Number One Reason For Developing an Eating Disorder

Hundreds of people have asked me why someone develops an eating disorder. Of course many issues are involved, but from my exploration of this field over the years, I have concluded that there is one outstanding theme that runs through every person with an eating disorder whom I have encountered. Early in their lives, people with eating disorders have experienced, on a sustained basis, relentless boundary invasion on every level.

When their physical, emotional, psychological, intellectual, sexual, and creative boundaries are consistently ignored and penetrated, people experience total boundary invasion. With no control and no way to end, protest, or, often, even acknowledge such invasions, these persons feel helplessness, despair, and a certainty that they are worthless to themselves or anyone else.

The consequences of such total invasion are vast. One consequence is an eating disorder. Having had so many boundaries disregarded, a person has no knowledge or skills in recognizing or honoring boundaries herself. She will eat or starve for emotional relief.

She may eat vast amounts of food for comfort value alone. She may deprive herself of food until her life is in danger. She has no internal regulator that tells her when she has reached her limit and experienced enough. Being oblivious to any boundaries means being oblivious to limits of any kind.

The compulsive overeater eats whenever and whatever she likes. She bases her choices on self-medication issues, not feelings of physical hunger.

The anorexic will not eat. There is no limit to her not eating. She will starve herself to death in search of relief from her emotional pain. She knows nothing of the experience of having enough. She couldn't say, "Enough," to an invader of her boundaries, and she can't say it to herself. The concept of enough has no meaning to her. She often feels that if she "disappeared," she might find some permanent relief.

I have heard countless anorexic young women talk ethereally, with a lost-in-a-beautiful-world-of-angels smile, of how wonderful it would be to become a vapor or a light dancing spirit in the clouds. Ah, such spiritual bliss, they imagine. In reality, it's the final self-protective act, to destroy their bodies and their lives completely. Then they can truly escape the complexities of being alive.

The bulimic will binge grotesque amounts of food. She will assault herself with more food than her body can tolerate. The compulsive overeater will, at last, have to stop eating if only because of the pain in her distended stomach. Her body sets a final limit. The bulimic has no such limit. She experiences (in her mind) no consequences of the food assault on her body. When her body cannot bear more, she will vomit it all out. Then she will resume her binge. She may reach her body's limits many times. Each time she does, she can throw up again and continue.

Eventually she stops, because she is completely exhausted, or she is in danger of being discovered. "Enough" has no meaning to her. There are no limits and no consequences for her disregard of her boundaries.

Realistically, of course, there are plenty of consequences. Her behavior inflicts serious damage to her body. And each time she attacks herself with a binge-and-purge episode, she destroys more of her spirit, soul, self-esteem, sanity, health, and value to herself and others.

Each violation deepens her ritualistic behavior, and she becomes more entrenched in her disorder. The consequence is increasing anguish and despair. Yet the eating disorder is not the cause of that anguish and despair. The eating disorder exists to numb her from her already existing psychological agonies.

For a while, maybe a few years, the eating disorder successfully blocks her awareness of pain too difficult to bear. But eventually the protective device of the eating disorder becomes just another boundary invader, this time self-induced, that weakens and damages her even more.

What do I mean by a history of boundary violations? Blatant and extreme boundary violations involve sexual molestation, sexual abuse, and physical abuse. Much has been written about these areas now, especially in material exploring Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Use your search engines to find some quality information posted on the Internet in these subject areas.

However, there are other kinds of boundary violations, and these are less dramatic, less discussed, more prevalent, and just as devastating to a persons psyche. When, in the name of caretaking, people in authority take over a young person's life, it constitutes boundary invasion.

When others deny her privacy, read her diary, borrow or take her things without permission, or use their ideas or goals or personalities to overwhelm her efforts in school or sports, that is a violation of her boundaries.

When others disregard or disdain her choices or deny her any control over her personal life, clothes, food, friends, and activities, they are invading her boundaries.

An invasion of boundaries also takes place when, in the name of caretaking, people give her no responsibilities of her own and attach no consequences to her actions. When the child or adolescent can have all the things she asks for without putting forth effort to earn such gifts, she learns nothing about personal effort, limits, consequences, or the meaning of enough. If she wants something, she gets it. That's all. If someone picks up her clothes, does her laundry, fixes her car, pays her bills, lends her money or things without expecting them returned, she experiences no boundaries and no limits.

If she doesn't have to keep her promises, if she doesn't reciprocate with caring actions for people who care for her, she learns nothing useful about herself in relationship to other people. The only thing she learns with certainty is that there are no limits to her behaviors or desires.

These boundary invasions are not loving acts, nor are they "spoiling" a child through overindulgence. Quite the contrary, they are acts of neglect. The child's taste, mind, capacity to learn, and ability to grow and function as an independent agent in the world remain unacknowledged.

When others, even well-meaning others, ignore her identity as a unique, developing, and competent individual and flood her with their personal agendas, she feels as if a steamroller had flattened out her psyche. She may learn to please, to manipulate, to compete, or to control, but she is unable to learn to be fully present in the world as her genuine self.

She doesn't learn that she has meaning and value. She doesn't learn that she can put that meaning and value within her to work to accomplish goals.

For example, if she breaks something, whether it is a lamp, a car, her word, or someone's heart, it is possible and healthier to give her the responsibility for making necessary repairs using her own resources and her own creativity. In such a process, she learns what effort means. She learns what responsibility and consequences for actions mean. She learns reasonable limits and reasonable expectations. Shhe develops resources to make healthy and caring decisions in the future.

Without such lessons, she learns are the tricks involved in adapting quickly to the expectations of others or being manipulative to get what she wants. These are poor and insubstantial tools to rely on when building an adult life.

Somewhere inside, over time, she may gradually realize this. But without a sense of boundaries, she will only become bewildered and anxious. She will accelerate her practice of using her eating disorder as a way to numb her feelings of anxiety. She will use her manipulating skills to get what she wants from whomever she can exploit.

As time passes, fewer people in her life will allow themselves to be manipulated. The quality of her circle of associates will decline as she seeks people she can control with her inadequate methods of functioning in the world. She will find herself in bad company. T

This becomes all the more reason to rely on eating disorder behaviors for comfort. The people around her are less reliable all the time. And finally, they tolerate her presence only because they can manipulate her.

She arrives at the total-victim position. Her manipulative skills backfire. People exist in this world who are better at manipulating and using than she. She has found them. She becomes their target and then their prey. Her dependence upon her eating disorder becomes her most valuable and trustworthy relationship.

Early in her development, she learned through massive boundary invasions (which perhaps seemed ordinary and unimportant at the time) that she was helpless to assert herself. She learned that she had no private or sacred space to cherish and respect. She could not acknowledge, even to herself, that she was being thwarted, invaded, controlled, manipulated, and forced to deny large aspects of her natural self. She had no recourse except to comply.

To succeed at being unaware of her natural tastes, curiosities, and inclinations and her pain in restraining her natural tendencies, she developed an eating disorder. Now that she's older and her manipulation skills are failing her, she only has her eating disorder to rely on. This may be the most crucial time in this person's life.

If her pain and despair are terrible enough and she is certain she cannot bear this way of living anymore, she still has choices. She can continue to rely on the eating disorder and by so doing take the path to self-destruction. Or she can reach out and get help.

This is a tough position for her. She's never known what enough was. Yet to choose to get help, she has to recognize that she has had enough pain. She's never known what a limit is. Yet she has to recognize that she has reached her limit and must choose between death and life. She has only known about pretense and manipulation. Yet she has to be honest to reach out for genuine help.

She feels massive anguish and pain before she stretches beyond her life pattern into what might bring her healing and recovery. She's reaching for something she can't imagine. It's difficult for a person with an eating disorder to decide to get help. She would have to allow herself to trust someone with knowledge of her real personhood.

She doesn't yet know that people who do respect and honor boundaries actually exist in this world. She doesn't yet know that there are people who can and will honor and cherish her most private and sacred inner spaces. She doesn't yet know that someday the trustworthy, respectful, steadfast, and competent caretaker she needs so badly can be herself.

Her first move toward recovery requires all the courage she can muster. Her recovery begins when with fear or rage, she rallies her courage to reach out for help.

