Understanding ARFID in children and teens: When eating isn’t just picky eating
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a relatively new diagnosis introduced in the DSM-5 (published in 2013) to describe patterns of extreme food avoidance or restriction that lead to nutritional deficiencies, impaired growth, or social distress in the people who experience this condition
Will you ever feel ready to recover?
This blog post represents the author’s views and should not be interpreted as professional/medical advice or endorsed by NEDA. “Brave people do things before they are ready.” That quote has stuck with me since I began treatment 7 years ago. Taking the first step towards recovery is one of the hardest thing someone can do. But […]
Recognizing Diabulimia: A Type 1 Diabetes-Related Eating Disorder
It’s the summer of 2019 and I just graduated from high school. I’m swimming in the last competitive race of my youth swim career that started when I emerged as a natural butterflier at 8 years old. Stepping onto the starting block for the final time, I know I will not go on to swim […]
The Key to Navigating Anorexia and OCD
For those of us considering or currently committed to various treatments for co-occurring anorexia and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), an ancient philosophical question boggles the mind: Did the chicken or the egg come first? (Well, we substitute chicken and egg for anorexia and OCD, but the question remains the same nevertheless).
Recovery Isn’t Geometric: Learning to Navigate the Winding Road of Recovery
Recovery isn’t geometric. It’s not a linear function with time defining the x-axis while progress lines the y-axis. Your recovery isn’t always similar to someone else’s like two triangles may be.
Talking to High School Students About Eating Disorders: Insights from the Cameron K. Gallagher Foundation
Navigating conversations about eating disorders, body image, and self-esteem with high school students can feel daunting, yet these discussions are crucial for fostering mental wellness and resilience. The Cameron K. Gallagher Foundation (CKG Foundation), dedicated to removing the stigma surrounding teen mental health, has developed effective strategies for addressing these sensitive topics in schools.
When Getting Better Means Leaving: The Impossible Choice for Moms with Eating Disorders
There is no good time to be diagnosed with an eating disorder. Regardless of age and circumstance, it is a stealthy, complex disease that is difficult to treat and can follow its victims around for a lifetime.
Boxed In: My Battle with an Eating Disorder as a Male Athlete
For most of my life, I was fighting both in and out of the ring. As a professional boxer, I trained relentlessly, pushed my body to its limits, and chased the dream of becoming a world champion. But there was one fight I didn’t know how to win, and I was too ashamed to talk about it: my battle with an eating disorder.
“Is Your Baby Worth It?”: How Compassionate, Mother-First Care in the Treatment of Maternal Eating Disorders Can Make or Break Recovery
How do mothers with eating disorders navigate seeking treatment and recovery in a culture that can shame mothers with mental illness and praise an “ideal,” selfless mother? In my experience, it is not easy.
Homeostasis to Homecoming: A Science Teacher’s Experiment in Self-Worth
For years, I treated my body like an equation to be solved—believing that worthiness was measured in calories, discipline, and shrinking numbers. I ignored hunger cues, dismissed exhaustion, and thought control was the path to balance.
