Eating Disorders News: March 2010

Exploring Diabetes' Link To Eating Disorders
Medical News Today

Diabetics, under the gun to better manage their disease by controlling their food intake and weight, may find themselves in the sticky wicket of needing treatment that makes them hungry, researchers said.

Attempts to maintain healthy blood sugar levels and prevent weight gain may suggest an eating disorder when the disease and its treatment are to blame, said Dr. Deborah Young-Hyman, pediatric psychologist at the Medical College of Georgia's Georgia Prevention Institute.

"You can't use the same criteria to diagnose eating disorders that you use in non-diabetic populations because what we actually prescribe as part of diabetes treatment is part of disordered eating behavior. Food preoccupation is one example," she said.

Preoccupation with food, in fact, is required for optimal disease management. Questions like "What are you putting in your mouth? Did you know that was going to raise your blood sugar?" are a part of life, Dr. Young-Hyman said. Young women, and increasingly young men, also are not immune from societal pressures to be thin, she noted.

continued: Exploring Diabetes' Link To Eating Disorders



March Is Nutrition Month
News-Tribune

National Nutrition Month is a campaign that focuses on the importance of helping children and teens make healthy food choices and develop sound eating and physical activity habits. Estimates of the number of overweight children range from a low of 13% to a high of 30%, having doubled since the early 1970s. This means that approximately 6 million children could be at-risk for current and future self-esteem and health problems. On the other side of the weight issue, an estimated 7 million girls and 1 million boys have an eating disorder. The age of onset of these potentially life threatening disorders is getting lower, with children as young as seven being diagnosed.

Weight is determined by a variety of factors: genetics, environment, activity, and emotions. With respect to the psychology of eating problems, some of the same feelings can both result from and lead tounhealthy eating behaviors. For example, it is unclear if such feelings as loneliness, sadness, anger, anxiety, lack of control, worthlessness, low self-esteem, or disordered body image are the cause or the effect of eating problems.

When dealing with children and weight issues, avoid calling attention to the child’s weight. Nagging is unsuccessful when you’re trying to change behavior. To a child, pressure to lose weight can feel like a crushing criticism and ultimately backfire. Praising and encouraging children in other areas will go farther with respect to improving their self-esteem.

continued: March Is Nutrition Month



Eating Disorders Can Affect Anyone
The Southern

Diets and weight loss have been a very popular issue among college students. Many students have gone over board with weight loss and developed many different eating disorders.

According to American Medical Journal, an estimated 10 percent of female college students suffer from a clinical or sub-clinical eating disorder, of which over half suffer from bulimia nervosa.

An estimated one in one hundred American women binges and purges to lose weight. Approximately five percent of women and one percent of men have anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder, according to the American Journal.

Kathy Picate, Florida Southern College's health advocate, talks to many different students who struggle with day-to-day eating issues.

"Its very sad to see students struggle with eating disorders," Picate said. "They have food or their weight on their mind all the time. Many people would be surprised with how many students suffer from these disorders."

Not only do women students suffer from the pressures of being thin, but men also struggle with many eating disorders.

According to Men's health magazine, studies suggest that five to ten percent of people with anorexia or bulimia are males.

continued: Eating Disorders Can Affect Anyone



New TV Show Perpetuates Anorexia Myths
Discovery News

A new VH1 show called “The Price of Beauty,” hosted by Jessica Simpson, will premiere soon. The theme of the show is the extreme measures that some women will endure to look beautiful. It’s a worthy subject, but unfortunately the series is already spreading misinformation about a serious disease: anorexia.

In one of the first episodes, Simpson and her friends interview former model Isabelle Caro, who suffers from anorexia. Caro made international news a few years ago by putting a photo of her emaciated frame on billboards. She is now an activist trying to pass a law prohibiting very thin women from becoming professional models.

Simpson told Oprah in a recent interview, "It makes me very emotional because just the pressure that women feel to be thin or to be beautiful--the pressure that the media puts on women--is so unfair and so disgusting." The show’s efforts seem sincere, but its understanding of anorexia leaves much to be desired. The concern over thin models is nothing new, to either the media or the fashion industry.

What Isabelle Caro, Jessica Simpson, and the VH1 show don’t realize is that anorexia has little or nothing to do with fashion modeling. Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia are biological diseases, not voluntary behaviors. The idea that a model, photo of a model, or Web site can "encourage" anorexia is not supported by science or research. Images of thin people cannot "encourage" anorexia, any more than photographs of bipolar patients "encourage" bipolar disorder, or photos of diabetics "encourage" diabetes.

Though many people are convinced that anorexia is a threat to most young women because of the media images they see, that’s not what the scientific evidence says. Anorexia is a very rare and complex psychological disorder with many indications of a strong genetic component; as anorexia expert Cynthia Bulik noted in her 2007 study “The Genetics of Anorexia,” published in the Annual Review of Nutrition, “Family studies have consistently demonstrated that anorexia nervosa runs in families.” Most research studies have failed to find a cause-and-effect link between media images of thin people and eating disorders.

continued: New TV Show Perpetuates Anorexia Myths



Only The Beautiful Need Apply
Medical News Today

New study flags damaging effect of joining a sorority on body image and eating behaviors.

Undergraduate women who join a sorority are more likely to judge their own bodies from an outsider's perspective (known as self-objectification) and display higher levels of bulimic attitudes and behaviors than those who do not take part in the sorority's recruitment process. Over time, those women who join the group also show higher levels of body shame. These findings, part of Ashley Marie Rolnik's senior honors thesis at Northwestern University in the US, are published online in Springer's journal Sex Roles.

On college campuses across the US, thousands of women join sororities every year through a structured recruitment process - the sorority rush. Although these sisterhoods provide college women with opportunities for personal growth and enrichment, they have been criticized for their potential to lead their members to focus excessively and unhealthily on their appearance.

continued: Only The Beautiful Need Apply



More Eating Disorders For Women Over 30
Sun-Times

Eating disorders are usually seen as a problem of girls and young women. But experts say they're seeing more women in their 30s, 40s and even older seeking treatment for anorexia, bulimia and binge eating.

"We went, literally, from having zero at any given time to having a subgroup of anywhere from five to 10 . . . It's a big increase," said Kimberly Dennis, the medical director at Timberline Knolls, a residential treatment center in Lemont for eating disorders and substance abuse.

Lynn Grefe, chief executive officer of the National Eating Disorders Association, said the group hasn't done formal research on the trend, but, "anecdotally, we are hearing more and more cases of women over 30" seeking treatment.

continued: More Eating Disorders For Women Over 30


sources linked in articles above

Eating Disorders: In The News December 2009

Eating Disorder Organizations Join Forces To Urge Focus On Health And Lifestyle Rather Than Weight

Medical News Today

In an unprecedented show of concern, The Academy for Eating Disorders (AED), Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA), Eating Disorder Coalition (EDC), International Association for Eating Disorder Professionals (IADEP), and National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) have joined forces and are urging focus on health and lifestyle rather than weight as a measurement of well-being.

