Week 2 : Orthorexia Nervosa

This week I did research on a lesser known disorder called Orthorexia Nervosa.

Alongside the research of ON (Orthorexia Nervosa), during class I learned that we would be making slides for my final product of this blog.  So, today the teacher showed us how to make different looking slides that have a theme.  As of course mine will have a ED theme of some sort.

Anyways, back to the subject.  ON is a lesser known eating disorder.  It's definition is literally means 'fixation on righteous eating.'  It's (like any disorder) an unhealthy obsession.  ON's begin as attempt at becoming healthier, yet soon take it to an extreme.  They will also punish themselves for giving in to temptation, sometimes by restricting food intake, exercising, and or fasting.

Even though ON is a lesser known disorder, it still is a disorder, one that people need help with.  People with ON need support in overcoming it.

'Recovered orthorexics will still eat healthfully, but there will be a different understanding of what healthy eating is.  They will realize that food will not make them a better person and that basing their self-esteem on the quality of their diet is irrational.  Their identity will shift from “the person who eats health food” to a broader definition of who they are – a person who loves, who works, who is fun.  They will find that while food is important, it is one small aspect of life, and that often other things  are more important!'

 (Insert from http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/orthorexia-nervosa )

YET!  Remember that just because you like eating healthy doesn't mean you have ON.  Only if taken into obsession can it turn to a problem.  When your diet ends up controlling your entire life, if you feel guilt or self-loathing when you stray from your diet, and wish you could occasionally eat and not have to feel worried or guilty about the food quality.

I must go now,

until next time.

-Alexa

(Found on Google Images)

Week 1 : How the Media Effects ED's

Now it's a new year, and so for my teacher it means the numbering system on this will start over on  these blogs. So now these blogs have to start over starting from 1.  So I'm sorry about how these will be numbered perplexing.  ANYWAYS, on with the blog.

Well it's about time I got to this subject.  The media plays a ginormous role in ED's.  They glorify the need to be thin and pretty.  Take a look into a magazine and what do you see?  Thin, tall, beautiful women -or- tall, muscular, handsome men.  For me, by seeing a picture such as the one below all I see is how beautiful and skinny the woman is.  The urge to become thin intensifies, and it's basically my ' Thin-spo '  As bad as it is, it makes me burrow deeper into my ED.

It's most definatley not a good thing to see this or strive to become it, yet it's what has got me down to 101.46 lbs. as of today.  It's horrendous to know I use to be up to 140 lbs.  Thinking back to how I use to look, it disgusts me to no end.  I'm still very unhappy with my current weight; I want to get down to 92 lbs.  But it will take some time unfortunately because I can't workout as much as I want to, due to my low blood pressure it's very easy to pass out when doing cardio (which is the most efficient way to lose weight).

Below are some facts found on www.anad.org

• 95% of all dieters will regain their lost weight within 5 years.3
• 35% of “normal dieters” progress to pathological dieting. Of those, 20-25% progress to partial or full-syndrome eating disorders.5
• The body type portrayed in advertising as the ideal is possessed naturally by only 5% of American females.3
• 47% of girls in 5th-12th grade reported wanting to lose weight because of magazine pictures.12
• 69% of girls in 5th-12th grade reported that magazine pictures influenced their idea of a perfect body shape.13
• 42% of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner (Collins, 1991).
• 81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being fat (Mellin et al., 1991).

There is a serious problem with the media glorifying the need to be thin, pretty, handsome, muscular.  It's sickening honestly.  Just know that there IS treatment for eating disorders.  They do help, I'm not in treatment (since my parents haven't found out) I'm seeing a therapist for depression, and it does help.  It may seem silly to go and talk about your problems, but it does help to have someone to talk to in confidentiality.

Until next time,
                         Alexa

                                      

                                                          Found on Tumblr

Week 9 : Cameras, Dinners, and Family Members.

Well this week wasn't the best for me...  Also I'm sorry this isn't a column on a disorder. I guess I just don't feel up to having to research a disorder today.

So, yeah, sorry about that.

