Teen Eating Disorder Treatment

Self magazine has admitted giving Kelly Clarkson a new PhotoShopped body in the September issue because covers shouldn’t reflect reality but, “inspire women to want to be their best.” By denying women the opportunity to see what celebrities really look like, they are supposedly inspiring women to strive for something that is unobtainable- perfection. This is at the very root of my own disordered thinking and eating patterns. When you see tabloids circling dimples in a celebrities butt in a bikini or highlighting a star’s “fat” arms, it perpetuates and compounds the idea that women must be perfectly thin and flawless, which is next to impossible.
After gaining weight during recovery from my eating disorder, I was horrified to see how my body had changed, even though it was definitely for the better. My disordered thinking was difficult to overcome, but treatment at Visions helped me develop a healthier self image. Seeing PhotoShopped images of stars and tabloids pointing out their “grotesque” flaws really challenges my fragile self image. As I grow stronger after coming out of adolescent eating disorder treatment, I don’t feel as compelled to pay attention to the media’s body consciousness and I am working to pay more attention to my own self worth and happiness. If your teen is struggling with a adolescent eating disorder, Visions can help turn your teen’s life around. Give them the gift of freedom and recovery by contacting us today.

House Bunny Vs. "The frightening new normalcy of hating your body"

I don’t really want to admit this, but I just watched The House Bunny. Shhhh! My eyes just kind of glazed over and suddenly I was sucked into it. I am surprised I can type at this point. Okay, so the lowdown- Shelley, a Playboy Playmate is kicked out of the Playboy mansion and somehow becomes the house mother of a failing sorority house. The nerdy, unattractive girls must get 30 new pledges or they lose their charter. Oh no! What are these nerd girls going to do? Get hot! Shelley gives them all Playboy style makeovers and suddenly they are super hot and popular. The house will be saved! Yay for miniskirts! Shelley is trying to win the affection of a nerd guy and begins to see that her hotness may not be enough- she’s going to have to get smart. The former nerd girls of her house help her read some books and suddenly she can talk about NATO! OMG!!! Spoiler alert: Shelley and the girls begin to loose themselves in their new images and learn that maybe balance is what they need. They should be smart AND hot. Oh. Of course. They should be everything.
Oddly enough, this mind-melting (in a bad way) movie made me think about Courtney Martin’s awesome book, Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters. In the book, Martin examines the new cultural norm of girls not just being good, but being perfect and, "the frightening new normalcy of hating your body". Martin illustrates that the idea that girls need to be everything- smart, pretty, athletic, etc., has everything to do with disordered eating and unhealthy body images. Self-hatred has become the norm and Martin calls on women of all ages to change these destructive ways of thinking. The most memorable line from the book was the idea that after all of the progress in women’s lib, instead of hearing, “You can be anything,” girls today are hearing, “You have to be everything.”
I have read a lot of books on eating disorders, but this one really helped me to examine my role as a young woman and how my self-criticism is part of a larger social problem. Martin doesn’t really blame anyone, but instead focuses on how messages have gotten muddled throughout generations. I placed very high expectations on myself because I perceived that that was what was expected of me. No one ever told me to make myself sick trying to be perfect, but somehow I heard that. Figuring out all of the misinformation I have in my head has been an important part of my recovery process. I don’t necessarily think movies like The House Bunny are the reason I have had a adolescent eating disorder, but I do believe that I can take responsibility for how I perceive them. I know that I don’t have to give myself a Playboy makeover to have self worth, and if I hear that message, I can stop myself and look at the truth. So, while The House Bunny may be perpetuating the idea that women need to be everything to be worthy of affection and attention, I don’t have to take it to heart. I mean, it was kind of funny. Kind of.

Please click here if you or a loved one is suffering from a teen eating disorder.