In late November, media stories reported that an American university implemented a new strategy for combating rising weights by requiring students to be weighed during their freshman year. Those with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or over are required either to lose weight or pass an extra course focused on physical fitness. In response to this, and other similar strategies within the global "war against obesity", national and international eating disorder organizations have joined forces to urge school administrators, employers, and health policy makers to focus more on health and lifestyle for all populations rather than on weight alone. Eating disorder groups assert that this well-intended, but under-informed and unproven strategy of focusing on BMI fuels weight-prejudice and neglects groups which may be in equal need of improving their health and lifestyle. There is concern that, in some cases, the programs contribute to negative self-esteem, body dissatisfaction and eating disordered behaviors among young people. Neither the scale nor BMI calculation provide the full picture most relevant to health status, such as lifestyle and activity patterns, and physical and mental health measures. Thus, assuming ill health based on weight alone is not only inappropriate but harmful and discriminatory, and should be discontinued.

"There is concern that we have lost sight of avoiding harm in the process of addressing obesity." AED President Susan Paxton, PhD, FAED states. "Further, we cannot ignore the opportunity to create a healthier environment, where people of all sizes are given the opportunity to lead healthy and productive lives, instead of singling out individual groups for reform based on weight alone".

Read in full here.

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New Eating Disorder Specialist Library Launched To Help Eating Disorder Sufferers, Family, Friends, And Health Providers Find Help

Earth Times

Finding treatment for eating disorders is an overwhelming task for those suffering from eating disorders and the loved ones trying to help them. To solve this problem, Eating Disorder Hope launched the Eating Disorder Specialist Library, to provide a comprehensive resource for exploring and comparing treatment options, providers, treatment approaches and philosophy. All accessible in one library, saving hours of searching the web for options. (PRWEB) November 15, 2009 -- Many eating disorder sufferers and families find that reviewing the online ‘virtual brochures’ offered in the http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/eating-disorder-specialist-library-index.html greatly simplifies their search and puts them in touch with some of the best treatment centers and providers for their loved one suffering from anorexia, bulimia or binge eating disorder. This new and rapidly expanding eating disorder specialist library is an excellent tool for eating disorder sufferers, families, fri and treatment providers who feel overwhelmed with where to begin in the search for appropriate care for the eating disorder sufferer.

Read in full here.

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New Help For Those Battling Eating Disorders

Fox4kc

KANSAS CITY, MO - It's estimated that five to 10 percent of people in the Kansas City area have an eating disorder. Girls ages eight to 25 are most at risk, but certainly not the only ones affected. But now, there's a new way to get help.

Fourteen-year-old Alexis Gick is one of those seeking a solution.

"All I wanted was just help from this," she said. "I didn't want to be stuck in this."

Gick battles anorexia and bulimia. What little she did eat, she would purge.

"It was out of my control," said Wendy Gick, mother. "I couldn't do anything to help her. I think that was the scariest part."

Wendy turned to a therapist, who referred them to specialists in eating disorders.

"I was very lucky that I had some very good referrals," Wendy said.

But she knows others don't know where to turn.

"They're not even sure what's going on other than maybe their child's a finicky eater or has been losing weight or has been purging and they don't really know what to do with this," said Mary Beth Blackwell with Jewish Family Services. "Sometimes they've never even heard of an eating disorder."

Jewish Family Services is now launching an Eating Disorder Resource Center for the Kansas City area with a phone number people can call with questions about eating disorders.

Read in full here.

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How To Help Your Kids Avoid Eating Disorders

Newsday

Know anyone with food issues? Chances are, you know many - and maybe you're one of them. In today's world of fast and convenient food, many people have disordered eating. The evidence of obesity, anorexia, bulimia, binge eating and a national obsession with dieting is proof we aren't eating healthfully. The problem is that many of the people with unhealthy relationships to food are parents, and that makes them - wittingly or not - role models for their children.

Research shows parents are the biggest influences of their children's behavior, so that means what parents do, not what they say, is often emulated by their fiercely observant offspring. And though most parents hope to raise healthy eaters, many are blind to how their own harmful attitudes and behaviors are affecting their children.

Here are five tips from Edward Abramson, a psychologist who works closely with children and adults with eating issues and author of "Emotional Eating."

1. Avoid diets Parents who want to foster a healthy relationship with food should never put their children on a diet, which usually becomes counterproductive and actually increases the likelihood of future weight gain and subsequent emotional issues. "The focus should always be on improving health and not on weight," Abramson notes. Parents should implement healthier family habits, such as eating reasonable portions and even cooking together.

Read in full here.

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Researchers Find Clues To Why Some Continue To Eat When Full

Medical News Today

The premise that hunger makes food look more appealing is a widely held belief just ask those who cruise grocery store aisles on an empty stomach, only to go home with a full basket and an empty wallet.

Prior research studies have suggested that the so-called hunger hormone ghrelin, which the body produces when it's hungry, might act on the brain to trigger this behavior. New research in mice by UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists suggest that ghrelin might also work in the brain to make some people keep eating "pleasurable" foods when they're already full.

Read in full here.

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Food Apps For Mobile Devices May Fuel Eating Disorders

News Channel 6

The smart phone applications that help find restaurants, identify songs, and even read bar codes, may be fueling eating disorders.

Read in full here.

Eating Disorders In The News

Trying To Define Binge Eating Disorder

Los Angeles Times
Binge eating was long seen by psychiatrists as an unusual symptom of major depression or an anxiety disorder. After all, it seemed sometimes to lessen or yield to antidepressants and psychotherapy -- both aimed primarily at treating depression or anxiety.

But as anorexia and bulimia gained public recognition and as eating disorder clinics began to fill in the 1980s, the field began to see a growing group of patients who had clearly dysfunctional eating patterns yet fit the description of neither anorexia nor bulimia.

By 1994, when the American Psychiatric Assn. published the most recent edition of its diagnostic manual, binge eating was put on a watch list of conditions that might in the future be considered distinct. Since then, researchers estimate that roughly half of eating-disorder patients are identified as not fully fitting the diagnostic criteria for anorexia and bulimia. They are consigned to the diagnostic gray area called "eating disorder, not otherwise specified," or EDNOS. A large proportion of people with the diagnosis are believed to be binge eaters who do not then purge.

Read in full: Trying To Define Binge Eating Disorder

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Thinspiration: Do Web Sites Encourage Anorexia?