I guess this holiday break has it's ups and downs.  By that I mean my cellular device kicked the bucket last week so (the up to this week) was that I got a new phone. Another up? Well my dream is to be a concert photographer and do fashion photography.  So my father helped me pay for a DSLR camera(those large cameras with huge lenses) to improve my skills.  That was one of the happiest things that happened to me over this break so far.

If anyone even reads this would you leave a comment on something good that's happened to you lately.

There were a number of downs too.  On Christmas eve I had to visit my therapist.  We had to talk about my relationship with my parents on step-sister.  Not fun...

Then the next day was Christmas, so I had to go to a dinner with my family.  It was a struggle having to eat the food.  I had only eaten a small portion of roast, a few green bean stalks, and the top of a small fluffy bread in a muffin cup thing(I honestly have no clue as to what it's called.)

I'm glad they didn't notice the small amount I ate.  I don't know what I would have said if they noticed.

One last down and I'll go.  Tomorrow my step-sister is coming home.  I don't have the biggest bond with her.  She hasn't been a major person in my life.  I'm scarred that if she's home she'll notice how I don't eat breakfast or lunch.

In other words I might be potentially confronted for it...

That's all for this week.  If anyone reads this I'm sorry for not having researched.  Sorry.  Maybe check out my Tumblr?  Warning it may be triggering and I don't promote eating disorders.  It's my only way to cope.  Anyway it's: http://just-a-rotting-soul.tumblr.com/

I believe this is from Tumblr...

I don't remember I found this in my Thin-spo file on my laptop.

Week 8 : Night Eating Syndrome

This week I've decided to research on Night Eating Syndrome. NES (Night Eating Syndrome) is often like BED(Binge Eating  Disorder) but it occurs mainly at night.
Last week I had to do research on what I would be doing, or as my teacher said 'research more of your topic.' So now I have about the next six weeks topics already set. So that's pretty good to me. Another thing I have to go to a pediatric psychologist, since my family doctor diagnosed me with a panic disorder...yay...Note the sarcasm.
BUT! this isn't about my problems, that shall be featured in another blog. Back to the original topic!
NES sufferers are different from BED sufferers, yet people with NES are often binge eaters. People with NES often binge at night, eat less during the day, and don't often binge.
Therefore it's said that most people with NES are often overweight or obese. Which in turn can cause several health problems like any disorder. Below are some that I've found :

• Gallbladder disease
• Heart diseases
• Several types of cancer

NES studies show that people sometimes have a history of substance abuse and depression. They often feel depressed at night. Also they may feel tense, moody, anxious, nervous, ect. during the night.
Usually NES has people eat fatty, sugary foods at night. Some are even sleepwalkers.
I'm so sorry this has to be cut short, but i need to try and get some sleep. aka I keep falling asleep whilst writing this.
Farewell for now.

Picture found on Google Images

Week Seven: Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified

Well, seven weeks into this blog.  I guess it was about time we got to this. Sigh. Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS).  Well basically EDNOS is an ED(Eating Disorder) in which a person may not meet all the criteria for a specific ED.  An example could be in which a person meets all the criteria for BED(Binge Eating Disorder) but does not have some BED behaviors.
Another example I'll use myself. I don't qualify to be diagnosed with AN(Anorexia Nervosa) because I still get my period. Yet I meet all the other criteria. So I would be diagnosed with EDNOS, not AN.
Oh my stars this is hard to type...
Some common signs of EDNOS?

• A female patient could meet all of the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa except she is still having her periods
• A person could meet all of the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa are met except that, despite significant weight loss the individual's current weight is in the normal range.
• A person could meet all of the diagnostic criteria for bulimia nervosa are met except that the binge eating and inappropriate compensatory mechanisms occur at a frequency of less than twice a week or for duration of less than 3 months.
• The person could use inappropriate compensatory behavior by an individual of normal body weight after eating small amounts of food (e.g., self-induced vomiting after the consumption of two cookies). This variant is often called purging disorder.
• The person could repeatedly chewing and spitting out, but not swallowing, large amounts of food.
• Binge-eating disorder is also officially an EDNOS category (see separate fact sheet for BED): recurrent episodes of binge eating in the absence if the regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors characteristic of bulimia nervosa.