Difficult, yes. But what she doesn't know yet is that she has been courageous all her life. She makes a grand discovery when she learns that she can apply her strength and courage to her own health. She can use her gifts to, at long last, be free of her eating disorder, be her genuine self in the world.

Professional Resources for Finding Help

Academy for Eating Disorders (AED)

American Anorexia and Bulimia Association (AABA)

Anorexia Nervosa and Related Disorders (ANRED)

Edreferral.com

International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP)

Joanna Poppink's Eating Disorders Resource List In-Patient Treatment Programs

National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)

Joanna Poppink, Los Angeles psychotherapist, licensed since 1980 (MFT #15563), is deeply committed to bringing recovery to people suffering from eating disorders.

Her specialized psychotherapy practice is designed to allow clients to progress through anxiety situations to ongoing recovery from bulimia, compulsive eating, anorexia and binge eating. Her primary goal is to provide people with a way to achieve thorough and long lasting healing.

Eating Disorder Recovery book in progress through Conari Press
10573 West Pico Blvd. #20
Los Angeles, CA 90064
http://www.eatingdisorderrecovery.com
joanna@poppink.com

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Binge Eating Disorder Treatment - Three Binge Eating Disorder Treatments That Work

Binge eating disorder treatment is essential for binge eaters to control this disease. We all over eat something we love from time to time, but if you are unable to control how much you eat and food is all you can think of all day long, you might be suffering from binge eating disorder. Although we cannot put away food for the rest of our lives, binge eating disorder treatment teaches you how to develop a healthy relationship with food. In turn, it helps you to control you binge eating disorder.

Many binge eaters are over-weight or obese. Is dieting a good binge eating disorder treatment? Many experts do not recommend dieting to their patients. Many diet programs require patients to stop eating certain types of food, such as sugar, carbohydrates, and fat. The more they restrict themselves from eating certain types of food, the more they want them. Once they cannot control their cravings, they tend to overeat and binge on even more food. Effective binge eating disorder treatments focus on managing emotion, dealing with stress, and overcoming depression. They have to find out the root cause of their binge eating disorder, then tackle the causes. Once they are able to deal with the causes of overeating, then getting on a weight loss program will be more likely to success.

How do people develop binge eating disorder? According to National Institutes of Health, almost half of the people who suffer from binge eating disorder also suffer from depression, or they were depressed in the past. Most people also have trouble managing emotions. They turn to food when you are angry, bored, worried, stressed, or sad. Many binge eating disorder treatments help their patients to resolve emotional issues and help them to establish a healthy relationship with food. With the right binge eating disorder treatment, food is no longer something that they turn to every time they go through emotional turmoil.

The three common binge eating disorder treatments are:

1. Cognitive-behavioral therapy. This therapy help their patients to deal with difficult situations. It also helps them to feel more comfortable with their body image and weight.

If you are using this therapy, creating a food journal is an effective tool to analyze your binge eating habits. Keep track of the following in your journal:

- What and how much did you eat and drink?

- When did you eat?

- Are you stressed when you eat? How do you feel before you eat?

- How do you feel after bingeing?

With this information, your doctor can help you to discover the causes of your binge eating and your binge eating patterns.

2. Interpersonal psychotherapy

Many people binge because they do not have good relationship with their friends and family. When an argument arise, they are stressed and they turn to food. If you are one of them, this therapy help you to improve your interpersonal relationship with the people around them.

3. Drug

Many health care professional also use anti-depressant to help their patients.

You can find facilities that provide inpatient binge eating disorder treatment. They have a group of professionals that help each patient to meet their special needs. You can ask your doctors to find information about this type of facilities in your area.

Many people feel alone and helpless because none of their friends understand them. If you are suffering from binge eating disorder, it is important to know that you are not alone. It is difficult to control it on your own. Emotional support is extremely important. You can join overeater's anonymous groups you to help you get more emotional support. People in these groups have the same problems as you, and you can relate to them. With emotional support from people who understand you, you are more likely to be successful in dealing with this problem.

Getting binge eating disorder treatment is critical in overcoming this disease. Do not feel alone and helpless, and don't try to fight it on your own! If you know you have a problem, getting physical and emotional help from various binge eating disorder treatments can help you to get healthy, feel better, and regain control of your life again.

S.Y. Leung

Are you suffering from binge eating disorder? Feeling depressed, helpless, and losing self-esteem? Click on the link to learn how to overcome compulsive eating disorder Get help from someone who successfully overcome binge eating disorder. Learn from someone who used to have the same problem as you and understand what you are going through. Don't feel alone and helpless anymore, click here to discover how to regain control of your life and feel confident again.

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Eating Disorder Treatment - Dealing With a Side-Effect of Modern Society

The need for an eating disorder treatment is rapidly becoming more and more commonplace as eating disorders are increasing in the population. Much of this is due to the idealised body images put on display in popular culture, whether movies, television, music or the fashion business. These near-perfect bodies -- often surgically or digitally enhanced -- have created an unrealistic expectation in many people about what their own bodies should look like, and in many cases leads to a variety of eating disorders, the most common of which are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and compulsive overeating.

An eating disorder treatment with a consistent result has been difficult to establish. The treatments need to be individualised, as women and men who suffer from eating disorders have their own unique set of circumstances that has led to the disorder. Many who suffer from eating disorders refuse to accept help, and indeed often believe there is nothing wrong with their behaviour, particularly since the behaviour is reinforced by media reports of the celebrity community.

The Need for Eating Disorder Treatment

Eating disorders are psychological problems that can have serious physical effects. Anorexia Nervosa is the most dangerous, and has the highest mortality rate of all the mental illnesses. Anorexia is characterized by excessive weight loss and self-starvation, fueled by a belief that one is overweight. Patients are considered anorexic when their weight falls below 15% of their recommended body weight and they still consider themselves 'fat' and attempt to lose more weight. The effects of self-starvation on the diet are severe, and can lead to complete physical breakdown and ultimately death.

Bulimia Nervosa is similar to Anorexia, but differs in that the patient will also engage in uncontrolled binge eating, followed by unhealthy practices to get rid of the consumed food. This is known as "binge and purge" behaviour, and is characterized by carefree overeating, and then purging by induced vomiting, massive use of laxatives, diet pills or other methods. Bulimia creates a cycle of preoccupation with weight and food, followed by a period of self-loathing and depression. It is often triggered by major life changes, traumatic events, and sometimes sexual or physical abuse.

Binge eating is another common eating disorder, which creates a feeling of shame and guilt in those that suffer from it. It is characterized by uncontrolled urges to eat large amounts of food in a short period of time, usually in an effort to feel better but often taken to the point that the patient feels very ill. Those who suffer from binge eating are often seen as more shameful by society, and receive less sympathy than Anorexia or Bulimia sufferers. It is, however, just as complicated -- and dangerous -- a condition.

Finally, a more rare and less overtly dangerous eating disorder is Ortherexia Nervosa, which is an unhealthy focus on the quality of food, and a restrictive eating regimen that can include only a short list of accepted foods. This condition, however, can also be extremely unhealthy and lead to a form of self-starvation of certain food types, for instance carbohydrates or proteins, depending on which food groups the sufferer has decided to exclude.

Eating Disorder Treatment Methods

Because eating disorders are psychological in nature, the most common response of western medicine is to prescribe anti-depressants. However, the most effective treatments include cognitive behaviour therapy, which disrupts harmful behaviour patterns and thoughts about self-image, and interpersonal psychotherapy, which uncovers the underlying causes of the behaviour in the first place. Hypnotherapy as a form of cognitive behaviour therapy has been known to work, but only when a patient has reached the point of understanding how destructive and misguided their thinking has been to that point.

Often the most successful eating disorder treatment occurs in a specialised setting, such as a residential facility, where intense therapy is a part of the daily structure, and fellow patients help create a sympathetic support system. Family support is also important, and a large component of eating disorder treatment must focus on educating those around the patient of the seriousness of the condition. Often it is the mixed messages from society -- fascination with celebrity bodies and a callous disregard for those that suffer from eating disorders -- that help fuel the symptoms in the first place.

A good eating disorder treatment program will follow three steps:

helping the patient through nutritional guidance to achieve a healthy body weight,



dealing with underlying psychological issues and behaviours that created the condition in the first place



focusing on long-term recovery and an improved self-image and acceptance, as well as making the patient aware of how distorted media portrayals of the ideal body are.

