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Eating disorders

Mudcat

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I spent a half day yesterday at a workshop for professionals who deal with eating disorders. It was very interesting.

I am curious how prevalent these disorders are. Has your life been touched directly by someone with an eating disorder?



My ex's daughter's anorexia and bulimia were bad enough that she had to be hospitalized for it.

Dealing with addicts as much as I do, it comes up once in awhile and someone close to me was once hospitalized at 85 pounds - although she's alright now. My life has been touched indirectly by it a number of times.



Just curious.
 
My mother has written chapters in books on anorexia and bulimia. I read a lot growing up, so our house had book filled on the subject. I never came into romantic involement with the disease until I moved to Vegas and started dating the manager of the restaurant I worked at. She has been fighting the disease for 5 years now. She went to an inpatient facility for it. My time with her made me more aware on how it completely controls your life. Not only eating, but other ways you go about dealing with situations.
 
Not known anyone close to me with a full blown out of control eating disorder. Had a gf in HS that was having difficulties with anorexia and Bulimia after I went to College. It was a control issue for her. but we got her help before it got real bad.


what I think is interesting, is the fact that the UNDER-eating, eating disorders are a relatively new phenomenon and you won't find them too much in 3rd world type countries
 
Americans spend billions on pills to help their stomach not absorb fat or carbs, or speed up their metabolism, or to have surgery to shrink their stomach, have lipo, implants... gym fees, tony little exercise equipment.... personal trainers, curves, jenny Craig.


it must be helping right?

fok those 3rd world countries, they need to teach their bitches to want to be thinner. they are missing out on many business opportunities and revenue streams by letting their women off the hook.

that's why they are so behind us
 
if there's a way to make a business out of it then it's prevalent.
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One thing that struck me was the level of ignorance in the world. There were panelists telling their stories and repeatedly they talked about going to a professional (doctor, therapist, nutritionist) and getting the most incredibly ignorant responses.

Like I'm just some dude and I would know better than these professionals they were talking about.




The other thing that came up that I didn't know about was there are a lot of "Pro-ana" websites these days. Pro-ana meaning pro anorexia. These websites have discussion about all aspects of weight-loss/counting calories/extreme exercise - and people support each other. I had a quick look at one when I got home (and it tried to give me a virus) but from what I gather they have cult-like characteristics.

I imagined that eating disorders were a dirty little secret in the mind of each sufferer, rife with denial - but apparently it is not always that way.

Strange world.
 
One thing that struck me was the level of ignorance in the world. There were panelists telling their stories and repeatedly they talked about going to a professional (doctor, therapist, nutritionist) and getting the most incredibly ignorant responses.

Like I'm just some dude and I would know better than these professionals they were talking about.




The other thing that came up that I didn't know about was there are a lot of "Pro-ana" websites these days. Pro-ana meaning pro anorexia. These websites have discussion about all aspects of weight-loss/counting calories/extreme exercise - and people support each other. I had a quick look at one when I got home (and it tried to give me a virus) but from what I gather they have cult-like characteristics.

I imagined that eating disorders were a dirty little secret in the mind of each sufferer, rife with denial - but apparently it is not always that way.

Strange world.

Commonly referred to as "Friends of Ana/Mia". They have a bunch of pro-marijuana sites out there, I like to peruse "how to make meth" sites myself and read the stories. I consider eating disorders share the same underlying process, at times, as most addictions. It really goes back to just not being able to cope effectively with other people. Archie suggested a control issue but at the same time there are heavy sociological forces at work. Some of the clients I have talked to described a euphoric feeling similar to drug use associated with disordered eating, binge/purge. It would be interesting to see a differential between these populations and over-eaters (morbid obesity), is there really a difference? I imagine it as difficult if more difficult than kicking an alcohol/drug addicition.