Relapse: Return to Treatment
I had a dream a few nights ago that I was on a ship docked in a harbor. It was an overcast morning. I was leaning on the railing, watching other ships passing through the harbor as I waited for us to embark. Suddenly, a ship across the way overturned and sank. As the passengers near me on the deck began to panic, the crew assured us that everything was fine and told us to stay calm. It’s better to remain where we are, they said. But I became terrified that our ship was about to go down, too. So, I turned and ran, determined to find a way off. It’s not uncommon for me to dream...
Read MoreFive Things You Should Know About Your Insurance
Yesterday I was in Washington, DC with the Eating Disorders Coalition and many eating disorder/mental health advocates from across the country for the 2015 Spring Lobby Day. This time we were focusing our energies on the Anna Westin Act of 2015. This legislation would clarify the mental health parity act (so that insurance companies stop unjustly denying patients treatment), increase training about eating disorders for health professionals, and encourage truth in advertising. However — I will write more about that at another time! For now, I wanted to share with you a post that I wrote for...
Read More“Just Eat” Documentary Takes on National Injustice
Eating disorders are deadly illnesses. Whether it’s the physical complications that kill you — cardiac arrest, organ failure, or otherwise — or it’s suicide prompted by the extreme mood disturbances, eating disorders, if left untreated, do not end well. In fact, they have the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses. And yet, in addition to being the deadliest, they are the most overlooked, underfunded, and misunderstood. We in the eating disorder community are very familiar with these incongruities. Now, the public will also get an inside look at the things we suffer day...
Read MoreBefore and After Photos: To Post or Not To Post?
I stumbled upon a before and after picture this morning while mindlessly browsing Facebook. I couldn’t look away. The girl (who I know from treatment) was severely underweight in the photo. I was simultaneously horrified and captivated. For a moment, I was transported back into the eating disorder mindset. I remembered the “good” feeling of seeing the number on the scale drop. I remembered how “accomplished” I felt watching myself shrink. Eventually, I was able to talk myself down from it. I reminded myself that although losing weight did make me feel “good” and “accomplished,” the good...
Read MoreNEDAwareness Week: Dieting and Eating Disorders
Statistics show that it’s actually a very small amount of people that develop eating disorders — 4% of people are diagnosed with bulimia in their lifetime, and somewhere between 4.2 and just 1% of people are diagnosed with anorexia. So why all the eating disorder awareness fuss? Because this week is about much more than just the eating disorders that make it to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. It’s about addressing an entire culture of dieting and disordered eating. In the United States there are more than 108 million people who are on a diet. The weight-loss industry —...
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