Due to severe problems in my life right now, I will not be blogging for a while.
Until then, listen to "All About That Bass" by Megan Trainor. Great song; my favorite line is "every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top."
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Media Influence ( Part 2 of 2)
In my previous post, I discussed media influence on eating disorders and body image. Today, I want to touch on another aspect of media influence: portrayal of eating disorders.
Movies and television shows seem to show the extreme sides of eating disorders. All of the people suffering with Ed are rich, bratty, typically blonde girls who stand in front of a mirror with their friends, expressing disdain or poor self image. These girls were also pretty obvious about their disordered behavior. Sometimes, the depiction was so ridiculous that after the friend or parent would bring the eating disorder to the girl's attention, the girl would just decide one day to just stop practicing the eating disorder! Just like that!
I think that my favorite of the stupidities shown of eating disorders was the required video for junior high school health class. The girl would have a friend with an eating disorder, start copying her as the "cool way" to lose weight, her mom would catch her purging, blah blah blah.
Full House (one of the feel good, family-friendly shows of the 90s) had an episode where the teenage daughter, DJ, was restricting and over exercising. It was one of the better, more accurate portrayals of eating disorders on the media.
Comment with any other relatively accurate portrayals. :)
Movies and television shows seem to show the extreme sides of eating disorders. All of the people suffering with Ed are rich, bratty, typically blonde girls who stand in front of a mirror with their friends, expressing disdain or poor self image. These girls were also pretty obvious about their disordered behavior. Sometimes, the depiction was so ridiculous that after the friend or parent would bring the eating disorder to the girl's attention, the girl would just decide one day to just stop practicing the eating disorder! Just like that!
I think that my favorite of the stupidities shown of eating disorders was the required video for junior high school health class. The girl would have a friend with an eating disorder, start copying her as the "cool way" to lose weight, her mom would catch her purging, blah blah blah.
Full House (one of the feel good, family-friendly shows of the 90s) had an episode where the teenage daughter, DJ, was restricting and over exercising. It was one of the better, more accurate portrayals of eating disorders on the media.
Comment with any other relatively accurate portrayals. :)
Friday, August 29, 2014
Media Influence (Part 1 of 2)
Over the last couple of decades, it has been obvious that media has a large influence in society's views of what is beautiful, what is acceptable, and what should have a brown bag over it. A huge aspect of this influence is Photoshop and how altering photos gives a false sense of normalcy. This false sense is normalcy has proven to be a contributing factor in eating disorders; people look at the covers of magazines and think that they NEED to look like that - no matter the cost.
Recently, an Australian model and her photographer called out a company for using Photoshop on a picture without permission. Model Meaghan Kausman, who happens to be the daughter of a body image activist, did a photo shoot with photographer Pip Summerville for the swimwear company, Fella Swim. Kausman was significantly upset and disturbed by the altered picture. She posted the original and altered photographs on Instagram, side by side, so that the world could see just how much her body had been changed. She posted, along with the pictures, that Fella Swim had "drastically altered my body, thinning out my stomach and thighs in an attempt to box me in to the cultural ideal of beauty."
"My body is a size 8, not a size 4," Kausman continued on Instagram. "I refuse to stand by and allow ANY company or person to perpetuate the belief that 'thinner is better.'" Summerville also blasted the swimwear company, mentioning that Fella Swim had actually violated copyright laws for using Photoshop and utilizing the image for advertisement. "These [photo manipulation] situations are not of an isolated occurrence in the industry, and are all (too) common, highlighting the unrealistic expectations of beauty and body image."
The photograph seems to have been removed from Fella Swim's Instagram page, and the company hasreportedly apologized to both the model and photographer.
It makes me sad that this is even an issue. It's ridiculous that society's view of "beauty" has, at some point, turned into looking like a skeleton...and as someone who used to look like a skeleton, I promise that it's really not very pretty.
Fortunately, some celebrities are speaking out against the photo-altering industry, as well as the asinine thought of beauty - and that no one actually looks like that! It's comforting to know that the influential people are taking advantage of their voice in a positive manner. "With great power comes great responsibility." Some of these rockin' folks include...
Keira Knightley
Brad Pitt
Jessica Simpson
Ashley Benson
Beyonce
Coco Rocha
Kate Winslet
Gisele Bundchen
Lorde
Lady Gaga
Kim Kardashian (This one honestly surprised me the most, but my fact checking shows this to be accurate. Who would have thought!)
