Eating Disorders Blog

An editorial on the website of The Daily Oklahoman reported on efforts by the University of Oklahoma to use the image of a popular doll to raise awareness among both male and female students about the impact of media and consumer images on poor self-esteem and related issues:

Just after swiping your way into the Huston Huffman Center, you'll see a giant woman with breasts that seem larger than her 18-inch waist. The mannequin has the dimensions of a life-sized Barbie doll, decked in a lovely pink jacket and feet. This mannequin exemplifies many of the negative connotations that come from the objectification of women.

Barbie, in this instance, is a warning. Don't try to look like her. It's not healthy and is a "serious emotional and physical problem that can have life-threatening consequences for females and males," according to the National Eating Disorders Association. ...

However, this fails to look at both sides of the spectrum, because men are not represented. Men also are subjected to stereotypes and can suffer from eating and exercise disorders. Men do not need to look like Ken, a monster of muscles and objectification only surpassed in superficiality by his wondrously dim girlfriend. ...

Do not try to look like plastic dolls.

Labels: self-image, self-esteem

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 1 Comment

Britain's Royal College of Psychiatrists has 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.

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. Dr. Adrienne Key of the college's eating disorders section said the media must be prevented from "glamorizing" excessive weight loss and exacerbating the psychological and social pressures faced by young people.

She commented: "What we need to do is raise people's awareness of what they are looking at. A lot of people have no idea how much manipulation goes on. The aims of the forum should be to collaboratively develop an ethical editorial code that realistically addresses the damaging portrayal of eating disorders, raises awareness of unrealistic visual imagery created through airbrushing and digital enhancement, and also addresses the skewed and erroneous content of magazines."

(Source: www.independent.co.uk)

Labels: eating disorder, media, model

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

At a time when obesity is a skyrocketing problem in the United States, some experts are seeing a backlash of eating disorders. Orthorexia, which is considered a type of anorexia, involves an obsessive fixation with eating only healthy foods. Orthorexia is a term coined by Dr. Steven Bratman to describe this condition; however, orthorexia is not an officially recognized clinical eating disorder.

Orthorexics gradually eliminate more and more types of foods from their diets and generally begin to fixate on a very limited diet. In some extreme cases, orthorexics become full-blown anorexics because they can't find food "clean" enough or "healthy" enough to satisfy their compulsion, and so their caloric intake becomes severely limited.

According to some experts, the connection between anorexia and orthorexia is a deep-seated fear of food. Anorexics fear food because they think it will make them fat, while orthorexics fear food because they think it will make them sick.

Ellen Astrachan-Fletcher, a clinical psychologist and director of the eating disorders clinic at the University of Illinois at Chicago, commented: "While orthorexia begins with a desire to achieve better health, it's very connected to an underlying fear of food. If I believe the food will make me sick, I become afraid of it, and I avoid it and, bit by bit, continue to avoid more and more food types."

Orthorexics typically become so obsessed with consuming the "right" foods that other activities in their lives begin to suffer, such as their studies, careers and family life. This is the point where a lifestyle choice may cross the line into a mental health issue.

Linda Van Horn, a clinical nutrition epidemiologist at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, stated: "The fundamental issue [with orthorexia] is the obsessive-compulsive nature of food intake. Anything too extreme can be unhealthy."

(Source: news.medill.northwestern.edu)

Labels: anorexia, diet, orthorexia

Posted By: Eating Disorders Blog 1 Comment

Children as young as 10 years old are concerned with what constitutes the ideal body, according to a recent study that took place in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The study analyzed survey responses from more than 4,000 school-aged children. It determined that young girls' happiness was linked directly to how thin they were, while boys were happiest when they were neither too thin nor too heavy.

• About 7 percent of girls reported that they didn't like the way they looked.
• The percentage of girls who were unhappy with their looks increased proportionately as respondents' body mass index measurements increased. O
• f girls with normal body weight, 5.7 percent didn't like the way they looked, versus 10.4 percent of overweight girls and 13.1 percent of obese girls.
• Experts estimate that approximately 25 percent of Canadian children are now overweight or obese.

(Source: network.nationalpost.com)

Labels: body image, kids

Posted By: Eating Disorders Blog 1 Comment

New research from Queensland, Australia, shows that the number of children ages 13 or under being diagnosed with eating disorders at community mental health services has quadrupled in the past five years. In light of this disturbing trend, experts are warning parents to limit child exposure to TV weight loss shows and dieting paraphernalia.