Fox News
Recently there has been increased concern over hundreds of "pro-eating disorder" Web sites that provide "thinspiration" to legions of young women who want to become stick-thin.

These sites provide an online community to swap tips on how to fast, disguise disordered eating, and generally "encourage" anorexia (though people don't really need to look far for information on dieting tips or how not to eat).

Following public complaints and concerns, many such "pro-ana" sites have been shut down. In 2001, for example, the search engine Yahoo purged over 100 pro-anorexia sites. French officials have recently threatened to criminalize groups they believe encourage eating disorders, arrest their members, and shut down Web sites hosted in France. People posting images of thin women or sharing dieting tips could face up to three years in prison and more than $70,000 in fines.

The concern is surely well-meaning, but is it misplaced?

For as much concern and furor as these "pro-ana" sites have generated, there is very little evidence of harm. As Kenyon College psychology professor Michael Levine told the International Herald Tribune, "You're going to be hard pressed to demonstrate in a very clear way that these sites have a direct negative affect."

Read in full Thinspiration: Do We Sites Encourage Anorexia?

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Get Off The Binge Eating Rollercoaster

The Australian
CAROL was just 15 when she went on her first diet.

It would be the start of a 15-year binge-eating and binge-dieting roller-coaster, one that would leave her suicidal and locked into a vicious cycle of depression, followed by yet more comfort eating and bingeing.

Now in her 40s, Carol has finally won her battle with binge eating disorder thanks to a long journey of self-discovery involving therapy and support groups where others with BED shared their experiences with her.

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are well-known eating disorders, but there's less awareness of BED. And that's surprising as it's more common than anorexia and bulimia combined.

Read in full Get Off The Binge Eating Rollercoaster

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Holiday Meals Especially Difficult For Binge Eaters

Chicago Sun-Times
Most people feel tempted to overeat during the holidays, when calorie-laden comfort food is in endless supply from Thanksgiving until New Year's.

But the food-focused holiday season holds special dangers for those suffering from binge eating disorder -- a condition in which people eat excessive amounts of food while feeling unable to control their behavior.

Especially on Thanksgiving and Christmas, "you have this license to really go out of control, and it's acceptable behavior," said Christ, a recovering binge eater from the North Side who requested that his full name not be used. "Nobody notices that you're eating 12 pieces of pie, because you're just trying each one there."

The stress of family gatherings also can trigger unhealthy eating.

Read in full Holiday Meals Especially Difficult For Binge Eaters

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British Politician Attacks Kate Moss For Encouraging Anorexia

The Independent

After Moss publicly declared in an interview that "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels," Lembit Opik -- a member of the British Parliament -- has lashed out at the topmodel, telling UK paper The Sun this statement was "everything that is wrong with the fashion world."

(Relaxnews) -After Moss publicly declared in an interview that "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels," Lembit Opik - a member of the British Parliament - has lashed out at the topmodel, telling UK paper The Sun this statement was "everything that is wrong with the fashion world."

The model's quote from a recent interview with Women's Wear Daily had been posted as credo on several pro-anorexia sites, causing concern among help organizations such as Beat.

Read in full British Politician Attacks Kate Moss For Encouraging Anorexia

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The Most Common Eating Disorder You've Ever Heard Of

North by Northwestern

Sara always blots her pizza with a tissue to save calories. Carrie never eats the crust. Margaret professes to love deep dish pizza, but peels off all of the cheese. Mark rarely eats pizza because he doesn’t deserve it unless he runs ten miles first.

Which of these behaviors is normal? Which might be signs of an eating disorder? Sometimes it’s hard to make a distinction.

While perhaps none of these fictional characters would be diagnosed with anorexia, bulimia or a binge eating disorder –- the most commonly referenced eating disorders -– they may each have their own varying levels of undefinable psychological food struggles.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, signs of an eating disorder include a preoccupation with body image and weight, fluctuation in weight unrelated to a medical condition and secretive or strange behavior during mealtimes.

EDNOS, or Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified, is the most common diagnosis for those with eating disorders. A study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders found that over 77 percent of eating disorders were classified as EDNOS. Yet despite its prevalence, EDNOS is often neglected in the study of eating disorders, with most research focusing on anorexia and bulimia.

Read in full The Most Common Eating Disorder You've Ever Heard Of

sources linked above

Eating Disorders In The News: May 2009

Will Anorexia Nervosa Receive More Funding As The Number Of Male Anorexic Increase?

People ask why I write about the painful subject of my daughter’s anorexia and eventual death. I’ve explained a few reasons in past articles, but there’s one more.

You see I just can’t stand that my loved daughter has become a statistic of the disease of anorexia. And I want people to learn, as I’m sure all moms would, that this young woman had a mom and dad, a sister, aunts and uncles, grandparents, friends and enemies, talents and shortcomings, loves and hates. In other words a life, not a perfect life, but what could have been a wonderful life. I want people to see Meg as a complex human being not a statistic. That’s why I write.

To continue, after losing over thirty lbs in her senior year of high school, Meg entered college looking great at 126 lbs. She came home for Thanksgiving weighing 114 lbs; came home for Christmas weighing 108.

During the Thanksgiving holidays, we talked to Meg about losing so much weight. But since she lost another six pounds from Thanksgiving break to her Christmas break, which amounted to a mere three weeks, she obviously hadn’t listened. I was so worried that I made an appointment with a psychologist who specialized in anorexia. Her face expressionless and her body tense with anger, Meg begrudgingly went to the appointment with me. But there was a problem. Meg turned eighteen the April before she started college: This seemingly minor detail became a major stumbling block during Meg’s seventeen year battle with anorexia.

Since Meg was eighteen, she could be seen by the doctor alone, and of course she chose to do so. And I had no legal right to stop her; at that point, I didn’t feel I should after all this was her first appointment for anorexia. Meg came to her appointment dressed in a fairly short skirt, thick tights and a long-sleeved sweatshirt. Now like me, Meg holds a good deal of her weight in her legs which were quite visible; nevertheless, her skinny arms and ribs were not. As I’ve said before, Meg was smart, smarter than I realized. The camouflage dressing trick went unnoticed by me for a while. In addition, Meg always portrayed herself, to others, as a capable young woman who has no problems except a mother who worries. After her appointment, the doctor said he really didn’t think we should be concerned about Meg. He informed me that many college freshmen either gain or lose weight while adjusting to their new lives. Obviously, the psychologist was deceived by her dress and her confident manner. So much for catching anorexia early.

Looking back, this is another example of the “insightful” advice we received from the medical profession about Meg’s overweight and underweight conditions.

Read in full here.

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Help For Those Struggling With Eating Disorders

While many individuals struggle with trying to lose weight, others have a difficult time trying to gain weight.

