Binge Eating Disorder Recognized As Mental Illness

Binge Eating Disorder finally made it into the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), a publication by the American Psychiatric Association that classifies mental disorders along with criteria. This debuted in May.

The New York Times' Well blog recently discussed the issues around the topic in its post, Fat and Thin Find Common Ground. Kelley Brownell of Duke University, a leading authority on eating disorders, points out 'Obesity was mainly dealt with in medical professions, and eating disorders were dealt with more in psychology professions.'

And this kind of makes sense because overweight and obesity are the new norm (about 2 out of 3 Americans are) and doctors (physicians) are focused on the physical health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc. Again, this makes sense because doctors are only required one semester course in nutrition in all of their medical school studies and, while these physical conditions are important, doctors end up losing sight of the ever-powerful mind that operates and plays a significant role in the patient as well.

Nutrition and wellness are not characterized solely on outer appearances. While physical unwellness can cause complications, mental illness makes life a real drag. The two go hand-in-hand.

The important thing to remember in understanding eating disorders, though, is that it's not about the food. It is NOT about the food. IT IS NOT ABOUT THE F*CKING FOOD! However many times it takes for this to be said, it shall be repeated.

That said, eating disorders don't have a size limit either.



Blogger Ellin inaccurately states 'Unlike people with anorexia or bulimia, who tend to be excessively thin... ' No. That's not true. Bulimics actually tend to fall within 'normal' range, sometimes even slightly above. That's why cases of bulimia are sometimes harder to identify— because their outer appearances tends to better mask the disorder than that of a pure, highly-restrictive anorexic. A story for another day but just so you know.

Given the degrade in quality of our food, the mass production, the technology and 'innovation'— in terms of both our food supply and access, and sedentary life— along with the emphasis on body image, human innate tendencies (such as eating the amount we're served despite portion-size), the disconnect of hunger vs. fullness, and a whole bunch of other factors, yes, it seems to make sense we would gain more weight.

But a few things are important to remember:

1. It is NOT impossible to maintain a healthy weight and have a healthy relationship with food (that is, no relationship with food— you eat it and move on), even despite this modern-day ecosystem. So overweight and obesity do NOT have to be inevitable. Goals are attainable. Realistic hope, there is.


2. There are overweight and obese people out there who are suffering. That's not to say they all are but some of them are. Every day, for those who are, is a struggle and torture. They hate food, they hate their body, they have hateful thoughts, and they likely hate themselves. Can you imagine what life might be like to live under those conditions Every.Single.Day? No holidays, no weekends, 24/7/365? That's a day in the life of an eating disorder.




3. Eating disorders don't discriminate size, age, race, socio-economic status, or gender. They can affect anybody. (And it's not about the food.) They are complex monsters attributed to several factors, no two people alike, though commonalities appear. Eating disorders are personal and as unique as the individual him/herself.

Now that this great leap in recognition has been made, hopefully this will help push in the fight against overweight, obesity, and mental illness. How treatment should be strategized will be an interesting topic to follow.



What are your thoughts?

Share in the Comments below, we'd love to hear!

Happy Healthy Juicy Physical and Mental Wellness!

Raising Awareness And The Throes Of Hunger

As part of Hunger Action Month, the CEO of Panera, Ron Shaich, has been taking the SNAP Challenge this week. In case you didn't know, SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as Food Stamps, and is a US federal-aid program that helps low-income individuals and families purchase food.

The SNAP Challenge is a voluntary exercise with the goal to increase awareness and understanding amongst those not affected by hunger, and to help get a better sense of what it is like to struggle with hunger by living on only $4.50 per day.

Below are some poignant sound bites of each of Mr. Shaich's daily posts to date.

Day 0:
We live in the “land of plenty,” and yet nearly 48 million people receive food stamps and 16 million children go to bed hungry.

Day 1:
I haven’t even felt the first pangs of hunger, and I’m already gaining a whole new perspective into challenges that so many people in this country face in dealing with food insecurity – from the embarrassment of having to leave items at the register to the diligence and ongoing calculation required to constantly prioritize and rank every purchase and potential purchase, big and small.

Day 2:
When I finally ate lunch at around 2:30 p.m., it really felt like a reward, and I didn’t take for granted the satisfaction that the meal provided... I was hyper aware whenever those around me consumed.

Day 3:
The face of hunger is as diverse as this country is.

Day 4:
This week, through my participation in the SNAP Challenge, I have had a glimpse into how detrimental and all-consuming hunger can be – and I’m barely halfway through my merely seven day challenge. I can’t stop thinking about food.

Day 5:
“It’s not just about food to fill a belly, it’s about life.”

Mr. Shaich's writing is insightful and raw, and hits sorely close to home.

I remember when I was in grad school— actually discussing the very issue of food insecurity, the SNAP program and Challege— one student couldn't understand (out loud) why those suffering from food insecurity couldn't just go out and get a job so they could pay for and get the food they needed. I interjected, asking, How can these people get jobs if they don't even know how to pack a grocery bag? [We had just finished talking about food banks]. I'm not sure he really understood concepts, yet, such as the basics of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, but don't blame him either as it is extremely difficult to understand issues at the core when you haven't experienced them yourself first-hand.

I've never gone hungry because I couldn't afford it. But I can tell you the symptoms, experiences, and consequences of hunger, as Mr. Shaich describes, due to the struggles of income are the exact same as those due to mental illness and, more specifically, anorexia.

To re-iterate, in both instances, you really can't stop thinking about food when you're hungry nor can you really be productive (if at all); it really isn't about the food; and it really is about life— trying to figure out how to build one worth living given the very dire, arguably extremist, circumstances. Every day is a battle.

For me, it was a 10-year battle that crept into my life silently and one that is now silenced because of hard-working efforts and achieving a life of recovery. Yay! Well, not so yay. Because I still live with the consequences of the silent disease, unemployed and in silence about it.

Despite two degrees from an Ivy League university, functional brain, good health, and eagerness, how do you explain to potential employers what the hell you've been doing the past 10 years of your life while everyone else you graduated with are now managers and directors? You've been TO hell and back but that isn't exactly the experience employers want to hear about.

The effects of hunger are profound. This always brings up the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, which is a HealthyButJuicy recommended read, if you don't know about it already. It's nearly impossible to be productive when you are starved— physically, mentally, and emotionally— and when the elemental need of food and nutrition, and focus on survival become your world and all-consuming.

This post isn't just about food insecurity and eating disorders, though. It's about raising awareness, increasing compassion, and bettering ourselves and each other. Before we can solve or address issues, whether they be our own or others', we need to begin to fundamentally understand them first. And, by asking ourselves things like 'In what kind of society do we want to live?' and What kind of life do I?, perhaps, one day, we can reach our goals.

You matter. You can make a difference. And you can be the change.

Share your thoughts in the Comments below, we'd love to hear! :> xoxo

Happy Healthy Juicy Inspire!