Posts Tagged ‘Eating Disorder’
Confronting fears on the path to freedom from an eating disorder
Sarah’s fears are so intense that she rarely leaves her bedroom. Can you relate to this? My experience is that suppressing fears never helps. We need to look them in the eye (in the mirror), deal with them, and keep..
Recovery, healing and growth are compromised when addictive behaviours shield an eating disorder
“Recovery” is a treacherous word that is spoken about freely by people who have admitted they live with an addiction. From drugs to alcohol, eating disorders, workaholism, depression, anxiety, control, overthinking, self-harm or perfectionism, none of us are perfect yet..
What does an eating disorder look like to you?
Do you think you can tell a person has an eating disorder just by their appearance? Do you think a person with an eating disorder looks a certain way? Do you think they are either very fat or very thin,..
Into the Great Wide Open: Family Risk and the Prevention of Eating Disorders
Consider six propositions strongly supported by research: 1. Eating disorders (EDs) are serious, sometimes chronic mental illnesses. 2. There will never be enough qualified therapists and other professionals to treat the number of patients with EDs, especially since mood disorders and substance..
The power of story-telling and why your story counts
Feeling misunderstood is one of the most difficult and emotionally painful aspects when experiencing an eating disorder. My parents and sister, after decades of witnessing behaviours driven by my illness, gave up trying to understand me. Do I blame them?..
The cost when ‘eating healthy’ becomes an eating disorder
My eating disorder started when I was 15 and in Year 10. My illness was probably triggered by multiple factors, but the one I remember most was having to weigh myself in the physical education class as part of our..
The Role of a Support Person in Eating Disorder Treatment
The most important thing you can do when assisting someone with an eating disorder is to prepare by educating yourself as much as possible about eating disorders. You will need to constantly remind yourself that behind this illness is the..
Carried on the Wings of Poems
Speaking to Dr Daniela Araujo about what to write in this blog post, I asked what she thought was special about the exchange of poems that have flown back and forth around the world between Chile, Brazil, and now Australia...
Recovery memoir pre-publication study: inviting participants
Help shape the future of an unpublished book about recovery from anorexia A new study run by Oxford University researchers is investigating the effects of reading a memoir about recovery from anorexia prior to publication. Key points: Existing findings on..
I’m a psychiatrist and my daughter has anorexia
I saw anorexia nervosa (AN) coming. It did not strike me suddenly. I had developed AN as a girl, and the thing I feared most about becoming a mother was that it could return in my life, harming one of..