Whether someone seeks to recover from an eating disorder, manage a long-term illness (such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, an autoimmune disorder or food sensitivities/allergies), needs to gain weight for sport or simply aims to try to gain a healthy body weight, healthy weight gain can often present many challenges.

For one, an individual may not wish to gain weight, but needs to do so for health reasons. Perhaps this is someone with an eating disorder. If the individual is a minor, a parent is often the one seeking out healthful ways to encourage his or her child's weight gain at an appropriate rate. In these situations, it is imperative to work with a team of health professionals who specialize in eating disorders, including a physician, psychotherapist, dietitian and perhaps a psychiatrist as well. In this way, the parents do not become the "food police," interrogating children at every meal and snack, nor do they choose unhealthy ways to gain weight (such as forcing unhealthful foods into a child's diet). Additionally, the team can address underlying concerns and focus on whole body recovery, rather than just the weight restoration.

Another reason someone may be struggling with gaining weight is simply a side effect of having an illness. This can happen with Alzheimer's, where an individual forgets to eat or forgets how to eat, or cancer, where the body's reserves are being depleted at an accelerated rate.

Men, as well as women, can struggle with putting on weight, while trying to achieve high muscle mass for sport. With intense exercise, it is essential to consume enough calories to not only avoid unwanted weight loss, but also to achieve healthy lean muscle mass. Working with a dietitian who specializes in sports nutrition is helpful in this situation.

Read in full here.

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New Nonprofit Organization Targets Binge Eaters

These days, stress causes Chevese Turner to reach for a handful of potato chips and then feel disgusted.

But nearly a decade ago, difficult times would send her to finish off an entire bag of potato chips, or even go to McDonald's and eat several sandwiches.

That was before she was diagnosed as a binge eater. Now the Severna Park resident has created a nonprofit organization aimed at helping people with illnesses like hers.

Turner said she hopes her new organization, Binge Eating Disorder Association, will help other sufferers realize help is available. The group is planning a conference in June that will feature panel discussions and workshops about the disorder, and its Web site - www.bedaonline.com - provides links to resources, assistance and information about binge eating.

Turner's struggles with the illness also were recently featured in a "Good Morning America" segment on eating disorders.

"I still have my moments," Turner said. "It's a longterm thing. It's not something that changes overnight. I've done a lot of work and now I'm at a place where I manage my food intake."

Read in full here.

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Plans To Ban Internet Sites That Promote Diet Disease Anorexia

WEBSITES that promote anorexia are facing a campaign to outlaw them.

MSPs want the UK Government to introduce laws that fine or jail owners of sites promoting self-harm.

There are around 500 "pro-ana" websites promoting the eating disorder which kills up to one in 10 sufferers.

Many show disturbing images of anorexics and offer tips on vomiting and using laxatives to lose weight.

Tv presenter Fearne Cotton is furious at the sites after one portrayed her as a role model.

The SNP's Kenneth Gibson, backed in a Scottish Parliament motion by fellow MSPs, called on Westminster to crack down on the websites.

More than 80,000 people in Scotland are estimated to suffer from anorexia.

Gibson said: "I am deeply concerned about sites that portray anorexia as a glamorous lifestyle choice rather than potentially fatal with the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness.

"Messages on these sites fiercely defend weight loss as an act of self-control to be admired.

Read in full here.

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Learning To Love Every Inch Of Your Body

Food and weight issues for young girls and women have long been a battle to conquer.

But a researcher and author who specializes in body image says boys and men are joining the ranks of the body obsessed.

'I'm, Like, So Fat!, author Dianne Neumark-Sztainer shared this insight with an audience of parents, teens and professionals last week a workshop entitled: Eating in a Weight-Obsessed World: Helping your child have a healthy body image and healthy weight.

Hosted by the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) in Toronto, Neumark-Sztainer covered a multitude of topics affecting our youth with the goal of helping them to achieve healthy bodies and body images.

With a society placing emphasis on being thin as the ideal, it can be a difficult task, but initially she said parents have to identify their child has a weight or body image issue, decide how to bring it up to them and address the potential problem.

"It's important to bring up the problem when both you and your child are not upset," she said. "Tell them what you've noticed, for example, 'I heard you vomiting' and I'm concerned.'"

Once you've done this, Neumark-Sztainer said you will get a mixed reaction of "relief, anger and fear," but at least now there's a dialogue and an opportunity to seek help.

There are many factors contributing to weight and body image issues, many of which come from society. Media, like television and magazines, and movies and music videos, are filled with thin people, but in food ads, portion sizes are huge, which sends mixed-messages.

"Not only are models' pictures being modified, but so are food advertisements so they look bigger than they really are so they look better," she said.

Read in full here.

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Parent's Plea: Send Charlotte Home

THE parents of the jailed Swedish woman Charlotte Lindstrom have spoken out for the first time to beg Australian authorities to let their daughter transfer to a jail in Sweden, saying they fear her anorexia will kill her if she stays in Australia.

"We are deeply concerned and worried for our daughter's life," Anita and Hans Lindstrom told the Herald in a statement, their first since their daughter's arrest.

They said she had been treated well in jail but four Australian doctors had recommended that she be transferred to Sweden, where she could be supported by her family, feel safer and avoid the stress of directly facing her former fiance in court.

Lindstrom, 24, is in solitary confinement in a NSW prison due to threats to her life. Her family says her health is so fragile that she could suffer heart failure.

Lindstrom will be the key witness in her former fiance's drug trial, which is due to begin in a few months. The Swedish Government has offered to cover both the costs of the transfer and of a video link so she could give evidence from Sweden.

But NSW authorities say the testimony - which could take 15 days - is essential to the prosecution case and could be inadequate if given via video link from Sweden.

Read in full here.

sources linked above.

Eating Disorders In the News: Recent Articles

It's Time To Mount A Full Offensive Against Eating Disorders

At only 4 years old, I worried that I was fat. Over time, these worries became a life-threatening eating disorder. I was so sick that I turned down an acceptance to medical school after college graduation. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis at 22, and I am one of the lucky ones; I got help.

While my health insurance benefits were slim to none for anorexia and bulimia, my parents helped me to cover the cost of my treatment, which can run in the tens of thousands of dollars. With treatment, I fully recovered and live a normal, happy life today. I did not realize just how lucky I was until I began writing and speaking publicly about recovery — until the e-mails floated into my inbox. As many as 10 million women and 1 million men in the U.S. battle anorexia and bulimia. Millions more struggle with binge-eating disorder. I hear from them daily.I hear stories from people who do not have insurance coverage or the personal resources to pay for appropriate and much-needed treatment. This is an outrage. My friend, Kathy, lost her battle to anorexia last year at age 41. She fought for years to overcome her illness but never received the continuum of quality care that she needed due to the high financial costs that, tragically, cost her life. Without help, many people struggle for years and, if they do survive, they end up with serious long-term health consequences.
Read in full here.

