Duplicity, Lies, Manipulation, and Eating Disorders
Key points To cover shame, patients with bulimia often lie and deceive others to protect their vulnerability and their secrets. An eating disorder can also be just one in a series of personality issues. These individuals may be comfortable with being deceitful. When deceitful patients enter treatment, they sometimes terminate quickly or prematurely, making recovery […]
Sexual Satisfaction and Eating Disorders
Women with eating disorders often report a lack of sexual interest during the course of their eating disorder. Several solid studies, including one, which assessed 242 women, found that issues with physical intimacy, libido, sexual anxiety, and difficulty in romantic relationships are present among this population. The results found that: Intercourse (55.3%), having a partner (52.7%), decreased sexual desire (66.9%), and […]
Growing Old, Hollywood, Culture and Loss
Is the correct phrasing that as we age, beauty fades or ripens? Depends who you ask. Hollywood aficionados have been telling us for a long time that there are fewer and fewer leading roles for women over 40. This rule did not seem to apply to men, until fairly recently. I Googled, “current Hollywood leading […]
Culture Dictates the Standard of Beauty
Human beings are sexual, aggressive, and social creatures. Sexual attraction is determined by many factors—organic (i.e. chemistry), relational (mature replacements for mom and/or dad) and environmental (social and cultural). Pop culture tends to drive what is, well, popular. Social mores change to reflect the culture; culture is king and to a certain extent, queen. To think that how […]
Getting Well Ain’t Easy
This blog first appeared as an article in “Addiction Professional Magazine” (2012) (Judy Scheel) Eating disorders are often difficult to treat, due in part to many patients being ambivalent about recovery. In a recent article in the International Journal of Eating Disorders (1) practitioners are cautious about being too optimistic or invested in patients’ motivation. Whether a patient […]
Is the False Self really the True Self in Eating Disorders?
D.W. Winnicott’s concept of ‘false self,’ is ubiquitous in the fields of psychology and psychoanalysis. The term has come to have particular meaning in the understanding and treatment of eating disorders. In brief, Winnicott, a British mid 20th century psychoanalyst, influenced the course of Object Relations Theory. He was student of Melanie Klein, but rejected Klein’s […]
Gluten-Free: Fad, Friend, or Foe?”
There are no fewer than 100 types of diets posted on WebMD’s list of “Weight Loss and Diet Plans.” http://www.webmd.com/diet Some of them are memorable – shock value intended – the Grapefruit Diet, Personality Type Diet and Blood Type Diet. Some of them are true attempts at finding a healthy way to eat and live – true lifestyle diets […]
Fat Versus Eating Disorder
Americans are getting fatter and fatter. Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia are also on the rise as is Binge Eating Disorder. The Wall Street Journal reported (Sept. 11, 2013) on research conducted at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. The study focused on impulsive eating and food cravings of children. The purpose of the […]
SuicideGirls
In a recent article in Portland Monthly Magazine (Shulsinger) “Is SuicideGirls’ Mission of “Alternative Beauty” Still Relevant in 2013?” the founders of SuicideGirls commented that the term refers to “women who commit ‘social suicide’ by refusing to conform to the American ideal of a beautiful woman, by refusing to ‘fit in to the mold.’ I do not question […]
Losing Perspective, Magazines and TV in NYC
I am a native New Yorker – Brooklyn born and raised and Manhattan life as an adult. I love my city. Having the luxury of being a professional in this City has been a mixed bag. The plus is that making it in NY is an accomplishment. My professional life is wonderful, especially now that […]