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As you probably know, there are different types of eating disorders. While some healthcare facilities may recommend different programs for different eating disorders, it’s important to keep in mind that different people can experience eating disorders in different ways.

Whether you suffer from anorexia, bulimia, binge eating or another unspecified eating disorder, you will undoubtedly need a combination of treatments – all of which can be provided by a reputable residential treatment center.

What is the Best Program for My Type of Eating Disorder?

Many residential treatment facilities, such as The Looking Glass Residence, will take a multidisciplinary approach when finding a treatment that will help you. Some of the treatments include a combination of the following:

Acute, medical care: If your bodyweight (or nutrition levels) drop dangerously low.

Nutritional counselling: While people with eating disorders are often knowledgeable about calories, it’s vital that they receive nutritional counselling during treatment.

Group therapy: Support structures and sharing are an important part of recovery, which is why many residential treatment centers offer group therapy for young people with eating disorders.

Family approaches: Your family unit is also a part of your rehabilitation and many residential treatment centers will include them in your recovery. This will help other members in your family understand what you are going through and give them some helpful strategies to help you recover.

Medication: It’s possible that you have other mental illnesses that may be aggravating your eating disorder, such as depression, anxiety, insomnia or post-traumatic stress disorder. Proper psychological evaluations will take place to make sure you get the medication and medical attention that you need.

Treatment Options Available for Eating Disorders

When it comes to eating disorders treatment , it’s vital that you join a residential treatment center that takes a holistic, multidisciplinary approach. There are so many different aspects of eating disorders that a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. Find out more about the program offered at The Looking Glass Residence.

When researching residential treatment programs for different types of eating disorders , it’s important to remember that your child’s illness is much more than a diet gone awry. Eating disorders aren’t about food, weight or size – it’s a mental illness that is difficult to deal with and overcome.

Advice for Parents with Children with Eating Disorders 

Unfortunately, a weekly meeting with a psychologist or dietician is rarely enough to help a teen, adolescent or young adult overcome an eating disorder. This is why The Woodstone Residence offers an intensive, structured program for approximately fourteen hours per day, seven days per week.

We take a multidisciplinary approach that focuses on breaking old habits and forming new, healthy ones. Our team has years of experience helping young people overcome eating disorders and our unique program includes a variety of approaches to suit individual needs at various stages of recovery.

As caring parents or guardians, you will be a part of the process as part of our family therapy and engagement sessions. Your child will also receive individual and group therapy, nutrition education, meal support, community involvement, arts and recreation therapies as well as psychiatric, pharmaceutical and medical care and treatment.

Treatment Options Available for Eating Disorders 
Eating disorder treatments can range from medication and hospitalization to outpatient treatment community support groups, self-help treatments and behavioral therapy. If you know that your child needs immediate help and a customized, outcome-based program that can help him or her overcome their illness, it’s time to take action.

Let the capable team at The Woodstone Residence help your child with all aspects of their lives so that they have the coping skills, nutritional education, life strategies and confidence to deal with their eating disorder.

As a healthcare professional, you may come across young people with different types of eating disorders and it’s your job to point them in the right direction. Whether you are a dietician, doctor, counsellor, psychologist or you have specialized in eating disorders for a number of years, you can appreciate how delicate and complex some situations can be.

Healthcare Advice: What is the Best Program for My Client's Eating Disorder?

When it is time to select an appropriate residential treatment program, you know that your patient or client can no longer function in daily life due to their illness. Selecting a residential treatment program that offers a number of therapeutic approaches including individual, group and family therapy, as well as psychiatry and complementary modalities is in your client’s best interest.

Community-based and outpatient treatments: While this type of eating disorder treatment is always advised after a patient has completed a program at a residential treatment centre, community-based and outpatient treatments may not meet their needs during the first recovery phases of the program. It’s important to assess whether your patient needs full-time help that includes a number of multidisciplinary approaches or if he or she will truly benefit from a weekly support meeting. If lasting, positive changes are the goal, then it’s time to look at a longer, more intensive program.

Medication: If you are a psychiatrist or a doctor, you are probably aware that your patient might need medication in order to treat other related illnesses. Medications used in the treatment of various eating disorders can include SSRI’s (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), TCAs (tricyclics) and antiemetics. While the first two types of medications listed here are antidepressants (such as Prozac and Norpramin), the latter is a drug that has been designed to suppress vomiting and nausea, which may or may not be applicable to your client’s eating disorder treatment .