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Anorexia Clinics Needed In Australia

The Auckland District Health Board has traditionally sent girls suffering from anorexia to Australia for acute treatment, but the Furse family are calling for the ADHB to invest in a clinic for New Zealand.

The Furse family has finally been reunited in their Auckland home, after four and a half months of separation.

Millie Furse and her mum, Michelle, have been living in Sydney while the 17-year-old underwent treatment for anorexia.

18-year-old Hannah Furse has been looking after the house as well as caring for 13-year-old younger sister Laura.

Michelle says everyone in the family has had to make sacrifices for Millie’s treatment.

“I've had to go back on a benefit, I'm on a domestic purposes benefit because I haven't been able to work," says Michelle.

"Even now I still can't go back to work at this stage.”

“Hannah also, she's just finished school, and she was going to go to Teacher's College this year but she hasn't been able to - she's had to stay home and look after Laura.”

Read in full here.

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The Art Of Slimming Under Pressure

When it comes to the perfect body obsession, eating disorders become the answer to many.

I am 5 feet 7 inches and 135 pounds. I’d rather have Cheetos than carrots, I can’t eat dinner without dessert and just the thought of going to the gym makes me tired.

I’ll be the first to admit my body looks nothing like the stick-thin glamour girls gleaming on magazine covers, strutting down runways and capturing daily headlines.

Like a lot of people — young, old, female and male — I’ve struggled with my weight and body image all my life. Never skinny or fat, I always seem to fall somewhere in the middle.

Rather than accept the fact I may never fit into a size two, I constantly find myself trying.

I scarf down salads with non-fat dressing when I’d rather have a burger, I order frozen yogurt instead of ice cream and I gasp for breath four times a week as I attempt a twenty-minute jog of death on the treadmill.

No matter how many times I hear “You’re fine just the way you are,” I still find myself standing in the mirror, pinching every ounce of fat I could stand to lose and imagining what I would look like if every bone protruded from my body like those of the sucked-up celebrities on TV.

Am I pointing the finger at the media? Well, if the jeans fit.

The simple fact is we compare ourselves to those considered beautiful.

Read in full here.

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Eating Disorder Sufferers To Get New Scots Unit

SCOTS suffering from eating disorders are to be treated at the country’s first ever dedicated unit. Anorexia and bulimia patients across the country are to be housed at the specialist ward at St John’s Hospital, Livingston under new plans revealed yesterday. Scots sports stars David Coulthard, Chris Boardman and Craig MacLean are among the country’s high-profile sufferers of the sometimes fatal condition, And one mother, who has been campaigning for the new facilities for the past five years, has claimed if the centre existed before her daughter “would be alive today”.

Read in full here.

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New Program To Address Body Image

With so much pressure the media and society to be the perfect size, many college women and men have started bashing their bodies and becoming obsessed with food, weight, and exercise. Many of these behaviors have led to eating disorders.

Dr. Kerry Luke, staff psychologist at the counseling center at UA, has created a program, called Body Acceptance and Self Kindness, designed to prevent the onset of eating disorders and discuss issues surrounding food, weight and body image.

“I created B.A.S.K. because the prevalence for anorexia and bulimia are so high,” said Luke. “This group is important because these disorders are the most lethal when it comes to psychological disorders.”

While the program is relatively new, Luke has an idea of where she wants the program to go. Eight to 10 college students would be picked based on a screening process that would evaluate where they stand in regards to body image. The students selected would then meet on a regular basis to talk about body image, body issues, and ideals of beauty.

Read in full here.

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Are You At Risk For Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis can strike at any age, but it is most common in older women. In fact, 80 percent of Americans with osteoporosis are women. One in every two women over age 50 will break a bone in her lifetime due to osteoporosis. Men fare somewhat better, with one in every four men over age 50 suffering an osteoporosis-related fracture.

The bottom line: Both men and women should take steps to maintain and improve bone health. And there’s no better time than May —National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month — to deliver this message.

The risk factors

A number of factors can increase your risk of bone loss and osteoporosis.

Read in full here.
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Eating Disorder Bill Gets House Committee Hearing

JEFFERSON CITY — Supporters of a bill that would require insurance coverage of eating disorders have accomplished their goal for the session: a committee hearing in both chambers. The House Special Committee on Health Insurance devoted 35 minutes to the bill today, most of which involved emotional testimony from those most affected by eating disorders. John Culp, whose daughter died of an eating disorder last week, invited those opposed to the bill to her funeral. “There is nothing worse in the world than to lose a son or daughter,” he said.

“Put away your damn parties and do something for Missourians,” he said later.

Dr. Kim McCallum, who runs a treatment center for eating disorders in St. Louis, said she’s had many patients who had to leave before they were well. One patient. McCallum said, told her it was like being pulled off a respirator before she could breathe.

And Rebecca Lester, a medical anthropologist who studies eating disorders at Washington University, said this sort of treatment is crucial.

“Relapse is inevitable if the patients don’t get the care they need,” she said.

Brook Balentine, 30, got help for her eating disorder in 2007. She said after two weeks of treatment, her insurance company determined she had reached a healthy weight, and ended treatment. “My mental state regarding this disorder was far from healthy,” she said. Balentine continued treatment anyway.

Read in full here.

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sources linked above

Eating Disorders: In The News

'Normal' Educates and Entertains

Normal" is a musical that tackles the weighty and relevant subject of eating disorders and how one young girl's struggle affects her entire family.

Artistic Director Chase Kniffen writes in his program notes that "Normal" not only deserves a place in Stage 1's inaugural season, but that it was, in fact, the reason he wanted to create a new theatrical venue in central Virginia dedicated to new and recent works by American playwrights - especially musicals.

"Normal" fits the bill. The play, written by Yvonne Adrian with lyrics by Cheryl Stern, opened off Broadway in 2005 and has apparently not been professionally produced elsewhere since.

Anorexia is not a common topic for a play, much less a musical, but Kniffen and the cast of seven provide an open, in-depth and intimate view of the subject as well as the dynamics of the Freeman family as mother, father, daughter and son struggle to come to terms with the layers of dissonance that would drive a young girl to starve herself to be pretty "to the bone."

With strong voices and solid acting by veterans Ford Flannagan (the dad, Robert) and Julie Fulcher (the mom, Gayla), Dave Amadee's authentically touching portrayal of the concerned brother, Zachary, and Ali Thibodeau's debut in the heart-wrenching role of Polly, the show has a lot to offer. Angela Shipley, Debra Wagoner and Terri Moore round out the cast as a sort of Greek chorus in white, filling in the many roles of doctor, nurse, therapist, flight attendants and the like.

