Celebrate Fearless Friday on March 2,  a day without dieting to experience self-acceptance;  a day to acknowledge individuals who are struggling with a secret (an eating disorder).  Eating Disorders Awareness Week, February 25 to March 4, provides the opportunity to shine a light on this secret.

According to Eating Disorders Referral and Information Center (EDRIC) approximately 10 million girls and women and 1 million boys and men are struggling with eating disorders.  Of those, 50,000 individuals will die as a result of their eating disorder.  Eating disorders are a pervasive problem.  They cross gender, racial, and socioeconomic barriers.  The problem is getting worse!  

Eating disorders are often a secret.  People suffer in silence and don’t receive help until the problem is severe and very difficult to treat.  

Eating disorders are not about food.  They are a misuse of food to resolve emotional problems.  
Feelings of inadequacy, depression, anxiety, and loneliness, as well as troubled family and personal relationships, contribute to the development of an eating disorder.  Our culture, with its unrelenting idealization of thinness and the “perfect body,” is often a contributing factor. Eating disorders are serious emotional problems that have life-threatening consequences.

These disorders may become self-perpetuating.  Dieting, bingeing, and purging help some people cope with painful emotions and feel as if they are in control of their lives.  Yet, these behaviors undermine physical health, self-esteem, and a sense of competence and control.

Eating disorders are often developed between the ages of 10 and 20.  Parents, teachers, coaches and other adults who have contact with children are the best line of defense for identifying an eating disorder.  The primary prevention involves deterrence. For example:

• Create an atmosphere within the family that allows for open discussion of concerns and guidance for solving problems. 
• Address the stresses children experience with achievement in school, conflict with peers and be alert to problems children bring to school.
• Be aware of the temptation to relate body shape and weight to success in athletics and help the individual achieve in appropriate ways. 

 Secondary prevention means the early detection and prompt treatment of eating disorders, thereby increasing the chances for a quick and complete recovery.   
Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention, Inc. (EDAP) identifies the following warning signs:

• A marked increase or decrease in weight not related to a medical condition
• The development of abnormal eating habits including frequent dieting 
• An intense preoccupation with weight and body image
• Compulsive or excessive exercising
• Self-induced vomiting, periods of fasting, or laxative, diet pill or diuretic abuse 
• Feelings of isolation, depression or irritability

Anorexia Nervosa - Individuals are unwilling or unable to maintain a body weight that is normal for their age and height.  They display a pronounced fear of weight gain and dread of becoming fat.  They often have low self-esteem and a tremendous need to control their surroundings and emotions.

Bulimia Nervosa - Individuals regularly engage in periods of overeating, which are followed by attempts to compensate for overeating to avoid weight gain through self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, severe caloric restriction, diuretics, enemas, or excessive exercising.

Binge Eating (Compulsive Eating) - Individuals frequently eat large amounts of food while feeling a loss of control over their eating.  Differs from bulimia nervosa in that they usually do not purge afterward.  There may be sporadic fasts or repetitive diets.  

Other Eating Disorders - The diagnosis of an eating disorder can be difficult.  Boundaries between normal and disordered eating are difficult to delineate.  Failure to meet formal criteria does not necessarily mean that an individual does not have a serious and significant disorder.  Formal evaluations for diagnosis and treatment should only be made by qualified mental and physical health practitioners.

The most effective and long-lasting treatment often comes from a multidisciplinary approach that includes psychotherapy, coupled with attention to medical and nutritional needs.  Typically, treatment is done on an outpatient basis and includes individual, group and family therapy. Consider the following for additional information or resources: 

Center for Behavioral Health at Porter Hospital provides an outpatient program for adults. Call 303-778-5774.

Children’s Hospital of Denver has an eating disorder program for adolescents ages 10-21.  Eating 
Disorders Hotline 303-861-8521. 

Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention, Inc. (EDAP) A national nonprofit organization dedicated to the elimination of eating disorders and body dissatisfaction through prevention efforts, education, referral and support services, advocacy, training and research.  Contact EDAP at www.edap.org or 800-931-2237.

Eating Disorders Professionals of Colorado (EDPC) is a multidisciplinary group of professionals who work with individuals experiencing eating disorders. For referrals call 303-447-0141 ext 3.

Eating Disorders Referral and Information Center provides information and referrals at www.edreferral.com

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) self-help support groups are free for individuals with eating disorders and their families. For information contact Joan Unruh at 303-668-9024.

Two web sites that provide information, resources, and chat rooms are Mirror-Mirror, at www.mirror-mirror.org and Something Fishy, at www.somethingfishy.org 

Celebrate Fearless Friday!

Louise H. Alderson, MS, LMFT, CFLE is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Certified Family Life Educator.  She helps families, couples, and individuals with challenges during the various stages of their lives.  Louise may be contacted at 303-447-2054 for additional resources for eating disorders.