Eating Disorders Are Serios Mental Illness, Not Lifestyle Choices

Discussion

Write at least two paragraphs on your general thoughts from the documentary.

As I watched the video I felt like these women were in living a helpless and hopeless situation. I don’t think any of us really realize the full extent of how detrimental eating disorders can be and the impact they have on one’s lives unless we have experienced it first-hand. The look on the girl’s face when she was presented with a cupcake for her birthday said it all. She seemed afraid to even eat a small morsel of it because I suppose she thought it would add to her weight. I think what we do learn is the though therapists and clinicians have the skills to needed to reshape an individual’s thoughts and behaviors, it is also important to maintain a positive support system from friends and family so that what the individual learns while in treatment is also applied in their life outside of the in- care facility.

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The women seemed to form a bond that one can only hope would be a positive aspect in helping them to continue staying on track once they are out in the ‘real world’. It was quite shocking to watch the woman who was out to dinner with her children and her friend, who was also in treatment, to sit there picking through each leaf of lettuce in her salad as if it were contaminated. It was as if she would literally die if she put any of it into her mouth! I was not surprised that she ended up in the bathroom purging herself after she got home. Though I have great concern for those dealing with the disorder, I am even more concerned about the children involved in these peoples lives. Since we tend to mirror what we see as we grow up, one cannot help but think that the children would see this as ‘natural’ behavior.

Write 1 paragraph about your thoughts from the TED talk.

17 million people are diagnosed with eating disorders? And others remain silent! These are staggering figures when you stop to think about it. I think videos like this are important because with the statistics so high every bit of information that could possibly help lead to helping someone who is affected is beneficial. Since anxiety is a leading factor in eating disorders, I can see how it can be referred to as a double-edged sword since one’s anxiety would only lead to negativity in their frame of mind.

Knowing that someone is living their life with self-destructive eating disorders is a sad fact in these times. People are so worried about how other people see them that they would do just about anything to adhere to stigmas and stereotypes. The bottom line is these disorders are real and need to be validated. They are passive disorders that affect large numbers of people and the outcome is often deadly. Anastasia has been lucky enough to come to terms with her disorder and as a young woman she realizes the seriousness about mental issues. I applaud her for being so open about her experience and her interest in healthcare will prove valuable in the future.

Write at least 1 paragraph about an interesting point from you reading.

After reading Chapter 11, I felt remorse for all those out there who are suffering with any sort of eating disorder. Even when they are fortunate enough to get treatment, the probability of relapse is very high. I particularly enjoyed reading pages 339-340, Prevention of Eating Disorders: Wave of the Future. Body Project, a promising prevention program, picks up where treatment ends because even those who go through treatment do not gain full recovery. This program goes around to different schools to raise awareness to society’s ultra-thin ideal by using exercises in role playing, verbal, written, and behavior as a way of deterring eating disorders. It has been proven that those who participated in the prevention program “developed fewer eating disorders, hold more realistic and appearance ideals, display fewer maladaptive eating attitudes and behaviors, and have greater body satisfaction.” Pg. 340

Reference

1. Comer Ronald J., Comer Jonathan S. Abnormal Psychology. Tenth Edition. Pages 339-340.

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