Spirit & Associates Special People Inspiring Recovery in Time Intervention, Counseling, Mediation and Training Services   Intervention for Eating Disorders
	Helping Families, Friends & Professionals to Help Those in Need of Help, but May Not Wish to be Helped
	Compulsive Overeating Compulsive Overeaters are often caught in the vicious cycle of binging and depression. They often use food as a coping mechanism to deal with their feelings. Binge eating temporarily relieves the stress of these feelings but is unfortunately followed by feelings of guilt, shame, disgust and depression. Binge eating, like Bulimia, often occurs in secret. It is not uncommon for Compulsive Overeaters to eat normally or restrictive in front of others and then make up for eating less by binging in secret. In other Compulsive Overeaters, binges consist of "grazing" on food all day long. Like the other eating disorders, Compulsive Overeaters are often struggling and unhappy with their weight. It is not uncommon for a number on the scale to determine how they feel about themselves. The complications can also be severe and even life-threatening for Compulsive Overeaters. Bulimia Nervosa Bulimics are caught in the devastating and addictive binge-purge cycle. The Bulimic eats compulsively and then purges through self-induced vomiting, use of laxatives, diuretics, diet pills, ipecac, strict diets, fasts, choking, vigorous exercise, or other compensatory behaviors to prevent weight gain. Binges usually consist of the consumption of large amounts of food in a short period of time. Binge eating usually occurs in secret. Bulimics and Anorexics, are also obsessively involved with their body shape and image. The medical complications of the binge-purge cycle can be severely damaging. Anorexia can be fatal. Anorexia Nervosa Anorexia is a disorder where the main characteristic is the restricting of food and refusal to maintain a minimal normal body weight. Possible weight gain or even perceived gain of weight is met with intense fear by the Anorexics. Not only is there a true feeling of fear, but also once informed of the disorder, Anorexics experience body image distortions. These distortions of the body usually representing maturing in sexuality include the buttocks, hips, thighs, and breast and are visualized by the Anorexics as huge. For some Anorexics, weight loss is so severe there is a loss of their menstrual cycle. Anorexics participate in restrictive eating, compulsive exercise, and laxative and diuretic abuse. If Anorexia is left untreated, it can be fatal. Symptoms Individuals suffering from an eating disorder may be unaware that it is a disease or may have difficulty asking for help. Below are some of the "signs" to help determine if you or a loved one could be at risk. If three or more of the following symptoms apply to you or a loved one please contact us. You or your loved one may be at risk of having an eating disorder. Thoughts about "feeling fat" Fear of gaining weight Feeling of loss of control when eating Weight determines self-esteem Body image obsession Guilt or shame after eating Repeated attempts at dieting Eating large amounts of food in a short period of time Self-consciousness or embarrassment about eating Sneaking food Lying about eating habits Strict dieting Fasting Restrictive eating Self-induced vomiting Laxative abuse Diuretic abuse Use of diet pills Use of Ipecac Compulsive exercise Eating to relieve stress or depression Eating when not hungry Eating sensibly in front of others and them making up when alone Depression Low body weight Menstrual irregularities Gastrointestinal complaints Embarrassment about body weight   If three or more of the above symptoms apply to you or a loved one Please Contact Us You or your loved one may be at risk of having an eating disorder!