Nutritional advice and meal planning: Your client will need counselling and meal planning solutions in order to give him/her the skills needed to replace destructive and damaging patterns with healthy alternatives.

For some people, breaking an eating disorder cycle may require accessing more intensive services than are available in their local communities, and/or distancing themselves temporarily from the environment in which the disorder flourishes. The Woodstone Residence can provide a safe and supporting environment that can help break destructive behaviours.

While there are many different types of eating disorders, you (or your child) will need a specific set of skills in order to overcome it. Research has shown that people can experience the same eating disorder in different ways, which is why you need experienced, qualified, empathetic and dedicated people from an eating disorder clinic to help you on your way to recovery.

Many experienced professionals will be involved in the recovery of a person with an eating disorder. Similarly, many different approaches and skill sets are needed in order to give a victim of an eating disorder the medical, psychological, social, nutritional and coping skills they need. These are only a few of the qualified staff – who should all specialize in eating disorders – that will be needed throughout the recovery process:

As you can see from the above list of professionals, it’s vital that the team helping you or your child is not only qualified, but has specific experience in helping young people with eating disorders.

How Woodstone Residence can Help 

The eating disorder treatments offered at the Woodstone Residence reflect a number of core values that motivate the development of the service and shape its care philosophy; these include recover, nurture, reinforce, build, discover and enhance. Our eating disorder treatment program focuses on giving you, your child or your patient the dedicated help they need in order to make lasting changes in their lives. Find out more about our renowned program by contacting us today.

Eating disorders are a mental illness with physical consequences. If your child has an eating disorder and has been admitted at a residential treatment facility, chances are that you are already extremely worried (and have undoubtedly already spent a lot of time researching treatment solutions and after-care support options).

Dealing with Media Influences, Meal Times and Mood Disorders 

If your child is dealing with an eating disorder, there may be some long-standing issues that you will have to deal with as a family. Here are some of the challenges that you might face:

Information for Parents - How to Deal with Media Influences, Coping with Meal Times, Coping with Depression, Anxiety and Self-Esteem

It’s vital that you keep an eye on your child’s progress. Not only can they be very susceptible to criticism, the media and mood disorders, they can also feel isolated and alone. Here are a few tips:

Stay connected to their support group and make sure you are able to give them access to the psychological and physical specialists that they need in order to implementing lasting, positive changes in their lives.

Whenever I share my story as a recovering anorexic - whether it’s in front of a high school class, through my writing, or one-on-one, the question that everyone asks is, “How did you recover?” And that really is THE question, isn’t it?

Anorexia is, at best, ambiguous in nature. Without any definite cause or simple diagnosis, anorexia and other eating disorders have baffled medical practitioners, psychologists, parents, and even victims [patients] themselves as they search for answers and keys to recovery. Just when the miracle formula appears, a new, even more insidious pathology emerges, like an interminably elusive virus. I don’t mean to imply that the treatments available are futile; on the contrary, they have provided invaluable insight and support in my years of recovery. For that, I am profoundly grateful.

However, it wasn’t in the ward of a hospital, on the couch of a therapist, at the bottom of prescription medication, or even in ongoing outpatient treatment that I found my panacea at last.

It wasn’t until I had been hospitalized five times, seen countless counsellors and psychologists, switched between medication and alternative healing methods, and fell short time and time again that I really began to lose hope and search elsewhere. It was in that state of near helplessness that I found the number one thing that helped me recover - and continues to move me forward to this day.

That “miracle cure” turned out to be nothing more than the support and connection with others who had been just as baffled by their eating disorders as I, had yet found freedom from their disease, and were willing to share their story with me. Once united with those who truly knew my insanity and the sickness that ruled my life because they too had suffered its wrath, I realized I was not alone or unlovable. The women who so warmly welcomed me into their fold without any trace of judgment had clearly experienced the darkest side of my disease, and yet they were now healthy and happy, with lives full of friends, family, careers, and aspirations. They had what I wanted. They told me that I could have it too, if I did as they had done.Together

That was the day I first walked into the rooms of Anorexics and Bulimics Anonymous (ABA), a twelve-step fellowship modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous whose only requirement for membership is a desire to stop unhealthy eating practices. As a chronic anorexic of the hopeless variety, I fit right in. As I attended meetings, I came to realize that over my years of treatment, I had been struggling to “fix” my disease by emulating those who had never shared my experience, when what I really needed was a mentor who had found recovery and was willing to show me how. And that’s exactly what ABA has given me - an entire fellowship of people who share in a solution that works.