The need for an eating disorder treatment is very much a modern phenomenon, created in part by our fascination with celebrity culture and our demands of it. Celebrities themselves are very much aware of how important body image has become, and if they wish to remain in demand they must conform to societies expectations of them. It is no wonder that much of this psychological impairment affects the public at large and in some cases leads to serious body weight issues. As a society it is important that we educate ourselves about these conditions, and also about the distorted body images we are presented with every day. In that way, we can go a long way toward eradicating eating disorders and the need for an eating disorder treatment.

Brent Craig is a researcher and writer with a dedicated interest in Natural Health Alternatives.

For more information on this and other Natural Treatment Alternatives, please visit: www.Sayanah.com

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Binge Eating Disorder - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Binge eating disorder is probably the most common eating disorder. Binge eating also occurs in another eating disorder called bulimia nervosa. People with binge eating disorder frequently eat large amounts of food while feeling a loss of control over their eating. This disorder is different from binge-purge syndrome (bulimia nervosa) because people with binge eating disorder usually do not purge afterward by vomiting or using laxatives. Binge eating disorder is a little more common in women than in men; three women for every two men have it. The disorder affects blacks as often as whites. About 2 percent of all adults in the United States (as many as 4 million Americans) have binge eating disorder. About 10 to 15 percent of people who are mildly obese. People with binge eating disorder often eat an unusually large amount of food and feel out of control during the binges. Binge eating involves more than just eating a lot.

Binge eating, Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are all considered eating disorders because they involve unhealthy patterns of eating. People with bulimia nervosa (sometimes called binge-purge syndrome) binge on food and then vomit or use laxatives to avoid gaining weight. They may also fast (stop eating for a while) or compulsively exercise after an eating binge. All three of these eating disorders involve unhealthy eating patterns that begin gradually and build to the point where a person feels unable to control them. All eating disorders can lead to serious health consequences, and all involve emotional distress. Bulimia nervosa (sometimes called binge-purge syndrome) is different from binge eating disorder because people with bulimia vomit or use laxatives to try to keep themselves from gaining weight after eating.

Causes of Binge Eating Disorder

1.Depression

2.Anger.

3.Sadness.

4.Boredom.

5.Anxiety.

6.Certain other emotional problems.

Symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder

1. Eating much more food during a binge episode than during a normal meal or snack

2. Frequent dieting without weight loss.

3. Hoarding food.

4. Hiding empty food containers.

5. Feeling depressed, disgusted or upset over the amount eaten.

Treatment of Binge Eating Disorder

Several methods are being used to treat binge eating disorder. Drug therapy, such as antidepressants, may be helpful for some people. Cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches patients techniques to monitor and change their eating habits as well as to change the way they respond to difficult situations. Interpersonal psychotherapy helps people examine their relationships with friends and family and to make changes in problem areas. Self-help groups also may be a source of support. Researchers are still trying to determine which method or combination of methods is the most effective in controlling binge eating disorder.

Juliet Cohen writes articles for medical diseases. She also writes articles for depression treatment and cancer treatment.

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Do You Have an Eating Disorder?

It is estimated that eight million Americans have an eating disorder. There are three basic types of eating disorders: anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive overeating. These types of eating disorders can be very serious; untreated, they can be life-threatening.

Anorexia

Anorexia is an eating disorder in which one does not eat enough food. This is one of the more common types of eating disorders. In addition to not eating enough food, anorexics may exercise too much. They burn far more calories than they take in. A normal person requires about 1200 calories a day just for their body to perform basic functions, for the kidneys and heart and lungs to work, and so on. People with anorexia don't take in enough calories to support normal body functioning. About ten percent of the people diagnosed with anorexia actually die from the condition.

People with anorexia tend to have a distorted body image. They view themselves as fat even though they are truly very much underweight. That is not always the case, however. There are other reasons people may become anorexic. Studies suggest many people with an eating disorder have a history of child abuse and that this is a contributing factor to their illness. They may have a history of other self-destructive behaviors as well, such as self-mutilation or suicide attempts.

Anorexia damages the bones and causes osteoporosis. It causes damage to the heart, muscles, and kidneys. It weakens the immune system. There are changes in brain function and even in brain structure. They may suffer dehydration and electrolyte imbalances in their blood. They lose the ability to recognize when they are hungry. People with anorexia often withdraw from social situations due to weakness, fatigue, and self-consciousness about their appearance and eating habits.

Bulimia

Bulimia is another of the common types of eating disorders. It is an eating disorder in which one eats but then purges by vomiting up the food. People with bulimia may also abuse laxatives so that food moves through their digestive systems faster, therefore not being absorbed fully by their system. They may or may not binge by eating an excessive amount of food before purging.

Bulimics may maintain normal weight by vomiting only after binging, or they may restrict food intake at times or vomit more frequently, and therefore be underweight. Sometimes instead of vomiting, they may exercise excessively or fast for a period of time to counteract the amount of food they eat.

Bulimics suffer many of the same health risks of anorexics. They also suffer damage to their teeth and their esophagus due to the acidic content of vomit, and may also develop ulcers. They may have constipation or diarrhea. Like people with other eating disorders, they may withdraw from social situations and isolate themselves from others.

Compulsive overeating

Compulsive overeating is an eating disorder at the other end of the spectrum. It is one the lesser understood types of eating disorders. Compulsive overeaters have an overwhelming compulsion to eat, even when they are not hungry or after they are full. They often overeat for emotional reasons. They may eat when they are sad, anxious, lonely, or experiencing other uncomfortable emotions.

Compulsive overeating is a serious eating disorder. The risks of obesity are well known. Compulsive overeaters may suffer from heart problems, breathing problems, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis, and diabetes. They also experience feelings of embarrassment and shame in social situations.

All eating disorders carry serious health risks and require medical treatment. Psychological treatment is usually required as well. If you think you or someone you know has an eating disorder, you should see a doctor for an assessment and treatment as soon as possible. Eating disorders can be fatal if not treated.

This article was written by Scott Mogul. For more information about eating disorders and treatment, please visit for http://www.mirror-mirror.org/eatdis.htm This website is dedicated to raising awareness and providing information on Eating Disorders.

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Emotional Eating Disorder Treatment

Emotional eating disorder treatment is very possible even though emotion eating is generally not thought of as an eating disorder, as doctors do believe it is similar to other "eating disorders" in that it does relate to an unhealthy relationship with food.

Emotional eating disorder treatment stems from the act of using food to manage emotions and mood. Many of us eat out of emotion, not hunger, but some us are even more vulnerable to emotional eating than others.

If you are wondering if you might be an emotional eater, ask yourself these questions.

Do you find yourself consistently eating when you're not truly hungry?

Do you look at food as "comfort food" when you are feeling sad, lonely, stressed out, or just bored?

Do you think of food as a distraction or a way to escape your current problems?

Do you have trouble differentiating between true hungers and just snacking?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you ought to look into emotional eating disorder treatment.

Emotional eaters tend to obsess about the food they eat and often rely on food to soothe themselves at stressful times and/or use food as a reward, or as a source of comfort during difficult times. For most emotional eaters, food acts as their primary means of distraction or entertainment, taking on a significant role in their life.

If you think you may be an emotional eater, what can you do to cultivate a healthy relationship to food? First, understand that food is an important part of our lives, and it is not unhealthy to have a strong passion, interest, or desire to eat food.

Food is a part of the most important moments of our lives: weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and other important celebrations all use food as an important part of the celebration. This is normal and healthy. However, food should not be used as a tool to soothe hurt feelings or compensate for something that is missing from our emotional lives.

Part of helping to stop the urge of emotional eating is learning to become a more mindful eater.

Have you ever plowed through a bag of chips, yet still felt unsatisfied afterwards? How about gulping down a can of soda with barely getting a taste of it?

Many emotional eaters eat without thought or consideration of what they are eating. As an emotional eater, you must learn new eating habits and skills to help you get past your emotional eating tendencies.

One of these tools is keeping a food journal. Keeping a food journal is an easy way to become more mindful of what you eat and why. Simply buy a small notebook where you can write down everything you eat in the course of one day.

Keep your journal somewhere it will be handy and where you will see it. On the kitchen counter, or posted on the refrigerator are both good locations. Simply write down everything you eat. If you can, write down the time and how you felt at the moment.

