Eating Recovery Center

A cute reminder from this lil rock outside of our Denver center. 🥹

What does it look like when obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and eating disorders overlap? 🤔

Someone with OCD typically has unwanted thoughts or feelings (obsessions), then might develop rituals (compulsions) that offer temporary relief from these thoughts and feelings. However, these rituals often become unmanageable, severely impacting their daily lives. Those same rituals can start to impact their food choices, leading to disordered eating and eating disorders.

The other way around, someone with an eating disorder typically has lots of food rules and anxiety related to food choices. They may start to develop rituals outside of food that bring them temporary comfort, like checking that the stove is turned off or flipping the light switch on and off repeatedly before leaving a room.

Let’s explore the relationship between obsessive-compulsive disorder and eating disorders, where they overlap, how to untangle the symptoms and where to find help.

If you've had a slip or run into an obstacle in your recovery journey, know that it doesn't take away from all the hard work you've put in. You can *always* do the next right thing. 💙

“When I reflect on my recovery journey, I’m reminded of the profound impact that my dog, Chad, has had on my healing process.

I will be forever grateful that I have been able to share the past seven years of my life with him, as he has truly been a rock for me throughout my recovery from an eating disorder.” 🧡 💙

— Say It Brave Member, Chris Henrie ()

"When I reflect on my recovery journey, I'm reminded of the profound impact that my dog, Chad, has had on my healing process.

I will be forever grateful that I have been able to share the past seven years of my life with him, as he has truly been a rock for me throughout my recovery from an eating disorder." 💙

— Say It Brave Member, Chris Henrie

Being a teenager has *never* been easy. But the stresses teens face today are arguably more intense than ever before. 😮‍💨

From unprecedented pressure around academic and athletic performance to navigating relationships both at school and online, today’s teens have a lot on their minds.

One result of these modern stresses? A rise in teen eating disorders. Head to our latest blog to learn more about eating disorders in teens: https://bit.ly/3RuszpJ

Eating Disorders in Teens: What You Need to Know | Eating Recovery Center Eating disorders in teens are on the rise. Learn what is causing teen eating disorders, how they impact the brain and what treatment works best.

On the surface, gastrointestinal disorders and eating disorders share many things in common. They can both cause physical symptoms like cramping, bloating and sharp stomach pain. They also may create feelings of anxiety when eating certain foods — or when eating almost anything.

For these reasons, the relationship between gastrointestinal (GI) disorders conditions and eating disorders is complicated. While many clinical studies have explored the effects of eating disorders on the GI tract, less is known about the way GI disorders like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and celiac disease can trigger eating disorders.

In our latest blog, we're covering: emerging research on GI disorders, how to untangle the symptoms of GI disorders and eating disorders when it feels like something is off, and what our experts recommend. Read on here: https://bit.ly/3RyD6jT

We’re so excited for our upcoming Annual Conferences on Eating Disorders and Mental Health, happening August 21-23, 2024! 🎊

Our can’t miss events are packed with topics vital to mental health clinicians in 2024 and will provide you with the opportunity to:

1. Interact with experts who will examine the latest advances in treatment

2. Foster meaningful connections and build your community

3. Explore diverse perspectives and engage in provocative discussions designed to move the field of mental health forward

If you're interested in attending, make sure to sign up before August 1st to take advantage of our early bird pricing and save up to $50: https://bit.ly/4cfICA6

Here’s a look back at some of our favorite moments from previous years!👇

During , we're taking a moment to highlight our amazing nonprofit partners that are making a difference in the community.

This week, we’re shining a light on the Grant Halliburton Foundation for their work of increasing access to mental health care in the Hispanic community.

Learn more about them below!👇

“Biotemperament is the biological basis of emotion that impacts two things: how we perceive the world and how we regulate our emotions."

An individual’s biotemperament is tied to conditions like maladaptive perfectionism and anxiety, which are also triggers for eating disorders, depression and other mood disorders.

For providers, untangling this web of symptoms and behaviors has been challenging historically.

Today, however, an emerging evidence-based approach called radically open dialectical behavior therapy (RO DBT) can help providers identify clients’ biotemperamental tendencies and help them develop a mindful awareness around how perfectionism shows up for them.

If you’d like to learn more about RO DBT, you won’t want to miss our Regional Clinical Director, Ellen Astrachan-Fletcher, PhD, FAED, CEDS-C present on this topic at our annual conferences this August!

Register here: https://bit.ly/4bAVobs

"Healing isn't about perfection; it's about progress and making small steps that add up to monumental victories that showcase the strength, courage, and resilience we harbor on our recovery journeys."

— Say It Brave Member, Chris Henrie

"You can't live a full life on an empty stomach." — Caroline Mitchell

🫂

Whether it comes from a caregiver, teacher or friend, many can remember the first time a loved one commented on their body or the food they were eating. Unfortunately, these words can have a long-term effect on one’s self-image and eating habits.

When the topic of adolescence comes up, it’s easy to recall the impact these food and body comments had. Children and adolescents are observant and perceptive, often modeling the behavior of adults in their lives to guide their own choices.