Julie Parker, general manager of the Butterfly Foundation, which supports people with eating disorders, commented on the "dangerous" and confusing nature of weight loss shows for children: "We constantly have a dieting and thin culture in front of us, and children and young people are exposed like never before."

According to Parker, very young children in particular should not be exposed to extreme weight loss programs because they tend to present "a very warped and unrealistic view of exercise, dieting and health."

Bruce McDermott, University of Queensland professor of child and adolescent psychiatry, called the increase in diagnoses a "robust trend," but stressed that no one really knows the cause. "There are influences on childhood in the last 10 years that have never been there before," he said. "The prevalence of technology in the bedroom - MSN, YouTube, Internet and TV - fairly relentlessly gives a message that thin is good, thin is beautiful and thin is desirable."

(Source: www.news.com.au)

Labels: weight loss, tv

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 1 Comment

A recent study indicates that teen vegetarians are more interested in losing weight than realizing the health benefits of a meatless diet, saving the environment, or protecting animals.

The study, led by nutritionist Ramona Robison-O'Brien, an assistant professor at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University in Minnesota, found that 25 percent of young “vegetarians” still eat white-meat chicken, and 46 percent eat fish. In addition, 20 percent reported binge-eating behaviors, and 25 percent reported using extreme weight-loss measures.

The authors of the study recommend that parents and doctors be extra vigilant when a teen suddenly decides to become vegetarian, as it may be an effort to camouflage unhealthy eating behaviors.

(Source: www.time.com)

Labels: eating disorder, vegetarians

Posted By: Staff Writer 1 Comment

Anorexia nervosa is a deadly eating disorder. It has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness.

Historically, anorexia was believed to be induced by environmental factors such as home environment and social pressures. In the past few years, however, research has discovered that genetics play a significant role in the development of eating disorders. Experts currently estimate that 50 percent of the risk of developing an eating disorder is inherited.

In a recent story by a Denver-area news station, Dr. Ken Weiner said, "We know that there are multiple genes and they are closely related to anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. ... If your mother or your sister has anorexia and you are a young woman, you are 12 times more likely to have anorexia nervosa in your lifetime and four times more likely to have bulimia nervosa."

Dr. Weiner was careful to say, however, that genes alone are not enough to trigger an eating disorder. "Genes load the gun, life pulls the trigger. With anorexia nervosa, if you never go on a diet or precipitously lose weight due to a medical condition, you never develop anorexia nervosa."

(Source: www.thedenverchannel.com)

Labels: eating disorder, anorexia, genetics

Posted By: Staff Writer 1 Comment

Filmmaker Travis Matthews had the inspiration to make a documentary about gay men, body image, and eating disorders in 2005, when he was struggling with an eating disorder.

Matthews had a difficult time finding treatment for his eating disorder - a problem experienced by many men with extreme eating behaviors. Treatment programs are traditionally geared toward women. Matthews commented about his search for help, "It just seemed like nothing was out there."

Matthews' film, "Do I Look Fat?" is rooted in his desire to help others. He holds a master's degree in counseling psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, but has placed his counseling career on hold to produce the film. He feels that it is the best way to reach out to other men who struggle with eating disorders. Matthews said that he hopes to counter stereotypes within the gay community about how men should look, either very skinny or obese.

"My hope is that this will happen within the gay community-a grassroots sort of thing where people start talking to each other," he said. "I hope the gay community in general is maturing in a way to be healthier. The time is right for more treatments and open discussions to be available." (Source: media.www.thelantern.com)

Labels: awareness, men

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 1 Comment

Hailey is in fourth-grade. She’s happy, active… and worries about her weight. When asked, she admits she compares herself to her classmates, thinks she’s “a little chubby,” and needs to work out more.

“The 10-year-old girls is not alone, according to experts. A growing number of girls Hailey’s age, and even younger, worry about the way they look. ‘The bottom line is, it starts in the home and it starts at a very, very, very young age,’ said Sandee Nebel, a licensed mental health counselor specializing in eating disorders and body image.” [Source: WKMG-TV (Orlando, FL)]

Parents often don’t realize the message they’re sending to kids, and seemingly harmful words or actions can encourage low self-esteem and affect the way a child views others. Most parents know not to tease kids about their weight, appearance or eating habits.

But some may not realize that making negative comments about others is harmful, too. In addition, labeling foods as “good” or “bad” can also send the wrong message. Instead, parents should focus on healthy living, rather than size or weight.

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment