recognizing And deAling with eAting diSorderS · 2019-10-26 · 10 SignS of An eAting diSorder 1....
Transcript of recognizing And deAling with eAting diSorderS · 2019-10-26 · 10 SignS of An eAting diSorder 1....
A GUIDE to AccompAny thE hBo® DocUmEntARy FILm THIN
recognizing And deAling with eAting diSorderS
10 SignS of An eAting diSorder
1. Drasticweightloss
2. Preoccupationwithcountingcalories
3. Theneedtoweighyourselfseveraltimesaday
4. Excessiveexercise
5. Bingeeatingorpurging
6. Foodrituals,liketakingtinybites,skippingfoodgroupsorre-arrangingfoodontheplate
7. Avoidingmealsoronlywantingtoeatalone
8. Takinglaxativesordiuretics
9. Smokingtocurbappetite
10. Persistentviewofyourselfasfatthat
worsensdespiteweightloss
ANOREXIA NERVOSA ischaracterizedbyself-starvationandexcessiveweightloss.
Symptomsinclude:
• Refusaltomaintainbodyweightatoraboveaminimallynormal
weightforheight,bodytype,age,andactivitylevel
• Intensefearofweightgainorbeing“fat”
• Feeling“fat”oroverweightdespitedramaticweightloss
• Lossofmenstrualperiods
• Extremeconcernwithbodyweightandshape
BULIMIA NERVOSA ischaracterizedbyasecretivecycleofbingeeatingfollowed
bypurging.Bulimiaincludeseatinglargeamountsoffood—more
thanmostpeoplewouldeatinonemeal—inshortperiodsof
time,thengettingridofthefoodandcaloriesthroughvomiting,
laxativeabuse,orover-exercising.
Symptomsinclude:
• Repeatedepisodesofbingeingandpurging
• Feelingoutofcontrolduringabingeandeatingbeyondthepoint
ofcomfortablefullness
• Purgingafterabinge(typicallybyself-inducedvomiting,abuseof
laxatives,dietpillsand/ordiuretics,excessiveexercise,orfasting)
• Frequentdieting
• Extremeconcernwithbodyweightandshape
Source: National Eating Disorders Association, 2005
Eatingdisorderssuchasanorexia,bulimia,andbingeeatingdisorder
includeextremeemotions,attitudes,andbehaviorssurroundingweight
andfoodissues.Theyareseriousemotionalandphysicalproblems
thatcanhavelife-threateningconsequencesforfemalesandmales.
whAt iS An eAting diSorder?
how to help A friend
Rememberthatyoucannotforcesomeonetoseekhelp,changetheirhabits,or
adjusttheirattitudes.Youwillmakeimportantprogressinhonestlysharingyourconcerns,
providingsupport,andknowingwheretogoformoreinformation!Peoplestrugglingwith
anorexianervosa,bulimianervosa,orbingeeatingdisorderdoneedprofessionalhelp.
Ifyouareconcernedabouttheeatinghabits,weight,orbodyimageofsomeoneyoucare
about,letusassureyouthatyouaredoingagreatthingbylookingformoreinformation.
Thislistmaynottellyoueverythingyouneedtoknowaboutwhattodoinyourspecific
situation,butitwillgiveyousomehelpfulideasonwhattodotohelpafriendorlovedone.
• LEARNasmuchasyoucanabouteatingdisorders.
Readbooks,articles,andbrochures,andutilize
helpfulonlineresources(seebackpage).
• KNOw thE dIffERENcESbetweenfactsand
mythsaboutweight,nutrition,andexercise.Knowing
thefactswillhelpyoureasonagainstanyinaccurate
ideasthatyourfriendmaybeusingasexcusesto
maintaintheirdisorderedeatingpatterns.
• BE hONESt.Talkopenlyandhonestlyaboutyour
concernswiththepersonwhoisstrugglingwitheatingor
bodyimageproblems.Avoidingitorignoringitwon’thelp.
• BE cARINg, BUt BE fIRM.Caringaboutyour
frienddoesnotmeanbeingmanipulatedbythem.
Yourfriendmustberesponsiblefortheiractionsand
theconsequencesofthoseactions.Avoidmakingrules,
promises,orexpectationsthatyoucannotorwillnot
uphold.Forexample,“Ipromisenottotellanyone.”Or,
“IfyoudothisonemoretimeI’llnevertalktoyouagain.”
• cOMpLIMENtyourfriend’spersonality,successes,or
accomplishments.Remindyourfriendthat“truebeauty”
isnotsimplyskindeep.
• BE A gOOd ROLE MOdELinregardtosensibleeating,
exercise,andself-acceptance.
• tELL SOMEONE.Itmayseemdifficulttoknowwhen,if
atall,totellsomeoneelseaboutyourconcerns—aguidance
counselor,doctor,parentorfriend.Addressingbodyimage
oreatingproblemsintheirbeginningstagesoffersyour
friendorlovedonethebestchanceforworkingthrough
theseissuesandbecominghealthyagain.Don’twaituntil
thesituationissoseverethattheirlifeisindanger.
Source: National Eating Disorders Association, 2005
how to help A friend
Onelistcannottransformnegativebodythoughtsintoapositive
bodyimage,butitcanhelpyouthinkaboutnewwaysoflooking
morehealthfullyandhappilyatyourselfandyourbody.
10 StepS to A poSitive body imAge
1. AppREcIAtEallthatyourbodycando.Celebratealloftheamazingthingsyourbodydoesforyou—running,dancing,breathing,laughing,dreaming,etc.
2. KEEp A tOp-10 LIStofthingsyoulikeaboutyourself—thingsthataren’trelatedtohowmuchyouweighorwhatyoulooklike.Readyourlistoften.Addtoitasyoubecomeawareofmorethingstolikeaboutyou.
3. REMINd yOURSELfthat“truebeauty”isnotsimplyskin-deep.Whenyoufeelgoodaboutyourselfandwhoyouare,youcarryyourselfwithasenseofconfidence,self-acceptance,andopennessthatmakesyoubeautifulregardlessofwhetheryouphysicallylooklikeasupermodel.Beautyisastateofmind,notastateofyourbody.
4. LOOK At yOURSELfasawholeperson.Whenyouseeyourselfinamirrororinyourmind,choosenottofocusonspecificbodyparts.Seeyourselfasyouwantotherstoseeyou—asawholeperson.
5. SURROUNd yOURSELfwithpositivepeople.Itiseasiertofeelgoodaboutyourselfandyourbodywhenyouarearoundotherswhoaresupportiveandwhorecognizetheimportanceoflikingyourselfjustasyounaturallyare.
6. ShUt dOwN thOSE VOIcES IN yOUR hEAdthattellyouyourbodyisnot“right”orthatyouarea“bad”person.Youcanoverpowerthosenegativethoughtswithpositiveones.Thenexttimeyoustarttotearyourselfdown,buildyourselfbackupwithafewquickaffirmationsthatworkforyou.
7. wEAR cLOthES thAt ARE cOMfORtABLEandthatmakeyoufeelgoodaboutyourbody.Workwithyourbody,notagainstit.
8. BEcOME A cRItIcAL VIEwERofsocialandmediamessages.Payattentiontoimages,slogans,orattitudesthatmakeyoufeelbadaboutyourselforyourbody.Protestthesemessages:writealettertotheadvertiserortalkbacktotheimageormessage.
9. dO SOMEthINg NIcE fOR yOURSELf—somethingthatletsyourbodyknowyouappreciateit.Takeabubblebath,maketimeforanap,findapeacefulplaceoutsidetorelax.
10. USE thE tIME ANd ENERgythatyoumighthavespentworryingaboutfood,calories,andyourweighttodosomethingtohelpothers.Sometimesreachingouttootherpeoplecanhelpyoufeelbetteraboutyourselfandcanmakeapositivechangeinourworld.
Source: National Eating Disorders Association, 2005
10 StepS to A poSitive body imAge
Seeking treAtment
Eatingdisordersareserioushealthconditionsthatcanbeboth
physicallyandemotionallydestructive.
Peoplewitheatingdisordersneedtoseekprofessionalhelp.Ifnot
identifiedortreatedintheirearlystages,eatingdisorderscan
becomechronic,debilitating,andevenlife-threateningconditions.
whAt dOES tREAtMENt INVOLVE?
Themosteffectiveandlong-lastingtreatmentforaneatingdisorderissome
formofpsychotherapyorpsychologicalcounseling,coupledwithcareful
attentiontomedicalandnutritionalneeds.Ideally,thistreatmentshouldbe
tailoredtotheindividualandwillvaryaccordingtoboththeseverityofthe
disorderandthepatient’sparticularproblems,needs,andstrengths.