While we’d like to believe that society is moving toward more acceptance and celebration of diverse body types, for many kids, and even adults, social media pressures are real. Additionally, many caregivers might still be suffering from poor body image brought on by decades of diet industry messaging and marketing. Adults and caregivers need to continuously communicate to children that the way we look is only one part of who we are. Keeping this in mind, they can serve as positive role models in their own behaviors around food and body image, both in person and on social media.

It’s important for caregivers to examine their own attitudes, beliefs, prejudices and behaviors about food, weight, body image, physical appearance, health and exercise. What’s even more important overall is that caregivers “own it” (i.e., recognize and acknowledge) when they are not modeling this — and make a proactive effort to change their own beliefs and behaviors.

Here are some examples of unhelpful statements that caregivers sometimes make in front of their kids and the lasting impact such statements can have. More on this topic here: https://bit.ly/3yuMWNa

In honor of ,, we're taking a moment to highlight one of our amazing nonprofit partners that works tirelessly to support initiatives and programs that increase access to culturally relevant mental health and wellness resources, therapy, and training experiences for the Black community.

Learn more about Black Mental Wellness below!👇

“I had to acknowledge and accept these truths if I wanted my recovery to be sustainable and genuine.” 💙

— Say It Brave Member, Julissa Minaya (.recovery)

"I had to acknowledge and accept these truths if I wanted my recovery to be sustainable and genuine." 💙

— Say It Brave Member, Julissa Minaya

This! Is! Important!

"This is your reminder that wherever you are in your recovery is exactly where you are meant to be.

It's easy to get sidetracked by timelines and expectations as to when you should be considered fully recovered.

While a full recovery is certainly my end goal, I have learned to embrace the journey and trust the process." 💙

— Say It Brave Member, Chris Henrie

You *are* enough. You *are* worthy of recovery. 💙

Dealing with a long-term illness can be... overwhelming. 😮‍💨 And they can be incredibly complex to navigate for those who have eating disorders.

For , we're taking a *very very very* high-level look at the intersection of chronic illnesses and eating disorders.

Swipe to learn more. 💙

Your end-of-week encouragement to lead with a little self-love. 💙

Whether it's coming from a loved one, a casual acquaintance, or a complete stranger — comments on our body, shape, or size can come as a shock to our system. 😮‍💨 And, depending on where you are in your journey, it might trigger eating disorder thoughts and behaviors.

Let's talk about how to handle these sensitive situations effectively. If someone comments on your body shape or size, here are a few low-energy and high-energy scripts you can use!

For more support on navigating these types of conversations, head to our blog: https://bit.ly/3yujc2X

Tips for Navigating Body Comments & Diet Talk | Eating Recovery Center What do we say when well-meaning people make harmful comments about our bodies or the latest fad diet? Get practical tips and scripts you can start using today.

We're launching a new support group series this summer — it's completely free and open to anyone who is having trouble navigating body image issues. 💙 In this four-week series, we'll hear from a different Say It Brave member who will share their experience navigating body image issues. Swipe to learn more about these Say It Brave members, and head to our website to register for our Body Image Support Group: https://bit.ly/3z4W4sc

If your eating disorder is upset with you for a decision that you made, it probably means you made the right one. Keep going! 💙

We'll say it — asking for help is *so* much easier than it sounds. Especially for those of us who love to be the one to offer help to our loved ones... Asking for help ourselves can feel so foreign, so weird, so shameful. But we're here to remind you that there's nothing wrong with asking for help. In fact, it's one of the bravest things you can do. 💙

If you're looking for help for an eating disorder, know that there are resources available. Send us a private message if you have questions and we'll help direct you to some resources!

"Eating disorders are one of the most fatal mental illnesses; anorexia specifically has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder. This makes prescribing a medication that can potentially trigger disordered eating behavior all the more concerning." — Elizabeth Wassenaar, MS MD

Popsugar writer Emilia Benton recently penned an insightful piece about the problematic practice of some physicians prescribing GLP-1 agonist medications (like Ozempic) to treat eating disorders. In this piece, our Regional Medical Director Dr. Wassenaar shares her concerns and the impact of GLP-1 agonist medications on the eating disorder community.

Read it in full here: https://bit.ly/4copbVx

People With Eating Disorders Are Being Prescribed Ozempic — and the Results Are Dire People at risk of or diagnosed with eating disorders are being prescribed Ozempic and similar drugs. Experts are worried about what might happen next.

What is emotion regulation? 🤔 The best way to understand emotion regulation is to start with what *emotion dysregulation* looks like.

When we live in a ~dysregulated~ state, we aren’t able to use helpful skills to reduce or moderate negative emotions. This can look like...

🙂 😩 Mood swings: You are extremely happy and then extremely sad, with no sense of balance.
😡🤬 Irritability: You feel triggered and yell at the driver who just cut you off, even though they will never hear you.
😮‍💨🫠 Feeling stuck: You can’t move beyond feeling angry or jilted, and it keeps replaying in your mind.

So, emotion regulation is practicing skills to reduce these intense emotional responses to a situation. This is like opening up our brain’s pathways to find new avenues to communicate experiences, fixing the fractured roads so traffic can flow freely. For more tips, head to our latest blog post. 🔗