WE-BE: Is there a percentage or a statistic that you can
share with us about how many suffer from eating disorders? http://www.mirasol.net/eating-disorders/
information/eating-disorder-statistics.php
WE-BE: There seems to be a rise in the numbers of
guys who now are reporting they have eating disorders,
could you share what you know about guys and eating
disorders?
DD: According to what I hear, it is up by 10% (and children under twelve is up over 112%!!!!) Guys
can sometimes feel extra ashamed because of a perceived sense of feeling like they have a “girls’ issue”.
Body image in guys shows sometimes about wanting to be buff and sometimes about being thin. There
are additional issues for gay teens culturally as well. What I know is no matter our gender or age; it is
never really about the weight or the body. It is about how we focus on weight or body image issues that
are really more about deeper issues that I see in therapy a lot such as needing to feel in control when
things are scary, feeling safe, belonging and so on. Eating disorders are complex.
WE-BE: What do you think are the leading causes that lead to eating disorders?
DD: It is an interesting area of research. There are biological and environmental components and each
situation is different. Generally it is the more sensitive, perfectionist personality that has a biological predisposition. It is not a parent’s fault or a kid’s fault. learning to create a body-accepting environment at
home is great for all of us when possible.
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/online-eating-disorder-screening
Also, here is a great definition by top eating disorder specialist, Carolyn Costin, in her new book, "Your
Dieting Daughter”
“Being recovered is when the person can accept his or her natural body size and shape and no longer has a
self-destructive relationship with food or exercise. When you are recovered, food and weight take a proper
perspective in your life, and what you weigh is not more important than who you are; in fact, actual numbers
are of little or no importance at all.
When recovered, you will not compromise your health or betray your
soul to look a certain way, wear a certain size, or reach a certain
number on the scale. When you are recovered, you do not use food or
eating disorder behaviors to deal with, distract from, or cope with
other problems.
I have made peace with food and with myself. It is with cultural
forces and “brainwashed” minds that I now do my battling. My life’s
work is to help others find their own healthy way and this book is
written in hopes you can help your daughter, other dieting daughters, and perhaps even yourself do the
same."