Social media can be a dangerous place for people suffering from eating disorders or in danger of developing an eating disorder. One of the most appealing features of social media is that we can find communities of people we would likely never encounter in person who share our interests and values. However, this can sometimes…
Just when you’d grown weary of hearing about everyone’s “thigh gap” obsession, there’s a new body trend causing anxiety for young women. It’s cleverly labeled the “bikini bridge”. The term describes the look created when a woman lies down and her bikini bottoms hang suspended between her hip bones, showing off her enviably flat –…
A California appellate court has ordered Blue Shield of California to cover the care of two policyholders who were denied residential treatment for eating disorders.
New online screening test for eating disorders debuts. As part of the national Eating Disorder Awareness Week of 2014, which lasted from Feb. 23 to March 1, the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) and Screening for Mental Health together launched a new online screening test. The test is free and anonymous, and helps users determine…
Anorexia nervosa is the classic eating disorder associated with a distorted sense of one’s own body weight and body shape, as well as a dangerous associated drop in weight levels. Doctors have known for some time that people affected by anorexia often have unusually high levels of cholesterol in their bloodstreams, even though they heavily…
Researchers who study anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders commonly focus their attention on psychological aspects of these illnesses, including one’s thought processes, belief structures and emotional changes. This focus makes sense, since these factors heavily determine the development of disordered eating behaviors. However, according to the results of a study published in August 2013…
Anorexia nervosa is an unusually deadly mental disorder centered on a fixation with thinness and weight loss. Current guidelines allow doctors to diagnose the disorder in individuals whose body weight falls below 85 percent of expected norms. However, according to the results of a new report published in September 2013 in the American Academy of…
If you or someone you love is struggling with an eating disorder – or symptoms that strongly suggest you may have one – treatment is crucial to your health and well-being. In severe cases, it may even save your life. In Part 1, the initial steps toward getting help were discussed. This second part covers…
While eating disorders impact both men and women, women tend to suffer from them to a much greater degree. This may be largely due to society’s relentless pressure on females to be supermodel thin and cellulite-free. Sadly, it’s the exception not the rule to fit such unrealistic and unhealthy standards, yet many females strive to…
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by such things as a severely distorted body image, a dysfunctional obsession with staying thin, and excessive restrictions on food and calorie intake. Teenagers and adults recovering from the disorder often experience a spike in their levels of anxiety that coincide with a healthy increase in their body…