Read in full here.
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Hospital Funding Dispute Depriving Malnourished Children In South

A dispute between the Health Ministry and Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva is delaying the establishment of a clinic to treat eating disorders among children. The patients, who are under-weight, under-nourished, and require intensive medical treatment, have been forced to travel to the center of the country for treatment.

Following the publication of a report in Haaretz a year and a half ago highlighting the lack of these services in the north and south of the country, the Labor, Welfare and Health Committee of the Knesset convened and directed the Health Ministry to develop a plan to provide hospital and out-patient facilities for the outlying population.

The Health Ministry's chief psychiatrist, Yaakov Polkovich, developed a plan to provide hospital facilities for these children in Haifa and Safed in the north, as well as in the south. But no budget has been allocated to make the facilities available in the south.

Polkovich told Haaretz that eight hospital beds for children with eating disorders were planned for Soroka Medical Center, in addition to out-patient facilities for another eight children. He said the Be'er Sheva hospital opposed the plan because it was seeking Health Ministry funding of about NIS 6 million instead for a separate building at the hospital at which these services would be provided. Polkovich said the dispute is ultimately over funding the project.

According to Health Ministry statistics, there are about 70,000 young Israelis, including many adolescents, who are malnourished due to anorexia and bulimia. In recent years, eating disorders have also been noted among young Bedouin residents of the south, who also have to seek treatment in the country's center. The Health Ministry has generally refused to fund travel expenses for these patients and their parents.

The Clalit health maintenance organization, which operates Soroka, indicated it is looking to the Health Ministry for funds. A spokesman for Soroka added "in order to provide comprehensive treatment to children with eating disorders, we are prepared to build a special unit with ten hospital beds and eight out-patient beds. We therefore need full funding for construction, equipment and ongoing operation of the facility. The Health Ministry has proposed providing partial funding which would not provide for the ongoing operation of the building."

Read in full here.
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KU Conducts New Research On Anorexia Nervosa

Researchers at the University of Karachi (KU) Department of Biochemistry have discovered that the appetite of patients suffering from anorexia nervosa could be increased by administering an amino acid called Triptophan into the body.

Anorexia nervosa is a disorder that decreases appetite and the will to eat. Dr Darkhshan J. Haleem, senior professor at the department, along with her PhD student Tafheem Malik, found out that starvation for long periods decreases the production of serotonin in the brain. The administration of the amino acid Triptophan alleviates the levels of serotonin, thus inducing hunger in the patient.

Both Malik and Dr Haleem will travel to Chicago to attend the 24th International Symposium on Cerebral Blood Flow, Metabolism and Function being held from June 29 to July 3.

“Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric illness that describes an eating disorder characterised by extremely low body weight and body image distortion, with an obsessive fear of gaining weight,” explained Dr Naeem Siddiqui, a psychiatrist working with the Aga Khan University and the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplant.

According to him, individuals who have anorexia are known to control body weight by voluntary starvation, purging, excessive exercise or other weight control measures such as diet pills or diuretic drugs. The disorder is a complex condition involving neurobiological, psychological, and sociological components, and can ultimately lead to death. While the condition primarily affects adolescent females, approximately 10 per cent of people diagnosed with it are male.

While the diagnosis of anorexia can be aided through biological tests, the diagnosis is based on a combination of behaviour, physical characteristics, reported beliefs and experiences of the patient. Anorexia is typically diagnosed by a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist or other suitably qualified clinician. Notably, diagnostic criteria are intended to assist clinicians, and are not representative of what an individual sufferer feels or experiences while living with the illness.

Read in full here.
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Was I Born Anorexic?

Just the other morning, my therapist and I agreed that pretty much everything wrong with me can be traced, in one way or another, back to my parents. This revelation, which has cost my insurance company thousands of dollars, is hardly groundbreaking. Long before the first neurotic was chained to an asylum’s basement wall, we have known that our parents ruin our lives. It has taken the miracle of modern genetic science, however, to discover that this is not totally their fault.

As a small child, I remember telling my mother that when I grew up I wanted to weigh 110 pounds.

According to a new and seemingly conclusive neuropsychological study, anorexia is the latest on the list of the various genetic maladies we can inherit from our parents. The researchers conducted neuropsychological testing on over 200 girls and young women being treated in hospitals for anorexia in the U.S., the U.K., and Norway. The results showed that 70 percent of the patients had suffered damage to their neurotransmitters, had undergone subtle changes in the structures of their brains, or both. They also found that these conditions occurred in the womb and were not due to external or environmental factors.

This news is of special interest to me. For a period of roughly three years, between the ages of 18 and 21, I suffered from a relatively serious case of anorexia. I know this revelation may be difficult to believe if you’ve ever seen me in a buffet situation (or if you have eyes), but I assure you the period is well documented in my medical and psychiatric records.

Read in full here.

sources linked above.

News Articles: Eating Disorders

Milkshakes Medicine For Anorexic Teens

NEW YORK, April 4 (UPI) -- Parents are called on to feed their children high-calorie meals like milkshakes and macaroni and cheese in a therapy for anorexia nervosa, U.S. researchers say.

The therapy, known as behavioral family therapy, or the Maudsley Approach, calls on parents to supervise the eating habits of their anorexic child. The approach is being compared with a more established treatment known as Family Systems Therapy as part of an ongoing treatment study at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division and five other centers nationally.

Both are outpatient therapies for adolescents ages 12-18.

"Anorexia is a life-threatening condition. Treating it early is very important since it is during the teenage years that this disorder usually takes hold," Dr. Katherine Halmi, founder of the Eating Disorders Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division and professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, said in a statement.

Read in full here.
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Vegetarianism Linked To Eating Disorder

(ABC) - Young people may prefer a vegetarian diet that's rich in fruits and vegetables. But a new study shows it could also put them at a higher risk for eating disorders including binge eating, taking diet pills or using laxatives to lose weight.

An estimated one in 200 American children is now a vegetarian, according to the latest government statistics.

Vegetarian diets are often quite healthy for kids, exposing them to a wider variety of beans, fruits and vegetables and cutting out the fat.

But a new study finds that some young people may be turning to
vegetarianism as a weight loss strategy and in rare cases, their dieting behavior can be dangerous.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota surveyed more than 2,500 adolescents about their eating habits.

Results showed that both current and former vegetarians were more likely to practice binge eating and to try risky dieting tactics such as vomiting after meals, and taking diet pills or laxatives.

Read in full here.

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Eating Disorders Sending More American's To Hospital

The number of men and women hospitalised due to eating disorders that caused anemia, kidney failure, erratic heart rhythms or other problems rose 18 percent between 1999 and 2006, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Health care Research and Quality.