• Psychologicalcounselingmustaddressboththeeatingdisordered
symptomsandtheunderlyingpsychological,interpersonal,andcultural
forcesthatcontributedtotheeatingdisorder.Typically,careisprovided
byalicensedhealthprofessional,includingbutnotlimitedtoapsychologist,
psychiatrist,socialworker,nutritionist,and/ormedicaldoctor.Careshould
becoordinatedandprovidedbyahealthprofessionalwithexpertiseand
experienceindealingwitheatingdisorders.
• Manypeoplewitheatingdisordersrespondtooutpatienttherapy,
includingindividual,group,orfamilytherapyandmedicalmanagement
bytheirprimarycareprovider.Supportgroups,nutritionalcounseling,
andpsychiatricmedicationsundercarefulmedicalsupervisionhave
alsoprovenhelpfulforsomeindividuals.
• HospitalBasedCare(includinginpatient,partialhospitalization,intensive
outpatient,and/orresidentialcareinaneatingdisordersspecialtyunit
orfacility)isnecessarywhenaneatingdisorderhasledtophysical
problemsthatmaybelife-threatening,orwhenitisassociatedwith
severepsychologicalorbehavioralproblems.
• Theexacttreatmentneedsofeachindividualwillvary.Itisimportantfor
individualsstrugglingwithaneatingdisordertofindahealthprofessional
theytrusttohelpcoordinateandoverseetheircare. Source: National Eating Disorders Association, 2005
Seeking treAtment
1. cONSIdERyourthoughts,attitudes,andbehaviorstowardyourownbodyandthewaythatthesebeliefshavebeenshapedbytheforcesofweightismandsexism.Theneducateyourchildrenabout:(a)thegeneticbasisforthenaturaldiversityofhumanbodyshapesandsizes,and(b)thenatureanduglinessofprejudice.
Makeanefforttomaintainpositive,healthyattitudesandbehaviors.Childrenlearnfromthethingsyousayanddo!
2. EXAMINE closelyyourdreamsandgoalsforyourchildrenandotherlovedones.Areyouoverempha-sizingbeautyandbodyshape,particularlyforgirls?•Avoidconveyinganattitudewhichsays,in
effect,“Iwilllikeyoumoreifyouloseweight,don’teatsomuch,lookmoreliketheslendermodelsinads,fitintosmallerclothes,etc.”
•Decidewhatyoucandoandwhatyoucanstopdoingtoreducetheteasing,criticism,blaming,staring,etc.,thatreinforcetheideathatlargerorfatteris“bad”andsmallerorthinneris“good.”
3. LEARN ABOUt ANd dIScUSS withyoursonsanddaughters:(a)thedangersoftryingtoalterone’sbodyshapethroughdieting,(b)thevalueofmoderateexerciseforhealth,and(c)theimpor-tanceofeatingavarietyoffoodsinwell-balancedmealsconsumedatleastthreetimesaday.•Avoidcategorizingfoodsinto“good/safe/no-fat
orlow-fat”vs.“bad/dangerous/fattening.” •Beagoodrolemodelinregardtosensibleeating,
exercise,andself-acceptance.
4. MAKE A cOMMItMENt NOt tO AVOId ActIVItIES(suchasswimming,sunbathing,dancing,etc.)simplybecausetheycallattentiontoyourweightandshape.Refusetowearclothesthatareuncomfortableorthatyoudon’tlikebutwearsimplybecausetheydivertattentionfromyourweightorshape.
5. MAKE A cOMMItMENt tO EXERcISEforthejoyoffeelingyourbodymoveandgrowstronger,nottopurgefatfromyourbodyortocompensateforcalorieseaten.
6. pRActIcEtakingpeopleseriouslyforwhattheysay,feel,anddo,notforhowslenderor“wellputtogether”theyappear.
7. hELpchildrenappreciateandresistthewaysinwhichtelevision,magazines,andothermediadistortthetruediversityofhumanbodytypesandimplythataslenderbodymeanspower,excitement,popularity,orperfection.
8. EdUcAtEboysandgirlsaboutvariousformsofprejudice,includingweightism,andhelpthemunderstandtheirresponsibilitiesforpreventingthem.
9. ENcOURAgEyourchildrentobeactiveandtoenjoywhattheirbodiescandoandfeellike.Donotlimittheircaloricintakeunlessaphysicianrequeststhatyoudothisbecauseofamedicalproblem.
