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June 1, 2005
Featu
Starving for ‘perfection
Emotional trauma, control issues, society-created image of the body
cause eating disorders to take over lives of many
Elizabeth Tobey
The Clackamas Print
Eating disorder
symptoms:
When most people think of eating dis
orders, they imagine the skinny, anorexic,
teenage girl starving herself to be skinnier,
but this is just a stereotype, and there are
many important aspects to realize about
eating disorders and the people suffer
ing from them.
“It’s important to realize that it’s
not about the food,” says Hilary
Kinavey, therapist at Portland Heath
and Wellness Clinic. I
Therapists who treat people with
eating disorders have begun to think
that the behavior patterns with food
are really just the symptoms of deeper
emotional problems.
Eating disorders can be the result
of feelings of inadequacy or lack
of control over life, depression,
troubled family and interpersonal
relationships, a history of physical
or sexual abuse, as well as social
pressures that define beauty only by
physical appearance.
“Many people have had some
traumatic experience or they feel out
of control about something,” said
Kinavey, who has worked with eating
disorder sufferers for almost four years.
“I think the most common case I see
is people who use food to meet their
emotional needs.”
Kinavey describes this as “emotional
eating.” She comes from a background
in women-related issues and obsessive
behavior, and has a BA in psychol
ogy, with a minor in women’s studies.
Kinavey uses what she calls a “mindful
ness approach” to treat her patients, and
employs cognitive behavior therapy.
“Basically it reattaches the head to the
body,” said Kinavey, “and works on getting
the mind to pay more attention to what the body
needs.’?-? -
A close look at some statistics reiterates that
society has a very narrow view of what it means
to be beautiful. One out of every 3.8 television com
mercials delivers a message that tells viewers what
is or isn’t attractive, and with the average amount of
televisioh that an adolescent watches, this means that
kids these days are told over 5,260 times per year
how they “should” look.
“Society has unrealistic expectations of body
type,” Kinavey, said. “People don’t even know
how different body types can be, because we
are only ever showp this one version/’
•Obsession with
weight
•Seeing their body
differently, than
others do
•Isolation or fear of
eating around others
•Unusual rituals surrounding
eating
•Perfectionist personality or
unrealistic expectations of their
body
•Low self esteem *
•Wearing clothing that disguises
body shape or hides weight lo$s
•Insomnia or poor sleeping hab
its
-Gathered from the National
Eating Disorder Association
For instance, fashion models are thinner
than 98 percent of American women, with
the average American woman being seven
inches shorter and 23 pounds heavier.
“Because society puts all these ideas
in our heads, we make our food decisions
from our heads,” said Kinavey. “I think
because we do that, we don’t know what
our bodies realty need. It’s these external
expectations against the internal expecta
tions.”
And it’s not just teenage girls who
suffer from eating disorders. Often eating
behavior patterns will begin during adoles- ;
cence, but because they are really the result
of a variety of emotional problems, men and
women, old and young, and black and white
can all suffer equally.
“I tend to see clusters of ages,” Kinavey
said, “from about 16-18, and then 40s-50s.”
Eating disorders can come in a variety of
forms from anorexia and bulimia, to binge eating
or compulsive eating. These can change to reflect
the circumstance of the person suffering.
‘People tend to think that if you are diagnosed
with one eating disorder that those behaviors are
fixed,” said Kinavey, “but patterns shift.”
“I try to help people identity the patterns,” she
said, “and then find an exit strategy.”
To do this, she «taust first help people iden
tify what is underneath the behavior, and, she says,
“sometimes it has to get worse before it gets better”
because of the issues this brings up for people.
But, like alcoholism, the biggest step is the first
step: acknowledgment of thé eating disorder.
‘T think [patients] also have to be willing to move
into a place where they have empathy for themselves,”,
said Kinavey. “Then the paradigm shift is about notic
ing that the eating disorder is a way of dealing with
other pain.”
The recovery process can vary tremendously from
person to person, both in length and method. Same
people, especially those with a serious condition, will
spend time in an inpatient care center, while others may
find that attending a group session every other week is
enough
,
Kinavey recommends maintaining a relationship with
a counselor or therapist, even after the main recovery
process is over.
“What’s true for all of us” she,said, “is that in times of
extreme stress we go back to our oldest coping methods.
Relapse is part of the recovery process, and an important
thing is learning to identify your own red flags.”
Realizing that every body is different and creating
and maintaining a positive body image is ah impor
tant part of a successful recovery.
“The better the relationship we develop with
ourselves, the better we can take care of our bod
ies,” said Kinavey. “Thé more we explore our
uniqueness, the healthier we will become.”
Eating disorders have the highest rate of death of any other
psychological illness. It’s important to be aware of some of
the symptoms of eating disorders in order to be able to support
someone who may be suffering.
"7 think what’s most important is that people have someone
who will listen without judgement. ”
-Hilary) Kinavey, therapist
When dealing with someone suffering from an eating disor
der, remember that the food behaviors are only an expression
of deeper emotional trauma.
Be careful to express your concern in a way that does not
attempt to control the behavior of the individual, or place any
blame or guilt on them. They are already struggling inside
themselves, and don’t need to be made to feel worse for worry
ing their family or friends.
For someone hot suffering form an eating disorder, there
isn’t that much you can do, because it is up to the individual
to decide that they want to get better. Encourage someone with
eating disorders to seek a form of therapy that is right for them.
Learn to listen attentively and offer unconditional support.
Contact
information
eating dison
help-lines:
National Eating
Disorder Associate
1-800-931-2237
Eat Right:
1-800-231-3438
Center for Change:
1-888-339-5471
Remuda Ranch:
1-800-445-1900
National Association
Anorexia Nervosa a
Related Disorders:
847-831-3438
Portland Health
Wellness, Hilar]
Kinavey:
503-236-4506