	Medical Complications The following is a list of possible medical complications from Eating Disorders. If left untreated the physical complications can be life threatening. CARDIOVASCULAR Slow Pulse Low Blood Pressure Electrocardiogram abnormalities Hypovolemia Myocardiopathy and CHT ( especially with use of ipecac )   CHEMISTRIES Uric acid elevated Cholesterol is abnormal ) elevated or depressed ) Carotene is elevated Deficiencies of trace minerals Low blood glucose Hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis   DENTAL AND MOUTH Increased dental caries Highly sensitive teeth from gingival deterioration Pyorrhea Lacerations and contusion of the oral cavity from use of objects to induce emesis Tooth Loss Erosion of enamel Altered bite Bleeding gums Oral sensitivity   DERMATOLOGIC Dry skin Loss of subcutaneous tissue and fat in general Scars ( such as on knuckles due to inducing emesis ) Fine lanugo hair Acrocyanosis   EFFECTS ON BRAIN AND CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM Lack of REM sleep Affected hypothalamus ( lower body temperature, loss of shivering response, cold intolerance, and malfunction of entire temperature regulating system due to chronic malnutrition EEG abnormalities   ENDOCRINE T-3 deficiency ( leading to bradycardia, sluggish reflexes, dry skin, cold intolerance, hypercarotenemia, and various abnormalities of the hair ) Abnormal calcium levels and symptoms Hypogonadism Partial diabetes insipidus condition and the inability to concentrate urine normally Addison's disease or hyperaldosteronism   FLUID AND ELECTROLYTE ABNORMALITIES Effects if resultant metabolic alkalosis, potassium and chloride deficiencies Electrolyte Imbalances Skeletal muscle weakness Diminished reflexes Abnormal gastrointestinal motility Cramps Paresthesia Polyuria and oliguria Nocturia CNS abnormalities Constipation Cardial effects ( conduction abnormalities, irregular rhythms and sudden death ) Impaired kidney function Emotional lability and lassitude Potassium increase due to diuretic abuse causing cardiac abnormalities Depletion of sodium ( hyponatremia ) Dehydration Hyponatremia Edema   GASTROINTESTINAL Abdominal pain, bloating, and fullness Esophageal perforations and lacerations ( Mallow Weiss Syndrome ) Irritable bowel Syndrome Malabsorption of nutrients leading to hypoproteinemia, hypoalbuminemia and calcium deficienc Fatty infiltration of the liver Pancreatitis Exacerbation of hemorrhoids Esophagitis Melanosis coli Gastritis Gastric ulceration Intestinal injury   GYNECOLOGIC Menstrual irregularity Amenorrhea Infertility Atrophic vaginitis and loss of sexual appetite Breast atrophy   HEMATOLOGIC ABNORMALITIES Anemia Leukopenia Thrombocytopenia Bone marrow may be deficient or hypocellular   OPHTHALMOLOGIC Transient blurred vision Dark circles, puffiness under the eyes   ORTHOPEDIC AND MUSCULOSKELETAL Osteoporosis Loss of muscle mass leading to muscular weakness   PULMONARY Aspiration pneumonia   RENAL Prerenal and renal azotemia due to diminished renal pertusion and chronic dehydration Tubular and collecting system abnormalities due to electrolyte abnormality Predisposition to renal stones Kidney failure   MISCELLANEOUS Bacterial and fungal infections Bilateral parotid gland swelling     What You Can ( and Can't ) Do The first thing to keep in mind is that as an "outsider" (not suffering from an Eating Disorder yourself) there are many things you cannot do to help a family member or friend to get better. You cannot force an Anorexic to eat, keep a bulimic from purging, or make a Compulsive Overeater stop overeating. The first thing to realize once you have come to the awareness that your loved-one suffers from an Eating disorder, is that you must not concentrate immediately on the food. All forms of Eating Disorders are emotionally based and the behaviors are only a symptom to emotional and stress related problems. Disordered eating is an attempt to control, hide, stuff, avoid and forget emotional pain, stress and/or self-hate. If you are the parent of a child under 18, you will have difficult decisions to make regarding their care. Regardless of pleas to "not make me," and promises that the behavior will stop, you will have to stay very attuned to what is happening with your child and may have to force them to go to doctors and/or the hospital. Keep in mind how serious Eating Disorders are and that they can kill. If your relationship with someone suffering from Anorexia, Bulimia or Compulsive Overeating is anything other than their parent, or if your child is over the age of 18, then you can support and encourage your loved one to seek help. In most cases it will be important for each sufferer to find a mode of recovery that will work for them. One-on-one therapy, support groups, clinics, in-patient or out-patient, art therapy, church groups, a combination of any, or none of the above but something completely different ... there are many options out there. Help your friend or family member to gather information if they are open to your help. Be encouraging - - there can be a lot of road blocks in searching for Eating Disorder recovery so be reassuring that recovery is possible! Be there to listen and communicate. For the Anorexic or Bulimic who exhibits any of the following signs it may be essential to encourage them into medical treatment, in-patient in a hospital, immediately: Dizziness, fatigue, black-outs, extreme temperature sensitivity, chest pains, tingling in hands or feet, blood in stools or vomit, stomach pains, incontinence or uncontrollable vomiting or diarrhea, and/or 25% or more weight loss of total average body weight in a