Eating Disorder Support and Education

Hi everyone, originally this page started as nursing school project but I can see how many people it has reached. I hope some of the information helps you and I'm always here to listen. I know the holidays trigger people and bring up some struggles. I'm thinking of you all ❤

Sometimes it is hard to know where to start with eating disorder management. The National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) provides a eating disorder screening tool and a lot of information on questions surrounding eating disorders, finding treatment, support, recovery and relapse, and how to help others. Additionally, NEDA has a variety of ways to communicate with those that are suffering from an eating disorder such as their helpline, instant messaging, or text messaging.

NEDA can be an advocate when you reach for yourself or others.

For more information on NEDA, eating disorders, and seeking help: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline

"Bullying is linked to 65% of eating disorders" (Proud2beme, 2011).

Bullying and body appearance based teasing can impact an individual's mindset and impact an individual during prevention, treatment, and recovery from an eating disorder. Bullying occurs in schools, the community, and the workplace. Bullying happens in all age groups, genders, and races.

There is importance in discovering ways to cope with bullying and body based teasing. Community and online support groups, therapy, and venting to a friend, family member, or a journal are some methods that might help coping. Effective coping with bullying will promote staying healthy while managing a eating disorder and prevent relapse.

Proud2beme (2016) is is an online community created by and for teens licensed by the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA). Proud2beme (2016) promotes positive body image and healthy attitudes about food and weight by providing resources and discussing important topics such as bullying, body image, entertainment, news, fashion, and culture.

For more about bullying resources and Proud2beme:
http://proud2bme.org/content/beat-bullying-proud2bme-anti-bullying-week-guide

Beat Bullying: The Proud2Bme Anti-Bullying Week Guide We asked, "Have you ever been bullied because of your appearance?" Nearly ninety percent of you said YES. It's time to change that. Have ideas? Want inspiration? Check out our guide. It's An...

"We do a lot of things as human beings just because we can but not because it has any value" - Gwyneth Olwyn, 2015.

Do you believe there is a need to weigh yourself everyday or does it cause more harm than good?

Ditching the weighing scale may have benefits in helping preventing relapse. Weight is not the only indicator of good health and focusing on it too much can be just as harmful when trying to maintain recovery. Scale numbers can trigger thoughts about restriction, weight loss, and eating disordered behaviors like purging or compulsive exercise (Sturtevant & Sterry, 2015).

Some tips include:
1. Keeping the scale out of your home.
2. If you have to be weighed (surgery, medication
dosage), ask to step on the scale backwards and
ask to not be told the number and to not put in on
your paperwork (Sturtevant & Sterry, 2015).
Do not be afraid to speak up and advocate for yourself!

For more information and support regarding scales as a trigger: https://benourished.org/about/
Quote: https://edinstitute.org/blog/2015/11/20/weighing-yourself-dont-do-it
Picture: http://proud2bme.org/content/5-reasons-ditch-scale

What do you think about crash dieting? Does the constant advertising on fast weight loss encourage poor weight loss management?

Crash dieting is intended to have a person drop a significant amount of weight in a short time period. When people crash diet or lose a significant amount of weight in a quick and unhealthy way, they tend to gain all the weight back (Nemours, 2018). This is a major misconception on how to lose weight safely. For teens determine a healthy weight goal and how to lose weight safely, an individual should see their doctor or nutritionist, and avoid diet pills, shakes, following fad and crash diets.

For more on crash dieting and healthy weight loss management tips for teens: https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/lose-weight-safely.html

Do you think there is a "face" to eating disorders? Do you think that when people think of eating disorders that there is a preconceived image that comes to mind? How you feel about marginalized groups and eating disorders? What can healthcare providers do in your opinion to encourage prevention, treatment, and recovery for all?

While eating disorders can impact any gender, age, race, ethnicity, and sexuality, marginalization occurs. There is an image of what a person with an eating disorder should look like and this results in prevention and treatment conflicts. In order for a person to seek help, they need to feel safe, important, and that the resources relate to their needs.

This YouTube video is a great health promotion video on marginalization with eating disorders and what can be done better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU768PVZvgY

Marginalized Voices Eating disorders affect people of all ages, sizes, backgrounds, ethnicities, gender identities and sexualities. Unfortunately that diversity is rarely reflec...

What are your thoughts on using non-traditional therapies (complementary and alternative therapies) when it comes to prevention, treatment, and recovery of eating disorders?

One non- traditional therapy that may be useful in the prevention and treatment of eating disorders is Yoga.