(information found on http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=65849)

The list can go on and on as someone diagnosed is different.
I'm sorry this one is short but it's very hard to write about EDNOS. Wanna know something? More people are diagnosed with EDNOS then AN and BED combined.
Hmm... I think I'll also start referring to AN as Ana, and BED as Mia.
That's as much as I can write about this, until next time.

Week Six: Binge Eating

This week, I thought I would cover the eating disorder called Binge Eating Disorder.  Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is a type of eating disorder not otherwise specified and is characterized by recurrent binge eating without the regular use of compensatory measures to counter the binge eating.(www.nationaleatingdisorders.org)
So basically it means that someone with BED has frequent episodes are eating large amounts of food in a short amount of time without regular use of other things to get rid of the eaten food.  Its like Bulimia Nervosa, but without regularly getting rid of the consumed food.  BED still makes you feel guilty, depressed,or disgusted after eating the food.  Like any ED(eating disorder) people who have these mental illnesses can still be of normal or heavier weight. BED makes people often express shame, guilt, and distress over their ED.
Some signs of BED are :

• Being unable to stop eating, or being in control of food intake.
• Eating even when you know your full.
• Hiding food to eat in secret later.
• Eating normally around others, but when alone you gorge.

Some of the symptoms of BED are:

• Feeling stress or tension that is only relieved by eating
• Embarrassment over how much you’re eating
• Feeling numb while bingeing—like you’re not really there or you’re on auto-pilot.
• Never feeling satisfied, no matter how much you eat
• Feeling guilty, disgusted, or depressed after overeating
• Desperation to control weight and eating habits (found on  http://www.helpguide.org/mental/binge_eating_disorder.htm)

Week Five: Bulimia Nervosa

This week I did some research on Bulimia Nervosa. This one kinda sucked for me since I have a friend who was bulimic tendencies. Also her former boyfriend is bulimic. So..yeah...touchy subject.
Anyways Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder(ED) in which people will eat large amounts of food in a  short time. Then, feeling guilty, they may purge(vomit), exercise too much, or use medicines such as laxatives to get rid of the food. Bulimia is one of the most common forms of ED's. Some of the reasons in which someone may have bulimia could be :

• if others in the family are overweight or have an ED.
• they have a job or a sport that stresses the body, such as modeling, ballet, or gymnastics.
• they are dealing with very stressful life events such as a divorce, losing a loved one, or moving to a new school or town.
• they feel the need to be and look perfect, never feeling good enough or worrying a lot.

Just like any ED it can effect women, men, and adolescents. It is not only associated with women, it can affect men and boys. Some of the symptoms of bulimia are:

• Purging to get rid of the food they consume in order not to gain weight.
• Using laxatives to vomit.
• Excising too hard or for too long.
• Using medicines to avoid gaining weight.
• Binge on a regular basis.
• Feel out of control in what they eat, feeling unable to stop eating.

People with this ED are afraid of losing control when they eat, and end up eating excessive amounts of food in a very short time. Another things is that bulimics are often not underweight, usually they are of normal weight. They binge in secret and will deny that they purge.
As scary as it is if you believe that someone has an ED whether it be anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, EDNOS (Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified), or other ED's, it's best to help them get help. ED's can take a very long time to overcome. If you believe someone has an ED or any other mental illness you should TALK TO THEM. Tell them you are worried about them, tell them how much you care about them. Tell someone who can better help them either a parent, teacher, counselor, or doctor. Also URGE the person to talk to someone who could help (doctor, counselor, ect.)
You can also help him/her by listening to their feelings. It honestly will help them on a large scale. It did when I confessed to my friend about my ED. Show them you care for them. Avoid trying to control the person. Offer support during discouraging times.
Well that's all for this week. I also just thought I might as well sign off on these.
Until next week,
-Alexa