It’s true that not everyone relates to the twelve-step approach, and I’ve seen many people recover through other means. But one thing rings true to recovery across the board: no one can do it alone. Eating disorders are diseases of isolation, so it stands to reason that their cure be rooted in companionship and support. By connecting with like-minded individuals through mutual desire for recovery - whether it be in the rooms of ABA or in other healing circles, by volunteering at the Looking Glass Foundation’s Summer Camps or staying in touch with friends after treatment - I believe a person truly can recover from an eating disorder. The key lies in relating to one another and a willingness to get well. To this day, it’s the number one thing that keeps me in recovery.

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Alison is a regular contributor to The Looking Glass’ blog, is an eating disorders survivor and is an inspiration to those around her.

Woodstone Featured in North Shore Outlook

Cover Story: A daughter's legacy

By Maria Spitale-Leisk - North Shore Outlook
Published: November 21, 2013 3:00 PM

At the height of her eating disorder, every night Amy Pezzente prayed that she wouldn't wake up.

She couldn't bear to face another day and the guaranteed judgmental glances from strangers.

38246northshoreDianaBuddenCOVER 0732West Vancouver's Diana Budden lost her daughter Jessie to an eating disorder in 2002. Diana started an disorder awareness program called Jessie’s Legacy, which today is offered through Family Services of the North Shore.
Rob Newell

It began in Grade 9, Pezzente's disordered eating habits. What started as anorexia bled into bulimia, she says, recalling "swimming" in her senior prom dress.

After high school, Pezzente's life continued on a downward spiral, fueled by the pressures of university.

"It wasn't like life, it was existing," she says.

Pezzente paints a pretty bleak picture of her early 20s. She exercised compulsively until eventually her gymmembership was revoked.

When she went to buy a treadmill from a store, a visibly gaunt Pezzente was denied the purchase. Stoking the cashier's suspicion was the $800 in cash that Pezzente was trying to pay with.

"I had maxed out my credit card purchasing food and diet pills," she remembers.

By this time her body was in crisis mode. But Pezzente remained oblivious. The voice of her eating disorder muted the alarm bells that were going off.

"I wasn't getting my period in four years and I didn't care," says Pezzente.

She developed heart palpitations and even osteoporosis, a bone density condition that normally afflicts older people. Meanwhile, the acid from all the purging did a number on her teeth.

As Pezzente's body shrunk, so did the world around her. Without many friends to turn to — plus, she had rejected her family's suggestion that she had a problem — Pezzente asked a stranger on the bus how she looked.

"Like I was on chemotherapy," Pezzente says was the response.

She finally reached her breaking point after being asked to leave university because she was too sick. After battling this all-consuming illness for six years, Pezzente decided she was tired of fighting.

As sick as she was, she would still have to wait eight months to get into an eating disorders program at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver.

There she met the head of the program, Dr. Laird Birmingham, who Pezzente says saved her life. She was comforted by the heat therapy, which helped lessen her anxiety, and by being told that her illness was not her fault.

Through counselling, she learned what trigged her eating disorder: being afraid to grow up.

"Subconsciously, I made myself sick so I didn't have to make decisions anymore," explains Pezzente. "I wanted my mom to take care of me. And she did."

Today, Pezzente is fully recovered and works for Jessie's Legacy, a North Shore-based eating disorders prevention program named for a young West Vancouver woman who never had a chance to grow up.

Jessie's Legacy

Diana's Budden's daughter Jessie was born a gentle, caring child.

"Basically, she was a lovely girl that just wanted to please people," says Diana from her home near Park Royal mall. "She was almost too nice."

Jessie's mood changed when she was 13 years old, says her mother. The family was living in England at the time.

At first, Diana figured her daughter was depressed. Jessie had stopped eating and expressed feelings of worthlessness.

"I'm begging her to eat, saying, 'If you don't eat — you will die,'" remembers Diana. "That doesn't mean anything to her. The voices are so loud."

When Jessie did eat, afterwards she would go to her room, bang her head against the wall and say: "I'm bad, I shouldn't have eaten," says Diana.