Adolescent Eating Disorder Treatment in Santa Monica

From Blogger Pictures

It’s beach body season at the news stands and that can be a bit of a trigger for a person recovering from a adolescent eating disorder. I have made huge strides in the last few years since I went to treatment to deal with my eating disorder, but seeing all of those magazines promising perfect bodies or critiquing those that aren’t makes feel weird. I know now that nobody can have a perfect body, and after a few graphic design classes, I’ve learned the magic of photoshop, but being bombarded by the media to get “perfect” sometimes triggers my disease.
When I feel insecure, I have to go back to my core tools. The way I feel about myself is based on my insides- who I am- not what dress size I am. It was horrifying when I had to throw away all of my pre-treatment clothes. They were all too small! I wanted to hold onto them in case I lost the weight again, but I had to realize that was a reservation to relapse. Letting go of the clothes helped signify my continued commitment to recovery. Recovery from a eating disorder is an inside job. It has taken a long time to deal with my insecurities and need for control. Even though those feelings still arise, I don’t have to act on them. I can argue with those feelings better now. So when I see “Get Your Perfect Beach Body!” screaming at me from a newsstand, I may at first feel enticed, but then I check myself and remember that no amount of dieting and exercise would ever make me perfect, or make me feel whole. When I feel triggered, I journal, or call my sponsor, or talk to friends. I tell myself affirmations in the mirror! As cheesy as it sounds, I tell myself, “I’m enough. I’m enough,” over and over. Because I am. Recovering from an adolescent eating disorder is a difficult journey, and I couldn’t have done it without the support that I found in treatment. I had no idea how to go it alone. I couldn’t have done it alone.

If your teen is struggling with an eating disorder, don’t hesitate to contact us for adolescent eating disorder treatment in Santa Monica. Beach body season doesn’t have to mean continued self abuse. It doesn’t mean anything at all. I feel good about me today, and that’s all that matters.

Teen Diabulimia

Diabulimia
Society, nowadays, puts endless pressure on girls young and old to be thin. Approximately 10% of adolescents and young girls in America suffer from eating disorders. But, when we think of eating disorders, usually two come to our minds; Anorexia and Bulimia.
Anorexia is when teen restricts food intake in order to control their weight. Teen anorexics have an intense fear of gaining weight and are often times severely underweight once deep into their disorder. They have a distorted body image and tend to be in denial of their low weight. Adolescents who develop this condition can also become underweight by simply refusing to gain weight as they age.
Bulimia occurs when one purges their food by induced vomiting or taking laxatives and/or diuretics. Physical symptoms are mostly easier for a bulimic to hide due to the body absorbing nutrients before purging.
These two disorders are almost impossible to achieve if Type 1 Diabetes is present. Diabetics need food in order to survive. However, if you are under the impression that someone with Type 1 Diabetes can’t have an eating disorder, think again.
A Diabetic needs to take insulin everyday in order for the body to process glucose out of the bloodstream and into the cells for energy. When insulin is not taken glucose stays in the bloodstream causing blood sugar levels to rise. This eventually causes rapid weight loss and excessive urination. It is referred to as Diabulimia and can be considered an eating disorder. In fact, eating disorders are more likely to occur in girls with Type 1 Diabetes than in girls without. Sometimes it is hard to know whether one is just manipulating and controlling their insulin intake, or if it is Diabulimia.
This disorder can cause serious complications to the diabetic body. One side affect can be the early onset of diabetes complications including, but not limited to, retina damage. Having high blood sugar levels as a result of not taking insulin can eventually become fatal.
Eating disorders among teens and young adults can be quite secretive and hard to detect sometimes. The longer one has an eating disorder the harder it is to treat. All eating disorders are dangerous.

Teen Drug and Eating Disorders

Most teen drug treatment professionals will agree that teens with eating disorders share risk factors with teens who abuse substances. They also say that there are shared characteristics in both addictions. Up to half the adolescents that have eating disorders abuse drugs and/or alcohol. It is said that 35% of teens who abuse drugs and alcohol have eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. Teens at risk for both addictions share risk factors including low self-esteem, depression and anxiety, an approval seeking personality, the tendency to be impulsive and are usually experiencing stress or a transition of some sort. Those suffering from co-occurring disorders like eating disorders combined with drug addiction often use caffeine, alcohol, laxatives, amphetamines, emetics, cocaine and heroin. These substances relieve anxiety and stress, may suppress ones appetite and rid the body of excess or unwanted calories. Characteristics in both might include chronic disease with a high rate of relapse, preoccupation with behaviors such as; using drugs, drinking, eating or not eating, secretiveness, rituals and compulsive behavior. The combination of both addictions may be life threatening and usually requires intensive treatment.Mental health professionals say that often times teen eating disorders and teen drug abuse go hand in hand.