This can help you locate any emotional eating patterns that you may have never noticed before. For instance, maybe you tend to snack after getting home from work, as a way to relieve stress. Keeping a food journal is an excellent way to locate such emotional eating patterns.

Once you have charted these patterns, come up with strategies to keep you from emotional eating. Maybe you can take a walk right after work, or prepare a healthy snack that is right at your disposal.

Do you find yourself or anyone around you suffering from an eating disorder and want to know more about the media's influence on eating disorders [http://www.4HealthConcerns.com/EatingDisorders/the-medias-influence-on-eating-disorders.htm], click on over to Mike Herman's site [http://www.4HealthConcerns.com/EatingDisorders] Get my newsletter and FREE ebook in regards to eating disorders and get on the path of correcting the problem.

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Eating Disorder - Causes, Manifestations , Consequences

The human body functions using a set of inter-connected activities and processes all of which combine together to create the natural rhythms of our day-to-day existence. When this innate balance is disturbed, we experience conditions that are medically described as 'disorders'. When the physiological equations are disturbed, the common manifestations of the imbalance are in the areas of sleep and food intake. The most widely accepted signs of physical wellness are normal appetite and sound sleep; conversely, when a person has an irregular appetite or sleeps badly, he is generally diagnosed as 'unwell'.

Eating disorders affect millions of people in today's world and are a by-product of the stress and strain of modern life. The condition called an eating disorder, or EDR, as it is referred to, occurs in various forms. It is commonly thought that an eating disorder is over eating, but this is not true; neither do the disorders relate to the appetite or digestive system of the individual. The underlying reasons are very often psychological, sociological or related to peer perceptions.

Some people suffer from eating disorders owing to persistent depression, loneliness, low self-esteem or anxiety. Sometimes the disorder is the result of frustration and is born out of a perceived failure to meet the so-called social standards relating to weight, figure and good looks. These standards are creations of cosmetic and 'wellness' companies who relentlessly broadcast the message that a person who does not conform to their prescribed standards for a perfect figure has no place in today's society. However, the physiological fact is that each person's constitution is different and it is neither possible nor desirable to conform to the advertised norms. These advertising strategies have the unfortunate consequence of making many people lose faith in their intrinsic worth and chase the illusory ideal of perfect looks, leading to eating disorder. In some people the condition is also brought on by family and relationship problems, emotional diffidence or trauma.

There are several irregular or abnormal eating habits that fall under the definition of disorders. The most common forms are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, compulsive over eating and binge eating disorder, as well as unspecified eating disorders. Most of these conditions are caused by reasons other than totally physical and hence can be treated with a combination of individual or group counseling, nutritional guidance and supervision, as well as medication.

Anorexia nervosa may be defined as a 'non-eating disorder'; most women and some men are so obsessed with the idea of staying thin that they drastically reduce their food intake. The constant fear of obesity governs all their food habits; their lives are more determined by what others may think, rather than by their own convictions relating to food and nutrition. Apart from unhealthy weight loss, such people suffer from irritability, fatigue, low energy levels, disruption of normal body processes, as well as low self-evaluation.

Bulimia nervosa is a condition where a person over eats, feels guilty and ashamed about it and subsequently attempts to correct the excess with purgatives, diuretics or exercise. Such people alternate between bouts of eating and purging, thus subjecting their bodies to extreme stress. Bulimia nervosa is related to social perceptions relating to body weight, appearance and other image-related factors; people suffering from the condition indulge in secretive eating, are subject to depression and weakness and constantly seek approval and acceptance from others.

Binge eating disorder is similar to bulimia nervosa, with the difference being that indiscriminate eating is not followed by purging. Such people indulge in excessive eating often without any reference to appetite, eat rapidly, suffer from guilt pangs and low self worth.

Compulsive eating is characterized by uncontrolled consumption and generally starts in childhood; often it is the body's way of coping with tension and trauma. Children living in an environment of domestic discord or violence often resort to over eating to block out the emotional stress. In some cases overeating is a case of plain personal and parental negligence and leads to obesity and a host of health issues in adult life.

There are several lesser known eating disorders that do not fall into any specific category, but are equally harmful to health; the one common factor is that all of them represent in some way the individual's troubled response to personal and social pressures. Apart from clinical and medical treatment, social and educational institutions can do much to prevent eating disorders. This can be achieved by instilling healthy food habits in children at an early age, creating awareness about nutritional eating and above all, by inculcating in them a sense of self worth and self-esteem not related to extraneous factors such as weight and appearance.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Eating Disorders

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Coping With A Loved Ones' Eating Disorder During the Holidays

For most people, the holiday season is a wonderful time of year. It is often a time of family reunion, socializing, and celebration - a time when families, friends, and coworkers come together to share good will and good food. The season is meant to be bright, happy, and full of the best of relationships. Yet, for those who suffer with eating disorders, this is often the worst time of the year. For those who are trapped in the private hell of anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder, the Holidays often magnify their personal struggles, causing them great internal pain and turmoil.

At Center for Change, we have asked many patients over the years to share from their private experiences what the Holidays have been like during the years they suffered with an eating disorder. The women quoted in this article are of different ages, but all suffered with the illness for many years. As you read the following passages you will feel something of the agony of suffering with an eating disorder at this festive time of year.

"Unlike any other normal teenager, I always hated it when the holiday season would roll around. It meant that I would have to face my two worst enemies - food and people, and a lot of them. I always felt completely out of place and such a wicked child in such a happy environment. I was the only person who didn't love food, people, and celebrations. Rather, holidays for me were a celebration of fear and isolation. I would lock myself in my room. Maybe no one else gained weight over the holidays, but just the smell of food added weight to my body. My anorexia destroyed any happiness or relationships I could possibly have had." -Nineteen-year-old woman

"The holiday season is always the most difficult time of year in dealing with my eating disorder. Holidays, in my family, tend to center around food. The combination of dealing with the anxiety of being around family and the focus on food tends to be a huge trigger for me to easily fall into my eating disorder behaviors. I need to rely on outside support to best cope with the stresses of the holidays." -Twenty-one-year-old woman

"Over the past few years, during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season I have felt horrible. I felt trapped and like the food was out to get me. I lied on endless occasions to avoid all of the parties and big dinners that go along with the holidays. I felt horrible about my body and did not want anyone to see me eat for fear they would make judgments about me." -Eighteen-year-old woman

These quotes from women suffering from anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating reveal the emotional intensity they feel during the holiday season. Their fear of gaining weight and becoming, in their minds, fat, gross, and disgusting, is the monster they must deal with every time they partake of any of the foods that are so wonderful and common to the holidays.

Starving for the Holidays - A Tale of Anorexia

Those struggling with anorexia are terrified of the holidays because they have no idea what a normal amount of food is for themselves. Most of them feel that anything they eat will mean instantaneous weight gain. In fact, some of them have said that just the sight or smell of food is terrifying to them because their fear of being fat or becoming fat is so ever-present in their minds. For some, just thinking about food is enough to create intense turmoil, pain, and guilt. Anorexia creates tremendous guilt about any kind of indulgence involving food. The eating of food becomes evidence, in their mind, that they are weak, out of control, and undisciplined. Anorexic men and women are often terrified of being seen eating food or of having people look at them while they eat. One client felt that every eye was on her at holiday gatherings. Many suffering with anorexia have shared their feelings of being immobilized by their fears about food.

"My life with an eating disorder during the holidays is a living hell - constant hiding and fear, confused about life and hating every moment being surrounded by food. There was so much pressure, so many stares and glances, and days with endless comments. My whole life was a mess. There was so much pain and guilt inside of me and I didn't know where to turn, except to my eating disorder. I hated the pressure of eating the food, the constant worrying of offending others." -Twenty-two-year-old woman

"It's hard to be around all the food and festivities. When I'm hurting inside and struggling with what "normal" food portions even are, I need the help, emotional understanding, and support of family and other people. "Handle with care, but please handle." Accept me the way I am. Let me back in the family" -Twenty-three-year-old woman

The importance of these quotes from clients in treatment for anorexia is found in their honest expression of the tremendous pressure and conflict they feel inside in response to the normal food and social activities of the season. Their internal suffering and pain are often hidden from those around them by their continual remarks about "being fat," or may also be hidden in their patterns of avoidance and withdrawal from social involvements.

