An article in Time Magazine by Susanna Schrobsdorff, Anxiety, Depression, and the American Adolescent, explores the causes of the recent significant increase in teen mental health issues.
http://time.com/magazine/us/4547305/november-7th-2016-vol-188-no-19-u-s/
Schrobsdorff identifies a number of potential causes for the increased rates of depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems ...continue reading
Have you ever tried to change another person's behavior? Of course, you have! We've all tried that. By now you know that it's practically impossible to change someone else. And you know that it's only a tiny bit easier for us to change ourselves. But changing our own thoughts and behavior is exactly what we have to do if we want to help someone else recover.
Michelle Siegel, Judith Brisman, and Margot Weinshel, the authors of Surviving an Eating Disorder, propose two essential guidelines for family members:
Accept your limitations: You can't control another person.
Accept the other person's right to be different from you.
But what does that mean in practice? We've all tried using logical or emotional argument to convince a loved one to give up disordered eating patterns. It didn't work, did it?! ...continue reading
Many people with eating disorders report that a doctor or therapist has refused to treat an eating disorder, based on faulty stereotypes. This occurs because many people—even professionals—believe that weight or visual characteristics can be used to identify an eating disorder. For example, many assume that people with anorexia will be bone-protruding thin, that binge eaters will be obese, and people with bulimia will have an average weight. It isn't that simple!
Anyone can have an eating disorder, no matter what shape or weight they have. ...continue reading
One difficulty with mental health, and perhaps especially dieting, obesity, and eating disorders, is that much of our conventional wisdom is inaccurate.
For example, nearly everyone knows that diet and exercise are essential for weight loss, right?
What most don't know is ...continue reading
Men who have eating disorders or body dysmorphic disorder often think that they are unusual in battling with these problems. Not so, but until recently it could seem true because very few men were willing to share their stories. Thankfully, Brian Cuban has broken the taboo with his memoir, Shattered Image: My Triumph Over Body Dysmorphic Disorder Body dysmorphic disorder is an intense preoccupation with an imagined or slight defect in physical appearance.
Brian's story begins with childhood social anxiety, being bullied and rejected by peers for his size and awkwardness, and being ridiculed by his mother for his weight. ...continue reading
Have you ever skipped a meal so you can drink alcohol without putting on weight?
You may have drunkorexia, a popular term for the combination of excessive drinking and anorexic behaviors. Drunkorexia is linked to body image concerns. That’s why it is particularly common among weight-conscious young women, but muscle-conscious men can have it, too. People who have drunkorexia are very aware of the caloric values of food, drink and exercise, and will do whatever it takes to be able to drink the alcohol. ...continue reading