Eating Disorders – Mixed Messages

As I was reading up on some recent research I came across two related to eating disorders/weight, and while reading them I realized how many mixed messages we are sending. One was about a spike in eating disorders in older women while the other focused on the link between body weight and personality. While I found the information in both articles interesting, there were pieces that were almost contradictory in nature. It got me thinking about the messages we send out about eating disorders. We complain about living in a culture obsessed with thinness, and often blame the media and … Continue reading →

Physical Problems Brought On By Eating Disorders

The whole thing had started as a way to improve Christina’s looks. All it had done over the years was wear her body down. Her hair was thin and lifeless. Her face dry and flaccid. Her eyes, dull and rimmed with red. The skin on her upper arms drooped, robbed of muscle tone. Her body was an odd mix of thin limbs and stubborn stores of fat, seemingly as double-minded about itself as she was. She was tired all the time; tired of the constant battle with her body. At some point, her body had ceased to be her subservient … Continue reading →

Understanding the Difference Between Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating

In mid-June I’m speaking at a conference on eating disorders hosted by FINDINGbalance, a non-profit with a unique focus on disordered eating. Theirs is the first national organization dedicated to creating awareness and understanding of EDNOS (Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified), like chronic dieting, emotional eating, and organic food obsessions generally viewed as normal in today’s society. As I write in Hope, Help & Healing for Eating Disorders: “It doesn’t take being diagnosed with an eating disorder to realize something is wrong with the way you eat or the way you feel about food. You may not starve yourself continually. … Continue reading →

Are You a Food Phobic?

Phobias come in many forms and having a phobia about food is no exception. A food phobic is more than a fussy eater, although that would be the tag generally attached to such a person. Food phobia has little to do with more well-known eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia. So what exactly are the characteristics of a food phobic? Marcia Pelchat, a Philadelphia-based food psychologist states that a person with a food phobia dislikes the taste of certain foods to an excessive extent and avoids them wherever possible. This also applies to the texture of certain foods. … Continue reading →

Bulimia: Diagnostic Criteria and Treatment

Bulimia is one of the most common psychological disorders affecting young females. The primary characteristic of the condition is the consumption of large amounts of food, usually junk food rather than healthy fruit and vegetables. Just as important as the amount of food eaten, is the experience of being out of control, i.e. the person cannot control the binging incident at the time. In addition, there is an attempt to compensate for the bingeing behavior in the form of purging, where the food consumed is expelled by a variety of means. The DSM-IV outlines the following criteria for the diagnosis … Continue reading →

What is Bulimia?

The late Princess Diana had the unenviable reputation of being the world’s most famous bulimic. Back in the 1990s when the rumors of her eating disorder were finally acknowledged by her in one of her many authorized biographies, she became the flagship for sufferers the world over. Bulimia is a disorder that strikes people from all walks of life, as the tragic story of Princess Diana clearly indicates. It affects one in six teenage girls and a slightly lesser percentage of women in their twenties. However as noted in a previous article (see The Desperate Housewives’ Syndrome), the condition is … Continue reading →

The Desperate Housewives Effect

An increasing number of women in their 30s, 40s and even 50s are succumbing to eating disorders, even full-blown anorexia, in an attempt to maintain their youthful figures. Dubbed the Desperate Housewives Effect, the condition takes its name from the series Desperate Housewives but also reflects the array of Hollywood stars whose fortunes are inversely related to the size of their waistlines. While it might appear that the battle of the bulge being fought daily in the gyms and kitchens of Hollywood affects only the actresses themselves, research has shown this is not the case. Psychologists at eating orders clinics … Continue reading →

What is Anorexia?

Rachel was 17 years old when she was first taken to her local doctor by her worried Mom for help. She looked older than her years— her lifeless eyes were shadowed, and her cheeks sunken. Her skin was pasty and stretched tightly across her cheekbones giving her a skeletal look. Her collarbones protruded sharply through her loose-fitting shirt. Despite her current appearance, Rachel still retained the traces of the beautiful young woman she had once been. Two years earlier Rachel had been “chunky”, as her best friend, Chloe, had one day innocently commented. It didn’t help Rachel that Chloe was … Continue reading →

Anorexia – Symptoms and Treatment

Anorexia affects two out of every 100 teenage girls, although the disorder does occur less frequently in other age groups and occasionally in males. Signs and symptoms of anorexia include dry skin, brittle hair and nails, and an intolerance of cold temperatures. The appearance of lanugo, or downy hair on the face and body is common. Chronic low blood pressure and a slowed heart rate are also typical. Cardiac, kidney, and electrolyte imbalances are common and are often the cause of death. Of course, by far the most obvious sign of anorexia is weight loss. To be medically classified with … Continue reading →