The vicious cycle continued when the Buddens moved back to Canada.

While they did seek professional help for their daughter's eating disorder, Diana says the treatment Jessie received was subpar.

They would sit in the emergency room for days, waiting for a bed in an overcrowded psych ward that Diana assessed was not adequately prepared to deal with Jessie's depressed, suicidal and bulimic condition.

Diana says, on another occasion, while waiting to have Jessie's self-inflicted arm cuts stitched, a doctor humiliated her, saying she was "wasting their time" by doing this to herself.

"It was pretty horrible," recalls Diana of the experiences.

Diana says Jessie's psychological predisposition, which prevented her from being able to handle difficult situations, manifested as an eating disorder.

Sadly, the trauma that triggered Jessie's illness would be hard for most people to overcome.

When she was 13 years old she went to a dance where she was raped at knifepoint and told by her attacker, "If you tell anyone, I will kill you."

In Jessie's mind, says Diana, she blamed herself and thought her family wouldn't love her.

Because Jessie was so deep into her eating disorder, Diana knew it was going to be hard to reach her. She was heartbroken to hear Jessie say: "I'm afraid to let go of it, because I won't know who I am."

Jessie took her own life in February 2002 at the age of 20. It was Diana who found her.

"I respect her for her choice," says the courageous mother, who knew her daughter was done fighting.

Since then Diana has channeled her grief by starting an eating disorder awareness program called Jessie's Legacy, which today is offered through Family Services of the North Shore.

Last year, Jessie Legacy reached 1,800 elementary and high school students who received positive messages around body image and healthy eating habits.

While many people point to magazine images and music videos featuring waif-like models as the main reason for youth developing eating disorders, psychologists say there are other factors at play.

Diana agrees, to some extent.

"I don't think the media causes it, but it contributes to these eating disorders," says Diana. "It's all bull**** messages."

Eating disorders on the rise

CaraLynne McLean, a North Vancouver-based psychotherapist who specializes in eating disorders, says there is rarely a single identifiable cause for this psychiatric illness.

"It could be a significant loss in someone's life, it could be bullying," suggests McLean. "So to say that it's only the media is a bit narrow."

Still, McLean knows the media does have a responsible role to play.

"Kids are often on iPhones and iPads looking at images and videos that are not age-appropriate, and ones that are sexually explicit where women are treated like objects rather than human beings," she says.

Compounding the problem, and why McLean figures there is a rise in the number of youth with disordered eating, is the fact that children today are under more pressure than ever to excel in academics and sports.

"It is alarming the number of clients that show a fear of fat, starting as young as six, seven and eight years old," says McLean, sitting in her office filled with toy cars, dinosaurs and other items to engage children's creativity.

She has treated dancers, figure skaters, jockeys and other youth involved in weight-sensitive sports. And it's not just females. In fact, one in 10 eating disorder cases involve men.

"Men are not immune to this," says McLean.

She uses wrestling as an example. In a sport where only one pound can put a person in a higher weight category, there is a prevalence of disordered eating.

McLean says male eating disorders, in particular, are underreported because of the stigma around them.

There are warning signs to look out for. According to McLean, people with an eating disorder might: lose interest in things they once loved, isolate themselves from friendships, become concerned with certain types of foods and eliminate food groups.

And then there's the voice of Ed.

"Someone with an eating disorder will often talk about it as if someone else has taken over," explains McLean. "They label that person or that voice as being the voice of Ed. Unfortunately, the voice is so strong."

McLean said diagnosing someone with anorexia and bulimia can be challenging, as there is certain medical criteria that needs to be met.

For example, a woman with disordered eating who is still menstruating technically doesn't have anorexia, in terms of the diagnosis. But that doesn't mean she is not struggling with anorexia, cautions McLean.

Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) are ones that don't meet the exact criteria for anorexia, bulimia or binge eating.

There are physical steps to recovery from an eating disorder, nourishment being the most important.

Then there is the reprogramming of the brain through the use of such techniques as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and education around media awareness.

Eating disorders often result from poor or non-existent coping skills. McLean recommends her patients develop healthy coping habits: journaling, walking, meditation, talking with a close friend, checking in with a counsellor and joining activities are some of her suggestions.

She recently welcomed a new addition to her practice, an 11-week-old therapy dog named Lexi. The Labradoodle will pick up sadness, trauma and grief in a patient, among other emotions.