Yoga helps restore the mind-body balance and approaches eating disorders with a holistic approach by impacting an individual emotionally, physically, and psychologically (Golebiowska et al, 2018). Yoga helps decrease depression, anxiety and body image disturbance, lower negative affect before meal times, and increase coping skills and self- soothing (Lorporto, 2018).

Erin LoPorto, is a Certified Yoga Therapist with a personal connection to eating disorders. According to LoPorto (2018), yoga is awakening awareness process that increases a individual's ability to build personal confidence, freedoms, choices, trust, and appropriate boundaries.

To learn more about Yoga as therapy to help eating disorders:

https://www.waldeneatingdisorders.com/the-role-of-yoga-in-the-treatment-of-eating-disorders/

Article: Golebiowska, M., Golebiowska, B., Jasiński, M., Zienkiewicz, E., & Dubelt, J. (2018). Use of yoga in treatment and screening of eating disorders. Journal of Education, Health and Sport,8(8), 839-849. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.1402735

Do you feel mass media sets unrealistic body ideals? Has mass media ever impacted the way you feel about yourself or how a loved one feels about their body? Do you think voluntarily addressing this ideal can promote healthier body image?

In mass media, the "appearance- ideal" or also known as the thin-ideal, beauty-ideal, or cultural-ideal is forced into the minds of young girls and women (NEDA, 2018). This "ideal" increases body dissatisfaction and disordered eating (NEDA, 2018). To address this ideal and encourage positive body image, The Body Project was created.

The National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) supports the The Body Project developed by multiple researchers from Stanford University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Oregon Research Institute (NEDA, 2018).

The Body Project is a preventative and early intervention program. It has been shown to effectively reduce body dissatisfaction, negative mood, unhealthy dieting and disordered eating by encouraging women and girls to confront unrealistic beauty ideals. (NEDA, 2018). This group intervention engages them in the development of healthy body image through verbal, written, and behavioral exercises (NEDA, 2018).

To learn more about The Body Project: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-involved/the-body-project

The Body Project Thirty million people in the United States will struggle with a clinically significant eating disorder at some point in their lives. Prevention and early intervention efforts aimed to increase body acceptance can reduce disordered eating symptoms as well as help to create an environment that encoura...

Do you think personal qualities can impact eating disorders?

Interpersonal difficulties involve the challenges an individual faces in making and maintaining relationships with other people due to the emotional, personality, impulse, and behavior struggles they go through. When considering eating disorders; shape, weight, and eating control are constantly focused on. The constant focus on these things can negatively impact relationships, mood, cognition, education, and job performance (Miniati, Callari, Maglio & Calugi, 2018).

Interpersonal difficulties are common in those who struggle with eating disorders in late adolescents and early adulthood (Miniati, Callari, Maglio & Calugi, 2018). Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) focuses on the interpersonal parts of symptoms related to eating disorders. When this is focused on, long- term improvements in eating behaviors are seen due to interpersonal changes (Miniati, Callari, Maglio & Calugi, 2018).

Here is an article that details interpersonal psychotherapy:

https://www.dovepress.com/interpersonal-psychotherapy-for-eating-disorders-current-perspectives-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-PRBM

Do you think parents should have role in the treatment of an adolescents or young adults eating disorder treatment?

Eating disorders not only have a significant impact on an individual, but also their family and friends. It can be difficult for parents to know how to respond and help their child going through a hard time. This is a article about family-based therapy.
Family-based treatment (FBT) is an effective treatment for adolescents with eating disorders and may help prevent relapse with anorexia nervosa (Katzman et al, 2013). FBT is also known as the Maudsley Approach and is an intensive outpatient treatment where parents play an active and positive role in treating their adolescent's eating disorder (Grange & Lock, n.d.).

To find out more about the Mausley approach: http://www.maudsleyparents.org/whatismaudsley.html

Maudsley Parents - family-based treatment for eating disorders, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa Information on family-based treatment (FBT or the Maudsley Approach) for anorexia and bulimia. Hope and help for parents.

Hi Everyone!
This page is meant to open the discussion on eating disorders and how they impact the lives of adolescents, young adults, and their loved ones. These discussions, videos, and posts are meant to educate, increase awareness, provide support, and promote healthier lifestyles. Eating disorders can impact any age, gender, or ethnicity but ages 16 to 25 are impacted the most and the reason why information is targeted to this group. Promoting health, recovery, and support is crucial and I hope this page provides the education and resources needed to support themselves or others.