It's also been good to see that everyday people are making a difference too. The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty is about average women of every size, shape, color, age...everything...showing what beauty really is. I feel like our society might be moving in the right direction. Sure, magazines still use Photoshop, casting directors still look for actresses with big breasts and small waists, and ballet instructors regularly tell dancers that they're too fat...but at least voices are being heard now. Eating disorders will never go away, but perhaps the word that "thin is NOT in" will minimize the numbers.
I would like to end with this: don't judge. Anyone. Ever. Someone with an eating disorder may not be skin and bones. Someone that you think is overweight may actually be completely healthy. And this thing going around social media that "men love curves"...I can't get into it much, but women hating on other women for their size - even curvy women making fun of a lady who may have a crazy high metabolism, for all you know - that's just not okay. But that's another post for another day...
Recently, an Australian model and her photographer called out a company for using Photoshop on a picture without permission. Model Meaghan Kausman, who happens to be the daughter of a body image activist, did a photo shoot with photographer Pip Summerville for the swimwear company, Fella Swim. Kausman was significantly upset and disturbed by the altered picture. She posted the original and altered photographs on Instagram, side by side, so that the world could see just how much her body had been changed. She posted, along with the pictures, that Fella Swim had "drastically altered my body, thinning out my stomach and thighs in an attempt to box me in to the cultural ideal of beauty."
"My body is a size 8, not a size 4," Kausman continued on Instagram. "I refuse to stand by and allow ANY company or person to perpetuate the belief that 'thinner is better.'" Summerville also blasted the swimwear company, mentioning that Fella Swim had actually violated copyright laws for using Photoshop and utilizing the image for advertisement. "These [photo manipulation] situations are not of an isolated occurrence in the industry, and are all (too) common, highlighting the unrealistic expectations of beauty and body image."
The photograph seems to have been removed from Fella Swim's Instagram page, and the company hasreportedly apologized to both the model and photographer.
It makes me sad that this is even an issue. It's ridiculous that society's view of "beauty" has, at some point, turned into looking like a skeleton...and as someone who used to look like a skeleton, I promise that it's really not very pretty.
Fortunately, some celebrities are speaking out against the photo-altering industry, as well as the asinine thought of beauty - and that no one actually looks like that! It's comforting to know that the influential people are taking advantage of their voice in a positive manner. "With great power comes great responsibility." Some of these rockin' folks include...
Keira Knightley
Brad Pitt
Jessica Simpson
Ashley Benson
Beyonce
Coco Rocha
Kate Winslet
Gisele Bundchen
Lorde
Lady Gaga
Kim Kardashian (This one honestly surprised me the most, but my fact checking shows this to be accurate. Who would have thought!)
It's also been good to see that everyday people are making a difference too. The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty is about average women of every size, shape, color, age...everything...showing what beauty really is. I feel like our society might be moving in the right direction. Sure, magazines still use Photoshop, casting directors still look for actresses with big breasts and small waists, and ballet instructors regularly tell dancers that they're too fat...but at least voices are being heard now. Eating disorders will never go away, but perhaps the word that "thin is NOT in" will minimize the numbers.
I would like to end with this: don't judge. Anyone. Ever. Someone with an eating disorder may not be skin and bones. Someone that you think is overweight may actually be completely healthy. And this thing going around social media that "men love curves"...I can't get into it much, but women hating on other women for their size - even curvy women making fun of a lady who may have a crazy high metabolism, for all you know - that's just not okay. But that's another post for another day...
Thursday, August 28, 2014
My Story
I'd like to share my experiences and story, so that others can understand me a bit better.
Through childhood traumas, addiction issues, lack of control in my life (close ones dying, abuse, etc.), and other problems, my anorexia began at eleven years old. Like others, I didn't wake up one morning and say, "Hmm, I think I'll starve myself today." It was a slow process but I eventually used my body as a way of control; I felt that I couldn't control anything in my life - except my body.
Over the years, my weight didn't change too much. Ed thrives on secrecy and I was practically a professional in secrecy and manipulation. Finally, the control over my body changed...Ed began controlling me. I started having severe symptoms from my anorexia. My hair was thinning, I was slowly losing my cycle, I was constantly fatigued, couldn't think clearly, was constantly dehydrated, and either dizzy or fainting on a regular basis. At 5 ft 8 in, my weight was in double digits - appropriate weight for my height, age, sex, and body type is about 145 lbs. I even ended up with osteopenia (basically pre-osteoporosis) and early onset of other elderly diseases. I was literally dying and needed help.