10. dO whAtEVER yOU cANtopromotetheself-esteemandself-respectofallofyourchildreninintellectual,athletic,andsocialendeavors.Giveboysandgirlsthesameopportunitiesandencouragement.Becarefulnottosuggestthatfemalesarelessimportantthanmales,e.g.,byexemptingmalesfromhouseworkorchildcare.Awell-roundedsenseofselfandsolidself-esteemareperhapsthebestantidotestodietinganddisorderedeating.Source: National Eating Disorders Association, 2005
10 thingS pArentS cAn do to prevent eAting diSorderS
ByMichaelLevine,Ph.D.,andLindaSmolak,Ph.D.
Thequestionsbelowareintendedtobeusedinconjunction
withtheHBOdocumentaryfilmthin.Thisguidecanbeused
byteachers,communitygroups,families,orindividualswho
areinterestedinexploringthevariousissuesraisedbythefilm.
1. Whatfactorscontributetopositivebodyimageandhealthyself-esteem?
2. Doyouthinkthereissuchthingasaperfectbody?
3. Alisadrewanoutlineofwhatsheperceivestobeherbodyimage.How
doyouseeyourownbody?Doesyourperceptionchangedependingon
yourmood?Doothersseeyouthewayyouseeyourself?
4. Wheredoesthestandardforwhatisattractivecomefrominoursociety?
5. Whydoyouthinkpeoplecomparethemselvestootherpeople,friends
orclassmates?Howdoesitmakeyoufeeltocompareyourselftoothers?
6. Howarecontemporaryfemalebodiestypicallyrepresentedinadvertise-
ments,television,movies,andprintmedia?Howdotheserepresentations
influencethewaygirlsfeelabouttheirbodiesandthewaytheydress?
7. Whoinsocietybenefitsfrompeoplebeingunhappywiththeirbodies?
8. PollyandBrittanydiscusstheirparents’attitudestowarddieting.
Thinkaboutyourownparents/guardians.Dotheydiet,countcalories,
exercise?Howhastheirattitudeaboutweightaffectedyou?
9. Shellyhasatwinsister.Howdosiblingsand/orpeersinfluencetheway
youngboysandgirlsact,look,andthinkaboutthemselvesandothers?
10. Theindividualswhoarefeaturedinthefilmareallwomen.Menalso
strugglewitheatingdisorders,butwhydoyouthinkanorexiaand
bulimiaoverwhelminglyaffectyoungfemalesmorethanyoungmales?
diScUSSion QUeStionS for the hbo docUmentAry film thIN
PremieresTuesday,Nov.14at9pm/8ConOr see it anytime on HBO On Demand®
Companion book available from
Companion DVD available at HBO.COM
A downloadable PDF of this guide is available at THINDOCUMENTARY.COM or HBO.COM/DOCS
Ifyouorsomeoneyouknowissufferingfromaneatingdisorder,itisimportanttoseekhelpimmediately.
RESOURCES
NationalEatingDisordersAssociation(NEDA)www.nationaleatingdisorders.orgTollfreelivehelpline:800-931-2237Monday–Friday,8:30a.m.–4:30p.m.(PST)
EatingDisordersCoalitionforResearch,PolicyandAction(EDC)www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org202-543-9570
AcademyforEatingDisorders(AED)www.aedweb.org847-498-4274
NationalWomen’sHealthInformationCenter(NWHIC)www.womenshealth.gov900-994-9662
EatingDisorderReferralandInformationCenter(EDRIC)www.edreferral.com
SomethingFishywww.something-fishy.org
GürzeBookswww.bulimia.com
AmericanDieteticAssociationEatingDisorderFactSheetwww.eatright.org
EmpoweredParentswww.empoweredparents.com
ThinDocumentaryWebsitewww.thindocumentary.com
Inclusiononthislistisinnowayanendorsementofthesesites.HBOisnotresponsiblefortheinformationalcontentofthesesites.
NEDAisanindependentorganizationnotaffiliatedwithHomeBoxOffice,Inc.orthedocumentary“Thin.”NEDAmaterialsareusedunderlicense.
Text ©2005 National Eating Disorders Association.
©2006 Lauren Greenfield/VII
DirecteD by Lauren GreenfieLD executive ProDucers r.J. cutLer Lauren GreenfieLD
ProDucers r.J. cutLer Lauren GreenfieLD amanDa micheLi teD skiLLman Director of PhotoGraPhy amanDa micheLi
outreach shannon Puckett eDiteD by kate amenD, a.c.e.
for hbo: suPervisinG ProDucer Lisa heLLer executive ProDucer sheiLa nevins©2006 Home Box Office, Inc. All rights reserved.
HBO®, HBO On Demand® and HBO Documentary FilmsSM are service marks of Home Box Office, Inc.