The Hidden Beast of Holiday Feasts - Tales of Bulimia and Binge Eating

On the other end of the eating disorder spectrum, a woman with severe bulimia or binge eating disorder finds the holidays are a genuine nightmare because there is so much emphasis on food that they become preoccupied with it. Binge eating and subsequent purges become even more prevalent because many of the foods and sweets that are associated with holiday celebrations are very enticing to them. The holidays can be a time of convenient indulgence, but also a time of great shame and self-reproach because of their secret life. Some even use the binge eating and/or purging as a form of self-punishment throughout the holidays.

Women who suffer with binge eating or bulimia often live out this painful eating disorder hell in private and in secret, and often feel great self contempt. To many of their family and friends things may look positive and normal even while the sufferer feels significant despair and negativity about their loss of self-control. Those whose family members know about their eating disorder carry this awful feeling that they are the main attraction at the holiday dinner, where every trip to the food or to the bathroom is seen as a major defeat and disappointment to their family.

"Christmas is the hardest time with my bulimia. So much food, so much love, and so much joy, but I could not feel the love or joy, so I indulged in the food as a replacement. It was hard to see everyone so happy before I made the trek to the bathroom. I felt unworthy to be happy. I didn't deserve the love and joy. I've discovered that if I can focus on the love and joy, everything else falls into place" -Eighteen-year-old-woman

"The secrecy and lying make it very difficult for me during the holiday season. I have to decide whether to restrict my food or to binge and then sneak away to purge." -Twenty-two-year-old-woman

Some of the painful consequences of binge eating and bulimia are found in the time, planning, and dishonesty that is required to protect and cover up their eating disorder during the holidays. They often feel hatred for themselves for the ongoing deception to family and friends to excuse or explain their behaviors. In addition, they live in constant fear of being "found out" by their significant others, or in fear of continually letting others down because of their inability to stop their compulsive behaviors.

Family and Friends - Turning Potential Triggers into Gifts of Support

Holiday ideals epitomize what is good about family and other personal relationships. Activities during this time of year can involve family members and friends in intense and often emotional ways. Unfortunately, those with eating disorders can find it terrifying to be emotionally close with other people. In such situations they may feel vulnerable and unsafe, and then revert to their eating disorder to restore a sense of control and self-protection.

Some family dynamics, such as conflict, can be triggering to those with eating disorder difficulties. Struggles with perfectionism, feelings of rejection, disapproval, and fear of being controlled, are all cited frequently by women who suffer with the illness. Harboring strong feelings and beliefs that parents, family members, or friends find them unacceptable, inadequate, or disappointing is challenging for anyone, but is particularly devastating to someone with a painful eating disorder. Being immersed in a family setting during the holidays has the potential to dredge up old issues, fears, conflicts, and worries about family relationships. The resulting emotional disruption can feed the eating disorder and exacerbate the problem.

"Having an eating disorder during the holidays presents quite a contradiction in my mind. I anticipate all the food and get excited, while at the same time I dread the many family members around. I feel that the family is over to "watch". I know that they simply want to reach out and help, but I feel that a big help would be to make a concerted effort to shift the holiday focus from the food to the underlying purpose. I wish the food could be a minor deal, just an accessory to the holiday, rather than the focus." -Twenty-year-old woman

"Holidays, with all the food and family commotion, are pure hell when you have an eating disorder. For me, when the focus isn't on food and is on the real reason for the holiday, it's a big help. My family helped me out with this one, but I had to do most of it internally. Remember, it's just food, and we have more power than food." -Thirty-nine-year-old woman

The following suggestions resulted from a survey question we asked patients in treatment: "What three suggestions do you have for family and friends who want to help the holiday season go a little better for a loved one suffering with an eating disorder?" The women offering these suggestions range in age from fourteen to forty-four, and their suggestions offer some valuable insight and understanding that could be helpful to you as a friend or a family member. Being compassionate about the struggles of the eating disorder illness can help make the Holidays less of a battle for those you love. The suggestions are:

- Do not make a big issue about what your loved one is eating. A little bit of encouragement is okay.

- Do not focus too much on food, it may only fuel the eating disorder.

- Ask her how she is doing and see if she needs any help.

- Do not become angry about how the she feels, just do your best to support her.

- Offer a lot of support and be aware of what may be creating anxiety and try and understand what she feels. Be understanding, kind, and supportive.

- Spend quality time with your loved one.

- Make sure that the primary focus of the holiday is not on the food but rather on the family and the valued time you will share together.

- Allow for other activities that do not involve food, such as games, singing carols together, opening gifts, decorating, and spending time just talking together.

- Allow her to make a dish that she would feel comfortable eating.

- Before the Holiday itself, and before family gatherings, make agreements about how you can best help your loved one with food. Honor the agreements you make.

- Do not give her loud and attention drawing praise when she does eat.

- Do not talk about diets, weight loss, or weight gain. It causes great anxiety and may increase a felt need to engage in eating disorder behavior.

- Do not stare.

- Learn enough about the illness and the triggers to help your loved one develop skills as well as strategies to defy eating disorder thoughts and urges.

- Know something about her struggles, triggers, and behaviors. Then, if you see those, you can approach her after a meal in private and suggest ways she might be helped in some of those behaviors and learn ways you can be helpful and supportive.

- If you see her struggling, ask if she wants to talk, but ask this in private.

- Focus on how she is feeling inside, what issues she is worrying about, what her fears are, what she needs, rather than just how much she is eating or not eating.

- Try not to focus too much attention on the eating disordered behaviors.

- Be patient and nurturing.

- Treat her with love and respect no matter what is going on.

- Let her know that she is loved.

- Help her take her mind off of food by generating a conversation with her about general or important topics.

- Don't allow her to excessively isolate.

- Be there for her emotionally and physically with hugs and messages of love.

There are several themes that are evident in these suggestions for loved ones and friends by those suffering with eating disorders. One of the most important is to keep the primary focus and interest on the family member or friend - the individual beyond her eating behaviors or eating disorder. Consider well these suggestions, they are actually heartfelt requests.

How Family and Friends Can Help During the Holidays

Family members and friends need to know ways to help a loved one suffering from an eating disorder during the holidays. In addition to those suggestions offered above, the following suggestions from clinical professionals may also be helpful:

- If your loved one is a child or adolescent in treatment, and/or if you are involved in Maudsley/Family Based Treatment, then continue with your regular outlined treatment plan through the Holidays.

- If your loved ones is a child or adolescent with anorexia, then learn about the Maudsley/ Family Based Treatment approach. It is important to give this approach consideration.

- If your loved one is an acute medical or self harm risk then arrange for intensive medical/psychiatric care immediately.

- Get professional help for your loved one with those who have experience and expertise with eating disorder treatment.

- It is important for everyone to be honest and up front with each other.

When going into a family or social event, especially if people are aware of the eating disorder problem, it is helpful that everyone talks honestly about what will help and what will not help during the event. Armed with this knowledge, family and friends can set up some structure around holiday activities that is agreeable to all parties involved. Give reassurance about your desire to "be supportive" of them without trying to control every problem. You can respond to their feedback about what may be helpful to them by making positive adjustments. It helps to express love, gratitude, respect, and acceptance for your loved one.

- It is important to emphasize the purpose for the celebration of the holiday and focus less on food or meals.

If the focus is on the holiday itself and its true meaning and purpose rather than on the food or eating disorder, it will be easier for your loved one to focus less on it herself. Emphasize time together, activities, and traditions that transcend meals and eating. Let food become a support to the holiday rather than its central focus.

- It is important for family and friends not to feel responsible and guilty for the eating disorder.

There is no need and there is no good time to feel guilty or at fault for your loved one's eating disorder. The Holidays are especially not the time. Eating disorders are complex illnesses that are not caused by one person or one relationship. It is also important for the eating disordered person not to feel responsible for their family and friend's emotional response to the eating disorder. One helpful agreement around the holiday season is, "We will spend time focusing on the need for nourishment as previously agreed upon, and primarily, we will spend time focusing on each other and the things that are available and that are meaningful in our family or social setting." Let them know that you can look beyond the outward manifestations of the eating disorder because you are also concerned about the hurt, pain, fear, and guilt they are feeling inside. In acknowledging the pain inside, no one has to be at fault or to blame for the eating disorder, allowing positive family associations and caring to become the emphasis. There is no need to "walk on egg shells", especially when everyone understands and acknowledges the underlying needs associated with the eating disorder. Compassion is a wonderful holiday gift for someone with an eating disorder.

