her young adult years feeling discontent and guilty about her body shape. A growing number of girls and women share this anxiety and poor self-image, and shes started addressing the problem with a program she calls "body transcendence."

Sandy Thorn Clark of the Chicago Sun-Times reported on Anders's efforts in an April 7 article:

Anders knows all about the anxiety, distress and discontent that mirrors can reflect to a staggering 8 out of 10 women, many of whom are part of a growing population of "healthy weight" or slightly overweight women preoccupied with the shame and guilt associated with feeling fat. ...

Body Transcendence is body transformation through transcendence therapy, an active form of psychotherapy that teaches "healthy weight" women -- a population that has been largely ignored until now, she says -- the skills necessary to help them transcend constant and generally negative thoughts about their bodies.

"I say to women, 'You can either work hard in feeling good about yourself or you can work hard in not feeling good about yourself. It's your choice.' That's not always easy to hear," Anders explains.

The 37-year-old Anders, who has operated a general psychiatric private practice in Chicago's Loop for six years, admits she always has tended to experience "normative discontent" -- or dissatisfaction -- with her body and appearance.

Labels: self-image, self-esteem

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As public opinion continues to shift away from the size-zero standard of beauty, a teenager from Glasgow is helping solidify that opinion. At a healthy size 12, Angelica Gray has no shortage of offers from modeling agencies in Australia, Belgium, London and America.

“Ms Gray is just the latest model to buck the size-zero trend in what many believe is a growing section of the fashion world. The average dress size a UK woman is 16. The average model is a size six… Victoria Allison, model booker at Model Team, Ms Gray’s Glasgow-based agency, said: ‘The market does seem to be changing. Girls like Angelica are proving that curvier models can be just as beautiful as a slimmer model and can work equally well in high-fashion clothing.’” (Source: The Sunday Herald)

Though curvier models are being more widely accepted, Dr. Alex Yellowlees, who treats women struggling with eating disorders, says there’s still a problem. The curvier models are often referred to as “plus-size,” even though they’re not at all overweight. Accepting size-12 models is a start, but the practice of labeling them “plus-size” needs to stop.
 

Labels: media, model, fashion

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Most girls and young women who play sports are healthy, competitive athletes. Some, however, take the competition too far, and find themselves battling eating disorders.

“Kimberly Dennis said she did have an eating disorder when she played basketball, volleyball and soccer… Dennis is now Dr. Dennis and Medical Director at Chicago’s Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center. Dr. Dennis says individual sports like diving and gymnastics pose a greater risk for female athletes but all sports put young girls at more risk than the general population.” - Source: The 33 News (Dallas-Ft. Worth)

Some girls are genetically predisposed, while others are perfectionists. Both put girls at high risk. Kenny Medina, a girls’ soccer coach, says she watches for signs of eating disorders in her players. Changes in eating patterns and noticeable weight loss are signals that something is wrong.

On a related topic, experts have also studied the prevalence of eating disorders among male athletes.

 

Labels: girls, athletes

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An April 28 article on the website thisisdorset.net profiled British teen Zoe Yates, who overcame an eating disorder and is now working to raise both awareness and hope among others who are struggling:

Zoe, 19, is now well on her way to recovery and has used her savings to book an eight-week adventure in Southern India. She will be travelling with a friend who she met in hospital and together they will be going to volunteer in an orphanage.

She hopes her trip will inspire other anorexia sufferers and those with mental health issues and show them that anything is possible.

She said: “I just want to let people with mental health issues know you can get better and you can change and it’s not going to be bad forever.

“You can make it. A lot of people thought I’d never turn the corner and lots of people think there’s no help for them, but everyone is backing everyone.”

Labels: awareness

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