The federal agency's analysis also found that between 1999 and 2006:

- Hospitalizations for eating disorders rose most sharply for children under 12 years of age - 119 percent. The second steepest rise was for patients ages 45 to 64 - 48 percent.

- Hospitalisations for men also increased sharply - by 37 percent - but women continued to dominate hospitalizations for eating disorders (89 percent in 2006).

Admissions for anorexia, the most common eating disorder, remained relatively stable. People with anorexia typically lose extreme amounts of weight by not eating enough food, over-exercising, self-inducing vomiting, or using laxatives.

In contrast, hospitalisations for bulimia declined 7 percent. Bulimia - binge eating followed by purging by vomiting or use of laxatives - can lead to severe dehydration or stomach and intestinal problems.

Hospitalizations for less common eating disorders increased 38 percent. Those disorders include pica, an obsession with eating non-edible substances such as clay or plaster, and psychogenic vomiting, which is vomiting caused by anxiety and stress.

Read in full here.

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Miss Georgia USA Discusses Bout With Anorexia

Kimberly Gittings is hoping that come April 19 in Las Vegas, she’ll be able to add her name to the list of kids from Lilburn who’ve done well (behind, most recently, fellow Parkview High grad Jeff Francoeur).

That’s when the Air Force brat, UGA student and Miss Georgia USA titleholder will compete for the Miss USA crown. We talked with Gittings about Iraq, her ancestral home of Korea and Michelle Obama’s arms.

Q: No disrespect, but how does a girl who battled anorexia wind up in the pageant circuit? It seems like the pressure to perform and conform to a certain body type would actually exacerbate the disorder.

A: I suffered with anorexia when I was in middle school and high school. I’m 5 feet 10 inches and I weighed 97 pounds. So my parents were on the verge of hospitalizing me. I had heart palpitations, my liver was having issues, my hair was falling out, my nails kept breaking off, my period stopped. What I did to my body when I was younger will [negatively] affect my chances when I’m older if I ever want to conceive kids. But actually, pageants were something of a healing process. They allowed me to talk about what I was going through. [In pageants] you pick a platform that you’re passionate about and you talk about these issues across your state. For me, that’s what I picked. It gives me drive.

Q: Do you feel you’ve conquered it, or are there moments when you think, “I want to win and I need to be as thin as possible so I won’t eat today?” Do you still have it or another eating disorder?

A: I do not. I know how to live healthy now. I do not ever want to be back in that place again. It took a lot of time, money, effort and tears to get over it. Now I love to eat.

Read in full here.

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Eating Disorders On The Rise, Big Spike Among Children

A new report from the government Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality finds that the number of Americans hospitalized for eating disorders increased 18 per cent between 1999 and 2006.

Among children under age 12, the number more than doubled, but even middle-aged men and women are increasingly affected.

Many types of complications can land patients with eating disorders in the hospital, including kidney problems, anemia, and heart-rhythm disturbances.

In rare cases, patients even suffered life-threatening conditions such as total kidney or liver failure.

Anorexia and bulimia together accounted for more than half of the diagnoses, but they are not behind the rise in hospitalizations.

Read in full here.

sources linked above.

ED News: Recent Eating Disorders' News Articles

Claudia Faniello Speaks Out About The Monster That Ruled Her Life

Times of Malta

For years, the first thing popular singer Claudia Faniello thought about when she woke up was how she would get rid of the food she ate that day.
That thought remained with her until she closed her eyes in the evening.
"It was like a monster living inside me, something which stole my identity," she said about bulimia, the eating disorder that ruled most of her teenage years.
Speaking at the University as part of a campaign by medical students to raise awareness about eating disorders, the 21-year-old recounted how she first fell prey to bulimia.
"I was always very conscious of my body image and knew that if I wanted to take up a singing career I had to watch my weight. I felt chubby and was unhappy with the way I looked. I don't remember the moment I realised I could get rid of the food I ate by throwing up," she said.
But at 14 she began poking her fingers deep in her mouth to throw up after eating something she felt was not good for her. After some time, this became a daily routine and Ms Faniello started inducing vomiting even after drinking a glass of water.
"The situation was getting worse and whatever went into my mouth had to come back out. It was the first thing I thought about when I woke up in the morning and the last thing before going to sleep at night."

Read in full here.

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New Campaign Helps Parents with Kids with Eating Disorders

kyw1060

Miss America 2008 has joined with Pennsylvania's Renfrew Center in a new program to help parents fight eating disorders in their children.
The Renfrew Center's Mom's L.U.V campaign is designed to encourage parents to help their teens battle eating disorders. Miss America 2008 Kristen Haglund battled anorexia nervosa when she was 12. Her parents, both nurses, identified what was going on and took Kristen for treatment.
Kristen says many times, parents suspect but are not empowered enough to get involved:

Read in full here.

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Teenage Latinas Stitch Together A Positive Body Image
by Meribah Knight

The six girls sitting in the church basement come here every Thursday to learn the 101’s of sewing and pattern making, but tonight they are in for a very different lesson.
“Do any of you watch the media or watch TV and say ‘I want to be that person and if I don’t dress like her I don’t feel good about myself?’” asks Kerstin Collett, who leads the class in Holy Cross Church in Chicago’s Back of the Yards.
A resounding “noooooooo, no, no, no,” reverberates across the room.
Today the sewing machines have been put away and instead drawn on the board are three shapes: the hourglass, the triangle and the inverted triangle. They represent the variety of shapes that women come in, and Collett hopes they will provide a frame of reference for the girls to categorize their own figures.
Measuring tapes are brought out and the students, ages 12 to 16, take their measurements in preparation for the patterns they will create for themselves. No sizes and no brands, just their ideas and their bodies.
A growing population at risk
While these girls are adamant that the allure of stick-thin models has no hold on them, their age and demographic tell a different story.

Read in full here.

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There She Is, Strong and Healthy: Miss America 2008 Speaks Out On Eating Disorders

By Korie Wilkins

She poses like a champion, one foot in front of the other, a dazzling -- yet not forced-looking -- smile at the ready.
And even when she's asked the same questions over and over, when she has to shake one more hand, smile for one more picture or when yet another little girl begs to see her sparkly crown, Farmington Hills, Mich., native Kirsten Haglund -- Miss America 2008 -- obliges.
After all, she's more than a beauty queen. She's a role model for women, especially those who suffer from eating disorders.
Her mother, Iora Haglund, never thought she'd see her daughter go to college -- let alone be crowned Miss America. Just five years ago, Kirsten Haglund was so sick, so deep in the throes of anorexia, her family had shelved dreams of a normal future and was just trying to get her back to being healthy.
But Haglund managed to overcome it, and is now trying to help others with eating disorders though a nonprofit she started, the Kirsten Haglund Foundation.
"I have to give back," says Haglund, 20. "That's very important to me. We're all given struggles in our lives. We have to use those struggles for good.