- It can be helpful during the holiday season to break activities into smaller numbers of people, when possible.

It is easier and less overwhelming to deal with five people than fifty people. Invite your friends or family members to participate in smaller, quieter, and less chaotic social activities and events. Simple talking and sharing as a small circle of family members or friends can do much to increase the sense of belonging and safety for someone with an eating disorder.

- Encourage your family member or friend to gather extra support around themselves during the holidays.

Additional support can come from extended family, other friends, community, and even treatment team members. If you recognize the benefit of these additional support people during the holidays, you can encourage this extra involvement rather than be hurt and offended by it. Sometimes, a person with an eating disorder might not be ready yet to receive the full love and support family and friends offer, but support and love them anyway! You can send the message, "We're here to support you and it's okay if others support you as well. We want you to have all the help you need during this time."

- It is important for family and friends to remove any unreasonable behavior expectations or pressures of performance.

Sometimes you want so much for things to be better that you do not realize how your disappointed hopes and expectations actually play out as triggers for the eating disorder. Letting go of these specific expectations in your own mind frees you up to respond to and enjoy whatever your loved one is capable of during the holidays. It would be more helpful to express a lot of warmth, love, kindness, and acceptance toward the person - "There is no pressure to prove anything to us during the holidays. We just want to focus on being together the best we can." Eliminating specific, overt, or implicit expectations will be more beneficial than almost anything else you can do.

- It is important to offer care "giving" and not care "taking." Being a self declared nurse, dietitian, therapist, or detective takes you out of your most important role - "loved one"

It is not your job to fix or solve the eating disorder. It is your job to encourage nourishment of the body and provide nourishment to the soul. Working too hard to stop the eating disorder behaviors during the holidays can fuel dishonesty and defensiveness which actually feeds the problem. You are not responsible to say or do everything right. Nothing you do or not do will take away your friend or family member's own responsibility to overcome and recover from their eating disorder. She/he is the only one who can do that job, but you can care, empathize, encourage, and share the process with them. The good intent you express is often more helpful than what is actually said or done. If your friend or family member knows that your heart is on their side, then you become a source of comfort, support, and safety to them.

Conclusion

These general holiday suggestions by patients and professionals are not a complete list, but they do emphasize some positive approaches to help and support someone suffering with an eating disorder. The specific ideas, strategies, and agreements that can come out of your interactions with your loved one before and during the holidays will allow these ideas to be personalized and unique for each situation. Remember also, that the person struggling with the eating disorder has her own list of positive things that she can do to help her through the holiday season as well. We hope this article is helpful in better understanding the significant and difficult ordeal those who suffer from eating disorders will face at this season of the year. We hope this awareness and understanding will help us identify the best gifts of the holidays for those we love and care so much about at this time of year.

By: Randy K. Hardman, PhD and Michael E. Berrett, PhD

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Depression Disorder, Eating

The longer an eating disorder goes untreated, the greater the chance there is of developing a depressive disorder, and yet at the same time, depression and other mental health problems are also known to increase the risk of developing an eating disorder. The fact is there is a relationship between depression and eating disorders and other mental health problems can coexist with both.

Both depression and eating disorders are becoming increasingly common. According to the Mental Health Foundation 10% of the population in the UK will experience some form of depression every year, and 2% of women as well as some men will suffer from an eating disorder. Anorexia is more likely to affect young women whereas bulimia is more likely to affect older women and is more common than anorexia. Compulsive eating affects both women and men equally and approximately 10% of all people with eating disorders are men.

What is a depressive disorder?

A depressive disorder can be defined as a set of symptoms ranging from mild to severe that coexist with overwhelming feelings of sadness and an inability to take pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed to the extent that they interfere with normal daily routines. There are several different types of depressive disorders including clinical depression, bipolar disorder or manic depression, post natal depression, seasonal affective disorder or SAD and post traumatic stress disorder. No one knows why some people become depressed and not others, but low self esteem is known to increase the risk of developing a depressive disorder and is also an underlying factor in eating disorders.

Symptoms of depression

o Feeling tired and lethargic for most of the time

o Persistent low moods and sadness, a feeling of despondency

o Sleep disturbances, either inability to sleep or sleeping too much

o A pessimistic outlook on life

o Feeling anxious and nervous

o Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, low self esteem

o Frightening and irrational thoughts

o Loss of pleasure in activities and lack of interest in sex

o Avoidance of social contact and social situations

o Changes in appetite involving either loss of appetite or an increased appetite and associated weight loss or weight gain

o Emotional outbursts for no apparent reason

o Irritability

Eating disorders

There are three main types of eating disorders and these include:

o Anorexia Nervosa - characterised by a fear of putting on weight to such an extent that the person doesn't eat or eats very little, sometimes to the extent that they can starve themselves to death. By controlling what, when, and if they eat, they feel safe, secure and in control. Feelings behind anorexia include a low self esteem, a distorted self image and fear of rejection. It is a potentially life threatening condition.

o Bulimia Nervosa - someone with bulimia eats copious amounts of food and then feel guilty and out of control so try to purge themselves by vomiting, starving themselves or taking laxatives. It is harder to detect than anorexia because the weight remains relatively stable and the sufferer keeps their behaviour hidden, it is also more common than anorexia.

o Compulsive eating - involves eating for comfort or for emotional security and is characterised by nibbling all day without being able to stop. People who eat compulsively are usually overweight. It can be a way of denying or avoiding problems and is often associated with low self esteem, feelings of worthlessness, loneliness and emptiness.

Possible triggers of depression and eating disorders

There is not a single cause that will trigger either depression or an eating disorder as combinations of factors are involved. For example:

o Stressful events and experiences such as problems at home, bullying, abuse, loss of someone close, rejection, failing at school or work, coping with puberty, worries about sexuality, etc. can all result in a extreme stress which can act as a trigger.

o Either physical or mental health problems can trigger an eating disorder or depression. For example, someone struggling with a physical illness or disability can become depressed. Depression or anxiety related disorders can trigger an eating disorder, and someone with an eating disorder can develop depression - both are linked.

o Low self esteem and feelings of insecurity or feeling out of control of ones life can increase the risk of developing depression or an eating disorder or both.

Some other psychological disorders that can accompany eating disorders include:

o Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

o Manic depression

o Panic disorders

o Anxiety disorders

o Post traumatic stress disorder

o Attention Deficit Disorder

At the root of eating disorders are negative feelings including low self esteem, guilt, shame, sadness, anger, stress, feeling deserving of pain and punishment, all of which can be symptoms of depression too.

Conclusion

The biggest step to combating both depression and any eating disorder is to admit there is a problem in the first place as many people will deny there is anything wrong and without appropriate treatment, these mental health problems can continue indefinitely, and can even be life threatening. It is absolutely essential to seek help from a qualified medical professional in order to receive an accurate diagnosis and the right treatment, support and guidance to ensure a full recovery.

Depression and anxiety are serious conditions that can strike anyone at anytime. For more information about depression and self help come and visit http://www.fightingdepression.co.uk

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Eating Disorder Recovery IS Possible!

A number of girls and women contact me every month through either my website, after reading my book or newsletter, for advice and support. And what a lot of these messages have in common is the question about recovery - and if it is possible for them.

Some people - and this does not only include individuals with eating disorders, it sadly also includes some therapists, nutritionists and other health professionals - believe that full recovery does not exist; that one has to learn to live with their eating disorder for the rest of their life; that one just has to learn to control it but will never be totally free. It makes me sad when I hear statements like this, because I know very well that full recovery IS possible!

While I struggled with eating disorders, I also read and heard these statements. And it is so frustrating to hear something like this when you are in the middle of your own eating disorder battle. I felt so discouraged, hopeless and helpless. And I had times where I thought to myself, "Why even bother fighting when I am not going to succeed anyways?".... but I did not want to live like that for the rest of my life. I refused to believe that full recovery was not possible. I did not want to live with my eating disorder forever, I wanted to recover. I wanted to be free. I wanted to be happy and healthy again. And I made a choice. I chose to challenge this opinion that I had heard and read so many times. And once I opened up my mind to the thought that recovery was indeed possible, something changed... now that my mind was open to this possibility, I discovered that there was a whole community of women who managed to fully recover and share their stories on their websites and in their autobiographies. Reading stories from other women who managed to recover gave me hope, and inspired me. I read quite a lot of eating disorder autobiographies while I was struggling, and the main message that I got out of them was - if they can recover, I CAN TOO!!

