When Your Child Is Struggling with an Eating Disorder
In the Spring of 2018 my daughter began to want to “eat healthy.” There is nothing wrong with eating healthy, I thought. After all, I am a certified health coach…
Bulimia
Anorexia in Limbo
When I was sixteen years old, I met every requirement in the DSM-IV criteria for Anorexia Nervosa. My Body Mass Index (BMI) hovered just below 17.5, I was obsessed with…
Eating Disorders and the Brain
Eating disorders are biologically based brain illnesses influenced by environmental and psychological factors. Environmental risk factors for developing an eating disorder include weight and appearance pressures, media messaging, and weight…
C-PTSD and Eating Disorders
As a relatively new and still poorly recognized concept, few people come to therapy identifying as suffering from Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD). As a rule, a diagnosis of…
When Ruminating Becomes a Problem
Everyone ruminates. We especially ruminate when we’re stressed out. Maybe you’re ruminating about an upcoming test—you have to score an A to keep your scholarship. Maybe you’re ruminating about an…
Portrayals of Eating Disorders in the Media: To the Bone
I’d like to talk to you about To the Bone, a movie which was released on Netflix this July. To the Bone deals with eating disorders (“EDs”) and has caused…
When Advice Crosses the Line
During the process of my son’s recovery from his eating disorder I have received advice from many places. More often than not this advice was helpful and appreciated. Many people…
It’s Not About the Panini: A Story About OCD and Anorexia
18 years ago I found myself drawn to a light switch. Turning the lights on and off became an ordeal as every room’s light switch hypnotized me into gliding my fingers across it, pressing…
Quick Facts About Eating Disorders: Anorexia, Binge-Eating, & Bulimia
This article describes quick facts and statistics about the three most common eating disorders, anorexia, binge-eating, and bulimia. Facts About Anorexia An estimated 0.5 to 3.7 percent of women suffer…
Health Consequences of Eating Disorders
Eating disorders — such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating — are serious, potentially life-threatening conditions that affect a person’s emotional and physical health. Eating disorders are neither a fad…
Fitness Magazines and Eating Disorders: Is There a Relationship?
It’s long been held that waif-thin models posing in fashion and beauty magazines encourage young women to follow unhealthy eating habits—possibly bulimia and anorexia nervosa. Now, researchers at Brigham Young…
Getting on Track with Your Eating Behaviors
For those who struggle with food and eating, the new year often brings the resolution to do better this time around: Lose weight, get fit, eat more healthfully. You might…
Treatment & Management of Eating Disorders
People living with eating disorders often have a difficult road ahead of them. Unlike other mental health concerns, eating is a necessary bodily function in order to survive. When it…
The Voice of an Eating Disorder
Many people have a difficult time comprehending eating disorders and their true intensity and severity. Myths abound: Eating disorders are a choice. (They’re not, but you can choose to seek…
A Family Guide to Eating Disorders, Part 1: Prevention
How much should you worry if your teenager starts to claim she’s not hungry, eliminates foods from her diet, or expresses worry about becoming fat? When does “fussy” or diet-like…