At the same time, the heaviness in the room can tire out a therapy dog.
For McLean, who has spent more than a decade researching and treating eating disorders, this work weighs on her heart, too.

"I think that I see what happens and I see how much time is lost with kids, especially those who have eating disorders," says McLean. "They lose a huge portion of their teenage life, and I find it heartbreaking."

A welcome retreat

Every day, a young man or woman is reclaiming his or her life at a tranquil retreat on Galiano Island.

Two years ago, a residential treatment program for eating disorders, the first of its kind in Canada, opened on a sprawling nine-acre property on the island.

The creation of the Woodstone facility was a labour of love. It's the brainchild of North Vancouver mothers Dolores Elliott and Deborah Grimm and Vancouver mother Cindy Dobbe, who were all brought together by their daughters' eating disorders.

Dolores's daughter Denise's illness started with anorexia in 1999 when she 14 years old. Just when the family thought she was past her eating problems, "bulimia reared its ugly head."

The moms met when their daughters were in treatment, each sharing their frustration about the lack of resources for eating disorder programs in this province.

"We kind of thought it was a bit of a revolving door," says Dolores. "Is there a waiting list to get treatment for children with cancer? I don't think the wait lists are three or four months long."

For one particular program, whoever had the lowest Body Mass Index got accepted first, she recalls. Dolores discovered that some people would purposely make themselves more sick just to get in the door.

Desperate to save her daughter, Dolores sent Denise to a renowned treatment facility in Arizona, at a cost of $2,000 a day. Denise spent 67 days there. Some B.C. parents who went the same route had to remortgage their homes to pay the hefty bill.

While it was expensive, the families found the non-clinical environment was conducive to their child's recovery.

In 2002, fed up with the current system back home, the mothers formed the North Van-based Looking Glass Foundation. What started with summer camps and support groups grew into a vision to create B.C.'s first residential eating disorders program for young people ages 17-24.

Woodstone, a one-time inn, with its pastural setting, was the perfect fit for the foundation's mandate to create a healing environment.

During their two- to three-month stay, residents, along with taking part in group and individual therapy sessions, get plenty of opportunity to enjoy the area's natural splendor. They volunteer in the Galiano Island community and even attend classes at the local schools.

Right now there are 10 publicly-funded beds at Woodstone, with the intention of opening 10 out-of-province beds down the road.

Explains Dolores, while the beds are partially funded by the government, it costs $800 per bed per day to keep Woodstone operational. The foundation relies mainly on funds raised during an annual gala to keep their programs afloat.

Dolores senses the urgency for more beds.

Last week she received three phone calls on one day from parents enquiring about Woodstone. Dolores says it's no coincidence they are all calling right now.

"It's the kids that are in university," she says. "There are pressures."

And with the upcoming holiday, Dolores says some people with eating disorders might be stressed out thinking about the food they will have to consume in a social setting.

Dolores says their family had four Christmases from hell when Denise was sick. These days there is a lot to be thankful for.

"Today, she is just full of life," says Dolores of her daughter, who owns her own business. "She's just inspiring to other people."

AmyPezzente

Pezzente has an equally bright future ahead of her.

The 29-year-old graduated with a bachelor's degree in human kinetics and physiotherapy.

She is the coordinator of the Provincial Eating Disorders Awareness campaign and is involved in a myriad of other prevention programs.

Pezzente also oversees the Looking Glass Foundation's online group which provides live support to people affected by an eating disorder.

Recently married, Pezzente says her husband loves her no matter what size she is. Her long brown hair shines in the daylight and she smiles through her eyes.

"I feel free and there is space in my head now," says Pezzente. "All I used to think of was weight and calories. I can think about other things now."

It took a good six years for her to be comfortable in her own skin, but she now has a healthy perspective.

"I'm borrowing this body for this lifetime," says Pezzente. "I don't want to die being known for the way I look."

Resources

The Looking Glass Foundation:
604-314-0548
Lookingglassbc.com

Jessie's Legacy:
604-988-5281, ext. 204
email: jessieslegacy@familyservices.bc.ca

Kelty Resource Centre at BC Children's Hospital:
1-800-665-1822

CaraLynne McLean Counselling
604-728-7193
Caralynnemclean.com

The Looking Glass Foundation will host a 10th anniversary gala featuring a live and silent auction on Jan. 31 at the Rocky Mountaineer Station.