These women were my heroes. I looked up to them and admired them for their achievement and also for their courage to openly and honestly talk about their eating disorder struggles and recovery. They were my role models, and one day, I wanted to be like them - I wanted to share my eating disorder success story and inspire and help others with eating disorders.

And today, I am recovered. I am happy with my life and love myself and my body. And now that I am recovered, I see it as my mission to share my experience with others who struggle with eating disorders to provide hope, help, comfort, and much needed support. I want you to know that you are not alone and that recovery is possible!

Yes, recovery - full recovery - IS possible. I'm not just saying this because it sounds good. I am saying this because I strongly and truly believe it. I am proof that it is possible! I am proof that full recovery is real, and not a myth. And I am not the only one who managed to successfully recover from an eating disorder. I am not the exception to the rule. There are countless women who managed to successfully overcome their eating disorders... some of them struggled for two, five or ten years, and some for twenty or more years... it really does not matter how long you had your eating disorder for, you are NOT a hopeless case. Recovery is possible for all of us!

Recovery is something that happens within you, and no one else can make you recover. No one can recover for you, and there is also no magic recovery pill. But I strongly believe that we ALL have it in us what it takes to recover.

Recovery is a process. It takes time. Recovery does not happen overnight. Your eating disorder started years before you first binged, purged, or starved yourself - and it will take time to overcome this disorder.

There is also no rule for how long it takes for someone to recover. We all have different stories to tell, different reasons why we developed our eating disorders, and we are at different points in our lives and have different support and recovery tools available. Please don't put too much pressure on yourself. Be more kind and patient with yourself. And please keep on believing in yourself. I know you can do it!

There will be setbacks... But no matter what happens, don't give up!

My journey to recovery was difficult. I am not going to lie to you and say it was easy, because it was not. It was a lot of work, but it was well worth it! I had to take one day after the other. And I had setbacks, I had a lot. And every time I fell, I did my best to quickly get up again and continue on my journey. I did my best not to look back but forward. And Brandon, my husband, was always there for me and with me, every step of the way. He believed in me, no matter what. His love and support were what I needed to find the strength in me to beat this disorder.

And during your recovery process, you will have setbacks. And that is normal. Setbacks are part of the process. So please don't beat yourself up over them. Move on and focus on your goal. Learn to be proud of yourself for what you have accomplished so far. Focus on the positive things and your achievements. And no matter what happens or what you do, please never give up on yourself. Please keep on fighting, and always remember -- recovery is possible, also for YOU!!!

All the best to you and lots of strength,

Andrea

Things You Can Do To Help You on Your Journey to Recovery

Create Your Personal Recovery Book: Write down inspirational statements, you goals for the future, what you will do when you are free from your eating disorder, things you are grateful for, your achievements - everything and everything that can support you while you work at getting rid of your eating disorder.

Coping Catalogue - Come up with a list of things to do when you feel trapped by your eating disorder and are ready to binge, purge, or skip a meal. As well, include a few inspiration statements on the same piece of paper or little book. Then carry this list wherever you go and refer to it often - to remind yourself that you are beautiful and to give yourself a distraction to overcome the temptation to give in.

Andrea Roe is an eating disorder survivor. She struggled with anorexia and bulimia for six long years. Now that she is recovered, it is her passion to share her story and to provide help, hope, comfort, and support to others still struggling. Andrea Roe is also the author of You Are Not Alone - The Book of Companionship for Women Struggling with Eating Disorders (http://www.youarenotalonebook.com), founder of the You Are Not Alone Eating Disorder Society, and creator of the informative eating disorder website called http://www.eating-disorder-information.com. Visit her websites and sign up for her monthly inspirational recovery newsletter called the You Are Not Alone Support Letter.

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Eating Disorder Statistics

People with an eating disorder eat in such a manner that compromises their physical health. The manner of eating may vary in ways: it may be excessive or very limited, or eating all the wrong foods.

Among the known eating disorders, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating rise as the most adamant cases particularly in western countries. Research sums up that over a span of one lifetime there are at least 50, 000 people who will die because of eating disorders. If untreated, a total of 20% of individuals inflicted with eating disorders will die. But if applied with treatment, it is trimmed down to between 2-3%.

In general, studies show how eating disorders affect American people. Confirmed statistics show that there are an estimated total of 7 million females suffering from some type of eating disorder, in comparison to 1 million males.

Eating disorders transcend all ages. Statistics show that 10% of all eating disorder cases are reported to occur in young children who are 10 years old or less, 33% of the reported cases are between 11-15 years of age, 43% between the ages of 16-20 and 86% of the cases are reported in individuals who are 20 years and older.

Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating affect more women than men. Surveys state that women get figure conscious more so then men. Athletes and college students are commonly suffer from eating disorders mainly because of society's pressure on being thin. Athletes who are involved in sports such as gymnastics, figure skating, dancing and synchronized swimming are more likely to develop an eating disorder.

Eating Disorders provides detailed information on Eating Disorders, Eating Disorder Statistics, Information On Eating Disorders, Athletes and Eating Disorders and more. Eating Disorders is affiliated with Ordering Phentermine Diet Pills.

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Eating Disorder Treatment

An eating disorder can prove to be fatal if left untreated. It is so important for someone with an eating disorder to receive treatment. There are several ways in which someone can receive eating disorder treatment. Thousands of people who have suffered from an eating disorder have recovered with the help of eating disorder treatment. Recovery is a process that one must go through in order to become healthy again.

Eating disorder treatment will look into many different areas of an eating disorder. When an individual receives eating disorder treatment that individual will find out what caused or triggered their eating disorder to start. This is one of the most important phases of eating disorder treatment. For a person to recover from an eating disorder one has to know the underlying causes.

There are several eating disorder treatment options that one can choose from. The Internet is a plethora of information on eating disorder treatment programs. Before you start to look into eating disorder treatment programs you may want to find out more information on eating disorders, the symptoms of eating disorders and what types of sources provide eating disorder treatment.

If you feel that you may have an eating disorder you want to start receiving treatment right away. Eating disorder treatment is the path to a new life and a new life. The benefits of eating disorder treatment include a healthier lifestyle, a positive body image, an increase in self-esteem and happiness. Eating disorder treatment leads to a brighter future.

If an individual does not receive eating disorder treatment then the consequences can be severe. An eating disorder, depending on the type, can cause damage to a person's vital organs. Plus if an eating disorder reaches a critical stage a person can die from their body shutting down. Eating disorder treatment can prevent an individual from having to suffer from the consequences and negative cycle of an eating disorder.

Types of eating disorder treatment include receiving therapy or going to meetings with an eating disorder support group. Other resources where one can receive eating disorder treatment include staying at a treatment center that helps individuals who suffer from an eating disorder or joining an online community.

These are just a few venues in which a person can receive eating disorder treatment. You should learn more about eating disorders, the causes of eating disorders, signs and symptoms and ways to receive eating disorder treatment. Eating disorder treatment is the road to a happier and healthier life.

More information you can find in: http://emotional-eating.org

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Eating Disorder - Types and Treatment Tips

Eating disorder is getting prevalent in the cities of today. We may call it as psychiatric disorder. It is caused mostly by no regular exercise, no control over consumption of food and eating junk foods containing high calories and cholesterol. Because of these habits people also suffer some serious problems like blood pressure, diabetes other than eating disorder.

Most of the people assume that eating disorders occurs in peoples with excessive weight only but the fact is average weight people can also face these types of problem. Depression can also lead to eating diseases; in fact it is the main cause of binge eating disorder.

Symptoms of Eating Disorders:

Eating disorders are prevalent in many types -


Binge eating disorder
Compulsive overeating
Bulimia
Anorexia nervosa
Diabulmia
Night eating syndrome
Orthorexia nervosa
Pica
Rumination
Starvation diet
Anorexia

The most common are:

Binge eating disorder: - Can't stop to eat, eat without checking there profit and loss Because of this behavior people also suffer some serious problems like eating disorder.