short period of time. There are many signs and symptoms as well as physical dangers. It is important to remember that the continued behaviors of Eating Disorders can lead to many physical problems, further emotional difficulties, and even death. Keep in mind there isn't a lot you can do overall, as an "outsider" to a close family member or friend suffering from an Eating Disorder. It is up to the individual suffering to decide they are ready to deal with the emotional issues in their life that have led them to their Eating Disorder. They need to make a choice for recovery. There is no one in their lives that can make this choice for them, they must want to do it for themselves. Often the process of intervention will help them to make this choice. For advanced cases of Anorexia and Bulimia, the course of treatment will usually begin with stabilizing the patient's health, and from there it is imperative that a course of therapy, both individual and/or group, take place. For cases in which the patient's life is not in immediate danger, it is important they seek therapy, from and experienced therapist in the area of treating eating disorders, with or without group therapy. Unfortunately, more often than not, sufferers tend to reach life-threatening situations before they seek help, even if then. And in most cases, once they've come out of immediate danger and left the hospital there is no follow up treatment, so they only find themselves back in the hospital shortly after. This can continue for years and it is destructive both emotionally and physically, but the final action to get better lies in the patient's desire to get better. Often times they feel afraid to ask for help, or don't feel there is a proper forum in which to ask. More often than not, the Eating Disorder sufferer does not feel they deserve help.
	Things You Shouldn't Say ... "Are you sick?" "You look like you have AIDS" Lets remember that the person with an Eating Disorder ALREADY has a low self-esteem. Why would you want to say these things to anyone, let alone someone with an Eating Disorder ( and what if the person in question really was HIV positive, or suffering with AIDS )? There's nothing wrong with approaching a close friend or family member you may be concerned about and saying, "you've lost a lot of weight and I'm concerned about you" in a caring way, followed by "I'm here to listen if you want to talk", but any comments that comes across as insulting or an attack will be heard defensively and unproductive for what your original intention may have been. "Would you just eat already!" "I don't understand WHY you don't just eat ..." "You better stay out of the *&%'ing bathroom!" These are not words of love, but of control. Threatening an Anorexic or Bulimic with "take-over" is not a good idea if you are trying to help. Let's try to keep in mind too, like we said earlier, there is a lot of guilt attached to Eating Disorders, so laying it on thick with statements like these only perpetuates that. If you're close enough, there's nothing wrong with a gentle "Want to have some dinner with me?" or "Talk to me" after a meal, but lets keep the mind games to ourselves. With statements like these the person seeking to help is only trying to pacify his or her own guilt in not being able to help, and looking for a quick fix. "Why are you doing this to me?" "Would you look at what you're doing to your boyfriend/husband/wife/kids ..." Again, with these types of questions you are only perpetuating guilt. You're basically saying "why do you make everyone so miserable" and " why do you burden us with all this worry" which is nothing but selfish, and even if not meant selfishly, will only be perceived as a "don't burden us with your problems" or "look at all the trouble you're causing." If you are close to someone with an eating disorder ( and you might be if you're reading this ) take it as an opportunity for yourself to learn to communicate more clearly, and to be a more understanding individual. Those suffering with an Eating Disorder are not DOING anything to you, but are struggling tremendously themselves inside. You need to keep this in mind when posing questions that are selfishly motivated or hurtful ( even if unintentionally ). "Why are you doing this to yourself?" "You have good things in your life, what's the problem?" Those with an Eating Disorder do not choose to do this to themselves. There is no conscious choice ( in most cases ) where a person suffering from and Eating Disorder would prefer that lifestyle as opposed to one filled with self-love and happiness. This is a coping mechanism, a means of dealing with depression, stress and self-hate that has been built up over many years. It is a reflection of how the person suffering feels about themselves inside. Wonderful husbands, kids, supportive friends have little influence ( other than sometimes temporarily ) in creating the true self-esteem required for permanent recovery, to cope with life positively, and to learn to believe that we deserve good things in life and happiness. These disorders are about the person suffering and how they feel about themselves.
	Related Disorders Eating disorders are major health problems which severely affect individuals in the major areas of their lives including: physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychological. Although the cause of eating disorders is generally unknown, they are considered to be conditions which are primarily progressive and fatal. Psychological and physical disorders both intensify and frequently accompany eating disorders.
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