Those wishing to donate items can contact 604-314-0548. More information is available at lookingglassbc.com/gala.

mspitale@northshoreoutlook.com

twitter.com/MariaSpitale

In her final blog post, Dolores reflects on where her family's journey through eating disorders has brought them and the inspiration she has drawn from it. Birthed from the ashes of a very challenging period of her life is the Looking Glass Foundation for Eating Disorders and the Woodstone Residence...
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After many years of navigating our own families’ situations, we came together and decided to make a change in our community to help those suffering with eating disorders.Woodstone1
From our first meeting we knew what we wanted to do. We were going to move ahead and open Canada’s first adolescent intensive treatment centre specifically for eating disorders.This vision and our mission have been on track since inception. Passionate volunteers all, we worked tirelessly with the government and communities around the province to raise awareness about how serious eating disorders really are.

One of the first community campaigns we did was called “Mirrorless Mondays” that involved three high schools from North Vancouver.

From there we created the first week-long, overnight summer camp for young people with Eating Disorders.

Our momentum continued to grow and we did everything from launching our annual gala fundraiser to heading to Spain to present our model for summer camp to a host of industry professionals. The support of our efforts was amazing, giving us strength daily to take step after step. And then one day, we found it.One of the fondest memories I have is of a day in 2009 when we took a walk on the property of Woodstone Inn on Galiano Island. It was all that we had been looking for and more to house our residential treatment centre that had been our dream since day one. Woodstone sits on 9 acres of land providing a tranquil setting  for young people to do the hard work of overcoming their eating disorders.

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All of us at Looking Glass  take calls on behalf of The Foundation and meet people who are looking for answers to help their child who is living with an eating disorder. I am thankful for the opportunity to offer hope, faith and strength to parents and their children new to this very challenging journey back to health and wellness.

My message for families is simple: if you have a gut feeling that something is not right with your child, please seek help. In my experience I have come to learn that we as parents are the biggest advocates for our children. We should not hesitate to ask questions of the   doctors and other professionals over and over again.
As parents we do our best to be practical, sensitive and loving to our child’s body, mind and soul. As you walk this journey, have faith and hope in the very real possibility that your child will recover. Reach out to those around you for support - because the help you need is available.Most importantly, believe in yourself - don’t be afraid to ask for direction and comfort as you walk this journey from darkness to light. You  are not alone and will be heard.
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Check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 of Dolores’ family’s courageous story of hope and recovery from an eating disorder. We thank her for her courage to share this very personal story with our community so that others might not have to go through the challenges that her family did in seeking help for a loved one struggling with an eating disorder.

I know many anorexics, bulimics, and other disordered eaters who prefer to keep their experiences tightly under wraps - a book bound, locked, and hidden under the floorboards. And I can understand why - who wants to reopen old wounds or expose what might be perceived as weaknesses? But somehow, I’ve never really felt that way. For the most part, I’ve always been quite open about my life as an anorexic in recovery, from the moment I was first diagnosed. Why? Well, a few reasons come to mind…

First of all, it’s a conversation that doesn’t happen enough. Eating disorders have become increasingly prevalent among females and males over the past three decades, and yet only recently have we really been bringing the issue to light. Prior to the establishment of organizations like the Looking Glass, the National Eating Disorders Association, Jessie’s Hope, and many others, the topic of disordered eating was swept under the rug, stigmatized,Why I share my story misunderstood, and even outright tabooed. But they existed nevertheless. In the shadows they proliferated until the sheer volume of emaciated or internally damaged patients could no longer be ignored. To this day, the world still struggles to accept anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders as true diseases.

So I tell my story in hopes that it might help encourage more conversation - that, like the ripples emanating from the drop of a stone, the discussion might spread… and with it, the awareness so critical to breaking the cycle of eating disorders among us.

The second reason is a bit of a selfish one: I share my story because there’s nothing that holds me to recovery better than reflecting on where I once was, what it was like, and how far I’ve come. The pain of a long, agonizing journey that at times just barely skirted death has left me with a few scars, but I’m grateful for the marks of life worth living. Most people might want to forget the torture of an eating disorder, but for me, it’s an unforgettable force that holds me to recovery. Hospital wards, IV’s, ceaseless fear, and a cold that reached far beyond the physical - there’s absolutely no way I would ever want to go back.