Eats until physically uncomfortable
Periodically does not exercise to control over consumption of food
Often eats alone during periods of normal eating, owing to feelings of embarrassment about food
Eats an unusually large amount of food at one time -- more than a normal person would eat in the same amount of time.
Eats much more quickly during binge episodes than during normal eating episodes
Eats large amounts of food even when they are not really hungry
Usually eats alone during binge eating episodes in order to avoid discovery of the disorder
Feels disgusted, depressed, or guilty after binge eating

Compulsive overeating - Overeating or addiction of over eating is called compulsive overeating. People suffering from their abnormal eating, feels uncomfortable in society. Compulsive Overeater is at risk for a heart attack, high blood-pressure and cholesterol, kidney disease and/or failure, arthritis and bone deterioration, and stroke.

Bulimia :- Bulimia nervosa, known as bulimia, is an eating disorder and psychological condition in which the subject engages in recurrent binge eating followed by feelings of guilt, depression, and self-condemnation and intentional purging to compensate for the excessive eating, usually to prevent weight gain. Purging can take the form of vomiting, fasting, inappropriate use of laxatives, enemas, diuretics or other medication, or excessive physical exercise.

Night eating syndrome: - Night eating syndrome is an eating disorder this is an ongoing, persistent behavior, unlike the occasional late snack or skipped meal that most people have from time to time. In fact, people with this disorder are often unaware of their nocturnal meals, although some feel they won't be able to sleep without eating first.

Eating Disorder Prevention Tips

Make your whole life better through food and eating
Dieting is about losing some weight in a healthy way so how you feel on the outside will match how good you already feel inside.
Convinced your self-esteem is hinged on what you weigh and how you look
Attempt to control your weight a bit better
Control your life and emotions through food/lack of food -- and are a huge neon sign saying "look how out of control I really feel"
Everything gets going in life -- stress, coping, pain, anger, acceptance, validation, confusion, fear -- cleverly hidden behind phrases like "I'm just on a diet"

Author has summed up some information about eating habits and associated eating disorders. To know more about all the types of eating disorders, their symptoms and treatment visit sleeping disorder articles and online health guide for information on more diseases.

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Eating Disorder

Eating is essential to live but life is not for eating. Eating has much influence on personality and health. But, eating disorder unbalance patient's diet some time it is over and sometime patient avoids to eat. Altogether, eating disorder is a mental illness in which the patient suffers from disturbed diet the interventions have also been addressed by the psychological theories and practices. The theory explicates, that the patients have traumatized from anguished behavior to life-threatening position which ultimately affect patient's routine whether it is eating or other daily routine. The authors have said about the topic "feelings about work, school, relationships, day-to-day activities and one's experience of emotional well being are determined by what has or has not been eaten or by a number on a scale." Most common disorders are Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa which have been recognized by the psychology medical sciences. There are several other types of disorders which are identified as Rumination syndrome, compulsive overeating, and Selective eating disorder.

Eating disorder refers to the overlapping condition in eating which can be treated as patient's abnormal behavior towards daily eating schedule with numerous forms of conventional psychopathology. By and large medication is helpful to intervene the psychopathology which is linked with anorexia nervosa. Consciousness management and the behavioral therapy measures are helpful in encourage the weight gain in anorexia nervosa. The interventions effectiveness is limited for anorexia nervosa which could be due to the bad body image together with low body weight. The medication of antidepressants can decrease binging, purging in bulimia nervosa and the binge eating disorder; however, this is a self medication to use any antidepressant medicine to release the consciousness about bad body image. The interventions through cognitive or behavioral therapy can also reduce binging and purging, nevertheless, the behavioral therapy is more effectual as compare to medication. This notion indicates that psychotherapy is more effective to intervene the eating disorder than medication. In addition, the changes with the cognitive/behavioral psychotherapy interventions last more than medication and the deterioration rates are very higher and common. Even in the medicated era, most studies conclude that no advantage of medication over cognitive/behavioral therapy alone in the lessening the bulimic symptoms.

Major Disorders:

Eating disorder has been considered as a disease by psychology studies and its sub fields. Major eating disorder diseases are as under:-

Anorexia nervosa:

Anorexia nervosa can be determined as some one's consciousness about the wait loss for bad body image; this consciousness is as serious as to death. There are two types of anorexia nervosa Restricting type and Binge/Purge type. This type of eating disorder is observed very commonly in the society. The modern and stylish word has made it necessary to have a stable body image. This necessity made people conscious about their stylish looks and to have a good body image. Which create seriously bad impact on the heath of people, it is as serious as to death.

Bulimia nervosa:

Bulimia nervosa refers to the over eating, or to eating under the lead of guilt, shame, embarrassment, and complete failure feeling. The bulimics wants to get control over them. This neurotic behavior is to eat as it can be and to regain the energy to overcome the failure feelings. This situation is also harmful for the well being of a person, the over eating can be resultantly make the people fatty. Fat create numerous heath problems, which will ultimately failure the body system of a person.

Rumination syndrome:

Rumination Syndrome is not very common and very rarely diagnosed chronic eating disorder. Patients normally feel vomiting after eating the food. Rumination syndrome verily misdiagnosed as bulimia nervosa by the doctors, it is because of lack of awareness about the disorders, the resemblance in symptoms, and the common age group of the patients.

Orthorexia nervosa:

Orthorexia nervosa was treated as Anorexia and now it is recognized as a new discovered eating disorder disease. This is an obsession of a specific type of healthy food. The patients of orthorexia nervosa do the things like planning the next meals. This determines that the patients have strict schedule of breakfast, lunch and dinner. The patients with orthorexia nervosa are very conscious to know about what other eat.

Selective eating disorder:

Selective Eating Disorder (SED) refers to the selected food eating disorder. It can be observed in the society that most children has this disease they does not eat the meals that they do not like, selective foods would be preferred by the children which some time can be overcome by the patients. On the other hand some patients will continue with the selective eating disorder. These people preferred a specific food variety and do not like to eat other then selective food. This kind of eating disorder will affect in the middle childhood and adolescence, the result of this kind of disorder will be conflict, anxiety, and social avoidance.

Compulsive overeating:

Obsessive Compulsive Overeating also known as binge eating, it is one of the very common mental disorders with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The patient in this disease eat very large amount of food in a short time. A very large amount of binge patient is struggling in the United States. The disorder can be developed in any age, but very common in young children. The patient with this disease feels disgust and guilt which lead to depression.

Causes of Disorder:

Environmental:

The environmental causes are very obvious which include family and friends influence. Media is the second largest influential element on the eating disorder because of its advertisement of different food items and to encourage the people to modernize the life styles. In this regard the media advertise the thin products or the products which are not healthy. But the projection has much fascination and affection in it, so, people would go with the fascination and modernization.

Biological:

The biblical factors are also influential on the eating disorder. Patients with severe obsessive compulsive disorder, depression or bulimia were all found to have abnormally low serotonin levels. Neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine are secreted by the intestines and central nervous system during digestion.

Developmental etiology:

In the family system during the development of children parents does not care of the eating activities of their children. They develop the self care system and prepare a diet plan for them. This creates massive destruction and made them patient of eating disorder.

Trauma:

Eating disorder also is treated under experienced trauma, many of the eating problems begins as continued existence approach other than narcissism or passion with appearance. According to sociologist Becky Thompson, "eating disorders stemming from women of varying socio-economic status, sexual orientation and race, and finds that eating disorders and a disconnected relationship with one's body is commonly a response to environmental stresses, including sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, racism, and poverty."

Psychology has explored countless secrets of human brain, and personality and psychology considered as a study of human body, personality, relation between mind and body, behavior, emotional and mental disorders. It is obvious that eating is must to live, but it is also a fact that life is not for eating. For instance, when someone eats healthy food but it is eaten large in amount, it will not give you health and well being. The over eating is circled in eating disorder, and when it is less eating it will affect your health not to keep you healthy, so, less and excessive eating both are disordered eating and only the temperance in eating will be healthy. With all other disorders, the eating disorders should be intervene through medication and through behavioral therapy. The effectiveness of interventions used to treat eating disorder can be determined by the patient's condition of consciousness about the health and diet. Health is only the guarantee of prosperous and peaceful life, without good health a happy life cannot be lived.

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