The inpatient treatment was pointless. I left the inpatient facility AMA (against medical advice), since I hadn't gained enough weight to be cleared for a doctor to release me...but I wasn't ready. That was the moment that I realized that treatment only works when a person WANTS to get better. I finally did get treatment that worked for me. I worked the system, I tried my best, and I officially considered myself in recovery.
Recovery, for me, is daily. As with any other addiction, I will always have anorexia but I am in recovery. Even during pregnancy when I gained the most weight ever before, I did not once follow through on any disordered eating behaviors. Ever since, recovery - for myself and others - has been my goal. I work daily on my own recovery but I felt that wasn't enough. I needed to help.
After years of studying eating disorders (the basics, statistics, psychology behind it, treatment - then and now, and more), working on a purely social level with using my story to help others begin/continue recovery, and doing my own research, projects, and surveys, I have learned more about eating disorders than I ever thought possible. I am no professional; I have no degree in this field. I am, however, considered an eating disorder expert. (I supposed that depends on your definition of expert. Ha ha) I've used all of this to offer my hand to others. I've previously done educational classes to inform on eating disorders. Now, on top of that, I want to offer my resources and ability to research (especially since it's not as overwhelming for those not involved). I want to help find treatment centers, professionals, support groups, and more in the local area for others.
This blog is meant to be purely informative. I also have people make special requests. Essentially, if you need something related to eating disorders, I will try to take care of it for you. And if I can't do it, I'll point you in the direction of someone who can.
All of my services are 100% free. Education and resources should always be free. I do accept all types of donations, with everything only going specifically for me to help others. I want to do this. I never want anyone else to go through what I did.
Eating disorders are the slowest form of suicide.
The only perfect anorexic is a dead one.
If you're interested in any of my services or more information on services or donating, please use the Contact form on the home page. (If on your mobile, click View web page to see the contact form.)
Please remember that I can give advice and suggestions until I'm blue in the face...it should never replace the consultation of a doctor or other professional.
Through childhood traumas, addiction issues, lack of control in my life (close ones dying, abuse, etc.), and other problems, my anorexia began at eleven years old. Like others, I didn't wake up one morning and say, "Hmm, I think I'll starve myself today." It was a slow process but I eventually used my body as a way of control; I felt that I couldn't control anything in my life - except my body.
Over the years, my weight didn't change too much. Ed thrives on secrecy and I was practically a professional in secrecy and manipulation. Finally, the control over my body changed...Ed began controlling me. I started having severe symptoms from my anorexia. My hair was thinning, I was slowly losing my cycle, I was constantly fatigued, couldn't think clearly, was constantly dehydrated, and either dizzy or fainting on a regular basis. At 5 ft 8 in, my weight was in double digits - appropriate weight for my height, age, sex, and body type is about 145 lbs. I even ended up with osteopenia (basically pre-osteoporosis) and early onset of other elderly diseases. I was literally dying and needed help.
The inpatient treatment was pointless. I left the inpatient facility AMA (against medical advice), since I hadn't gained enough weight to be cleared for a doctor to release me...but I wasn't ready. That was the moment that I realized that treatment only works when a person WANTS to get better. I finally did get treatment that worked for me. I worked the system, I tried my best, and I officially considered myself in recovery.
Recovery, for me, is daily. As with any other addiction, I will always have anorexia but I am in recovery. Even during pregnancy when I gained the most weight ever before, I did not once follow through on any disordered eating behaviors. Ever since, recovery - for myself and others - has been my goal. I work daily on my own recovery but I felt that wasn't enough. I needed to help.
After years of studying eating disorders (the basics, statistics, psychology behind it, treatment - then and now, and more), working on a purely social level with using my story to help others begin/continue recovery, and doing my own research, projects, and surveys, I have learned more about eating disorders than I ever thought possible. I am no professional; I have no degree in this field. I am, however, considered an eating disorder expert. (I supposed that depends on your definition of expert. Ha ha) I've used all of this to offer my hand to others. I've previously done educational classes to inform on eating disorders. Now, on top of that, I want to offer my resources and ability to research (especially since it's not as overwhelming for those not involved). I want to help find treatment centers, professionals, support groups, and more in the local area for others.
