Eating Disorders
In Brief
Eating Disorders evolve into coping mechanisms and are notoriously difficult to treat.
Quotes
“To lose the confidence in one’s body is to lose confidence in oneself.” ~ S. Beauvoir
“The meal isn’t over when I’m full. The meal is over when I hate myself.” ~ C. K. Louis
“The heart of an eating disorder is silence.” ~ Unknown
“You will never be/do enough.” ~ Unknown
Anorexia Nervosa
In Brief
Relentless pursuit of thinness, anxious, driven, body image-obsessed, calorie-counting, food rituals.
Co-morbid Issues: Anxiety Disorder, Severe Perfectionism, Cognitive Inflexibility
The residential care industry spends millions on advertising with scant data to back it up.
Client / Therapist
Client:
“Those women are so gorgeous.”
Therapist:
“Perfection is usually photo-shopped.”
Quotes
“You can’t recover by just eating more.”
Bulimia Nervosa
In Brief
Secrecy, binging/purging. Always wanting to eat vs. never wanting to eat. Body weight is maintained.
Pro Tip
Symptoms are consistent with impulse disorders.
Quotes
Bulimics often think of themselves as “failed anorexics.” ~ Unknown
“Exercise is the yuppie form of Bulimia.” ~ B. Ehrenreich
“When you stop trying to control food, it stops controlling you.” ~ K. Sokoll-Ward
Resources
Websites
Nationaleatingdisorders.org
Anda.org
Allianceforeatingdisorders.com
Movies
To the Bone
Hunger Point
Perfect Body
For the Love of Nancy
Karen Carpenter Story
Books
The DBT Solution for Emotional Eating
~ D. Safer, et al.
50 Strategies to Sustain Recovery
~ J. Golden.
Therapy Pros
Interventions can save lives.
Therapy Cons
Patients don’t always come first. Crippling self-doubt. Stigmatized.