Read in full here.

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Emotions Can Help Predict Future Eating Disorders

ScienceDaily

A PhD thesis at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) has analysed the role played by a number of emotional variables, such as the way in which negative emotions are controlled or attitudes to emotional expression, and to use these variables as tools to predict the possibility of suffering an eating disorder.

The author of the thesis, Ms. Aitziber Pascual Jimeno, presented her work under the title, Emotions and emotional control in eating disorders: predictor role and emotional profiles.*
This work focused on two objectives: to find out if certain emotional variables play an significant role in the development of these disorders; and to know in more detail the emotional profiles, both of women at risk of contracting an eating disorder as well as of those already suffering from one.
To this end, the following emotional variables have been specified: those relative to emotional experience —the frequency of positive and negative emotions, anxiety, low self-esteem and the influence of diet, weight and the body shape on the emotional state—; negative perception of emotions, negative attitude to emotional expression, alexithymia —the inability to identify own emotions and to express them verbally— and the manner of controlling negative emotions.
Moreover, another variable has also been taken into account: the need for control. This variable is not strictly emotional, but has a clear emotional component, given that people with a high need for control, experience anxiety and unwellness when perceiving lack of control.

Read in full here.

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Running On Empty Can Be Deadly For Young Female Athletes

By Tom Held

Research has pinpointed the physical components of the female athlete triad: disordered eating, disrupted menstrual cycles and osteoporosis.
Doug DeVinny lives the emotional element: grief.
His daughter, Alex, was a state champion in cross country and track at Racine Park High School in 2003 and 2004. She won scores of races but lost the battle with anorexia nervosa, and died of heart failure at age 20.

It’s her memory that compelled DeVinny to organize the “Running on Empty” conference at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside this Friday, bringing together experts on the specific threats to young female athletes. Anne Hoch, director of women’s sports medicine at the Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin will be the keynote speaker.
“It is very difficult for my wife and I to do this,” DeVinny said. “Part of the mission, part of what we owe to our daughter, what we couldn’t do for her, perhaps we can do for somebody else.
“I hate to sound so evangelical about it, but we are obligated to that in a sense, and we want to do that.”
Much of the public knows the story of Alex DeVinny, the high school champion who earned an athletic scholarship to South Carolina University. She drew acclaim and attention with her instant success as a tiny freshman.
That public shine hid much of her private struggle.

Read in full here.

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Students In Bid To Beef Up Awareness Of Eating Disorders
by Cynthia Busuttil

Medical students have taken it upon themselves to raise awareness about eating disorders after finding that university students are poorly informed about such conditions.
A survey carried out last week among some 150 students found that many were under the impression that it was only the stick-thin people who suffered from eating disorders and that these problems all revolved around weight loss.
"In fact, compulsive overeating was never mentioned," student Alexia Farrugia said, adding that very few students thought of eating disorders as a psychological problem.
This was not an unexpected result since an exercise by the Malta Medical Students Association last December found that adults had very little knowledge about eating disorders.
Very few students knew that eating disorders could affect both males and females and even fewer were aware that it could affect adults, thinking it was a disorder that solely affected teenage girls. Although teenage girls are the most common sufferers, everyone can be affected by the condition.
"We felt the need to raise awareness and inform students about eating disorders and how to recognise symptoms," Claire Cassar, a second-year student, said.

Read in full here.

sources linked above

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2009: ED News

In Good Health: Eating Disorders Awareness Week
The Fedrick News-post

This week is Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Up to 10 million people in the U.S. have some type of eating disorder, according to the National Eating Disorders Association, and the costs are high in both dollars and human life.

Anorexia nervosa, which includes self-starvation and excessive weight loss, has the highest premature mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder, according to NEDA. The annual cost to treat eating disorder patients in the U.S. is between $5 billion and $6 billion.

While eating disorders can start as preoccupations with food and weight, they often have a more complicated cause, according to NEDA. Behavioral, emotional, and social factors often contribute to the development of eating disorders as the affected person attempts to control food as a way to deal with overwhelming issues.

Read in full here.

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Dallas Woman Uses Own Recovery From Eating Disorder To Help Others
Pegasus

Abbie Chesney knows what it's like to be hungry. She also knows what it's like to be depressed. When the Dallas native was 16 and a student at Lake Highlands High School, she fell into a cycle: She would stop eating to make herself feel better, but then feel worse because she was not eating. So she'd abstain from eating even more.

"If I didn't eat, I would focus on the fact that I was so hungry, and not think about being depressed," she says.

The problem got so bad that she lost more than a third of her body weight in eight months. By age 16, she was diagnosed with anorexia and ended up at Baylor Hospital's eating disorder treatment program for five weeks.

"My body had deteriorated so bad that I had four leaking heart valves," she says.

Read in full here.

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GPs Are Failing Patients With Anorexia And Bulimia, Claims Charity
Nursing Times

It found that 59% of respondents had visited their GP about an eating disorder. But only 15% of respondents felt their GP understood eating disorders and knew how to help.

One patient said: 'When I first went to see my GP they didn't listen at all. They just told me it was a phase I was going through.'

Read in full here.
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Children (9) Seeking Help For Eating Disorders
Herald. ie

Children as young as nine are seeking help for eating disorders, a national support group has revealed.

Bodywhys chief executive Jacinta Hastings says the increasingly young age profile of callers is a worrying trend.

"The children affected by eating disorders are not only getting younger, but their conditions are becoming more complex. There is also a rise in the number of boys contacting us.

"There is peer pressure to conform to achieve a certain look, and what with societal pressure and the pressure of their own expectations, young people are becoming increasingly susceptible to eating disorders," said Ms Hastings.

Read in full here.
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Fighting The Inner Anorexic
BBC Today

Statistics released in response to a parliamentary question show an 80% rise in sufferers age 16 or under between 2006-7.

Of the 462 cases there was also a 207% rise in hospitalizations for 12-year-olds - from 13 to 40.

For those who are not anorexic, the condition can seem utterly incomprehensible. To help understand the disorder, Today presenter Evan Davis spoke to Constance Barter and her mother Sarah about their battle to overcome Constance's anorexia.

Read in full here.

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When Your Food Is Your Child's Enemy

IrishTimes

Eating disorders can be hard to diagnose and treat, and it can take five years to get to grips with anorexia once treatment starts, writes SHEILA WAYMAN

WHO DOESN’T have some sort of issue with food these days? It’s not surprising when we’re bombarded with advice on what we should or shouldn’t eat; regularly presented with “miracle” diets endorsed by some glamorous celebrity, and it’s deemed “news” when a pop singer is spotted wearing her size eight jeans days after giving birth.

Read in full here.