This blog is meant to be purely informative. I also have people make special requests. Essentially, if you need something related to eating disorders, I will try to take care of it for you. And if I can't do it, I'll point you in the direction of someone who can.
All of my services are 100% free. Education and resources should always be free. I do accept all types of donations, with everything only going specifically for me to help others. I want to do this. I never want anyone else to go through what I did.
Eating disorders are the slowest form of suicide.
The only perfect anorexic is a dead one.
If you're interested in any of my services or more information on services or donating, please use the Contact form on the home page. (If on your mobile, click View web page to see the contact form.)
Please remember that I can give advice and suggestions until I'm blue in the face...it should never replace the consultation of a doctor or other professional.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Dual Diagnoses
When a person has an eating disorder, they almost always have at least one other diagnosis. (I personally have never heard of an Ed patient that doesn't have a dual diagnosis, but there's always things that I don't know, so I threw in "almost" as a just in case.) After learning the facts about eating disorders, it actually makes perfect sense.
Contributing factors for Eds include depression, anxiety, childhood trauma, a sense of need for control, addictive personality, environmental factors (pressure to lose weight from parents, ballet, etc), and perfectionism.
First of all, many people don't realize that Ed is an addiction. Once the habit is established, the addiction is formed. It works a lot like alcoholism. After a while of certain "feel good" chemicals being released every time the person drinks alcohol/engages in Ed behaviors, the brain literally feels a need for the destructive behaviour. Especially when the person is mad, sad, or otherwise emotional, the desire for those "feel good" chemicals is overwhelming. So before you tell someone to "just eat something," think of it as telling a heroine addict to put down the needle and never pick one up again. Most addicts, those who have physical and chemical addictions, typically have more than one addiction. Eating disorder, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, shopping...it doesn't really matter what the addiction is.
Because of the previous information, those with Ed can have a multitude of problems:
Other addictions
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Mood disorder (such as Bipolar)
Clinical Depression
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
...and more
Those with eating disorders may sometimes not be tested for other disorders. If you or someone you know is being tested or treated for an eating disorder, be sure that all other necessary psychological testing is done. A person in treatment who has undiagnosed depression typically won't get very far in recovery.
Contact me if you would like to inquire about an educational seminar or need assistance finding treatment information.
EDIT: It was brought to my attention that I may have been unclear about the definition of dual diagnosis. In this blog, I use
the term "dual diagnosis" as a blanket term for having more than one diagnosis. This is NOT the actual meaning of a dual diagnosis. As far as psychiatry and mental health treatment, dual diagnosis specifically refers to having a mental illness (mood disorder, personality disorder, etc.) accompanied with a substance abuse problem with drugs or alcohol. Please be aware of the difference, and my mistake. Thanks for your patience.
Contributing factors for Eds include depression, anxiety, childhood trauma, a sense of need for control, addictive personality, environmental factors (pressure to lose weight from parents, ballet, etc), and perfectionism.
First of all, many people don't realize that Ed is an addiction. Once the habit is established, the addiction is formed. It works a lot like alcoholism. After a while of certain "feel good" chemicals being released every time the person drinks alcohol/engages in Ed behaviors, the brain literally feels a need for the destructive behaviour. Especially when the person is mad, sad, or otherwise emotional, the desire for those "feel good" chemicals is overwhelming. So before you tell someone to "just eat something," think of it as telling a heroine addict to put down the needle and never pick one up again. Most addicts, those who have physical and chemical addictions, typically have more than one addiction. Eating disorder, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, shopping...it doesn't really matter what the addiction is.
Because of the previous information, those with Ed can have a multitude of problems:
Other addictions
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Mood disorder (such as Bipolar)
Clinical Depression
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
...and more
Those with eating disorders may sometimes not be tested for other disorders. If you or someone you know is being tested or treated for an eating disorder, be sure that all other necessary psychological testing is done. A person in treatment who has undiagnosed depression typically won't get very far in recovery.
Contact me if you would like to inquire about an educational seminar or need assistance finding treatment information.
EDIT: It was brought to my attention that I may have been unclear about the definition of dual diagnosis. In this blog, I use
the term "dual diagnosis" as a blanket term for having more than one diagnosis. This is NOT the actual meaning of a dual diagnosis. As far as psychiatry and mental health treatment, dual diagnosis specifically refers to having a mental illness (mood disorder, personality disorder, etc.) accompanied with a substance abuse problem with drugs or alcohol. Please be aware of the difference, and my mistake. Thanks for your patience.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)