Finally, and most importantly, I tell my story in case there’s even the tiniest chance that it might be of help to others - that my experience might actually benefit those who still suffer. Because these are diseases of isolation that make the victim feel alone and unlovable, the hope that someone else can truly relate is perhaps one of the strongest assets in recovery. I made so very little progress in my own recovery until I found others like me who had found freedom from their eating disorders, and were willing to share their experience with me. So I tell my story as they did, to pay the gift of freedom forward. The truth is, no one can recover alone - and there’s no better guide for a journey than one who has traveled the path before.

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Alison is a regular contributor to The Looking Glass’ blog, is an eating disorders survivor and is an inspiration to those around her.

All of a sudden, my body and food became an obsession. I couldn’t concentrate on anything else.

I thought that if I were thin enough, I would be accepted. I would no longer be ugly. I wouldn’t be alone all the time… I would finally be accepted.

I was on the hamster wheel of self punishment, driving myself harder and harder while existing on less and less.

I stopped eating around people… I would wake up at 2, 3, 4am just so that I could eat in peace. It was easier than having to cover up in front of others.

These are the words of anorexics and bulimics who suffered years of trauma in the grip of their disease, whose lives were thrown horrifically off-course and whose minds were imprisoned by the agonizing pain of eating disordered pathology. Would it surprise you to know that these speakers are male? Perhaps it would, simply because we most often associate eating disorders with females, and their stories often contain echoes of the expressions above.

It might also surprise you that between 10-25% of individuals diagnosed with eating disorders are male, and that the National Eating Disorders Association estimates that 10 million males in the United States will suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some point in their life. Recent statistics report that up to 43% of men are dissatisfied with their weight, and 33% of adolescent males use unhealthy behaviours to control their weight. The truth is, men get eating disorders too, and their cases are, in many ways, similar (if not indistinguishable) from those in females.

Today, the widespread infatuation with unattainable body shape ideals applies as much to men as to women. While women are most often portrayed in the media as slender, submissive sex symbols, the men that catch the public eye are athletic, v-shaped, and muscular. Closely related to these images of largely unattainable body types is the pressure to use diet, weight training, drugs, and even implants to alter the male appearance. These pressures Men's EDsincrease among male athletes, especially gymnasts, body builders, wrestlers, jockeys, rowers, dancers, and swimmers whose sports necessitate weight restriction. This may explain why exercise is the more common weight loss technique among men, compared to restriction among women.

Sexuality may also be another significant contributing factor. Psychological studies show that sexual conflict, either homo- or heterosexual, precedes the onset of an eating disorder in up to 50% of male patients. Furthermore, many men with eating disorders – particularly anorexia – admit “obvious relief” when their sex drive decreased in the acute phase of their disease. Given the degree to which eating disorders centre around feelings of control, it may be that these men perceive this reduction of sexual libido as a way of resolving and/or controlling issues of sexual conflict. After all, the use of eating disordered behaviour to divert or control sexual attention has been a common theme among females with the disease.

Perhaps the most critical problem among men with eating disorders is the reluctance to seek help. Higher levels of gender role conflict and traditional masculine ideals have instilled negative stigmas among men towards seeking psychological help – especially for something as strongly associated with females as an eating disorder. Because of this, eating disorders in men often go undiagnosed and untreated until it’s too late. It’s also extremely difficult to know how many men these diseases actually affect.

Fortunately, organizations like Men Get Eating Disorders Too and Boy Anorexia are working tirelessly to raise awareness and create programs for men seeking help. Similarly, the Looking Glass Foundation acknowledges that anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder are diseases that affect both genders, and we do not discriminate against race, creed, or sex in our treatment programs. We are dedicated to helping young women and men get to the other side of eating disorders, because no one should have to suffer in silence or recover alone.

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Sources:

National Eating Disorders Association - Males and eating disorders: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/males-and-eating-disorders

National Eating Disorders Collaboration: http://www.nedc.com.au/eating-disorders-in-males

Men Get Eating Disorders Too - personal stories: http://mengetedstoo.co.uk/stories/personal-stories

The Huffington Post - “Take One Step Forward for Male Eating Disorders” by Brian Cuban: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-cuban/men-eating-disorders_b_4150441.html

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Alison is a regular contributor to The Looking Glass’ blog, is an eating disorders survivor and is an inspiration to those around her.

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