Unlocking the Power of ChatGPT and AI in Testing - A Real-World Look, present...
Counseling for Eating Disorders in San Diego
1. Counseling for Eating Disorders in San Diego
Eating Disorders continue to plague Western civilization as the “ideal” body continuously
becomes smaller and smaller. Men and women of all ages are striving to have the “perfect
body”, with a significant percentage taking extreme measures such as fasting, excessive
exercising, and other purging behaviors in a desperate attempt to control their weight. What
may start out as a
seemingly harmless diet can
quickly become an obsession with weight and body shape, and eventually take the form of a
full-blown eating disorder such as Bulimia Nervosa (BN), Binge-Eating Disorder (BED), and
Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS). The societal pressures to obtain the
unrealistic, unattainable “perfect” standard are making eating disorders a more prevalent
diagnosis in the mental health field nowadays, affecting individuals as young as 6 years old.
While eating disorders traditionally affect more females than males, we are now also seeing a
rapid increase in the number of males seeking treatment for extreme bodily dissatisfaction and
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) as well as other forms of eating disorders.
The notion that eating disorders are uncommon psychological disorders is a myth. In fact,
approximately 8 million Americans are affected by some type of eating disorder and about half
of all Americans personally know someone with an eating disorder (South Carolina Department
of Mental Health, 2006). If you live in the San Diego area and think you may be suffering from
an eating disorder or a body image disturbance, please give my office a call today. As a
licensed Social Worker and Counselor, I can offer you counseling for your eating
disorder and help you reclaim your life that was once free of the tight hold food and body image
has over it.
About Bulimia Nervosa (BN):
Bulimia Nervosa (BN) is one type of eating disorder that is characterized by a cycle of binge
eating and purging. A ‘binge’ varies from person to person, but is typically defined as
consuming a large quantity of food (usually high in fats and sugars) in a relatively short period of
time (usually less than an hour). During an average binge episode, a person may consume
1/5
2. anywhere from 3,000 to
5,000 calories in one sitting.Purging, on
the other hand, is the act of ridding one’s body of the food and calories consumed during a
binge. The most common purging behavior, self-induced vomiting, is done in a desperate
attempt to prevent weight gain from the food consumed during the binge. Other forms of purging
behavior include excessive exercising, fasting, and the use (and abuse) or diuretics and
laxatives. It is important to note that purging does NOT work for weight loss. This is a myth.
Nearly immediately after the food has been consumed, the body begins absorbing and breaking
down its components, including the calories and fat contained in the binge-food. Purging may
provide temporary relief from the guilt a bulimic feels after a binge, and may also rid the body of
the weight of the food itself, but the damage has already been done. This is yet another reason
why bulimia is harder to diagnose than other eating disorders, since the sufferer is usually of an
average weight and therefore does not appear to be “ill”. Furthermore, purging behaviors such
as abusing laxatives or inducing vomiting can be lethal if performed frequently, since these
methods dehydrate the body and cause an electrolyte imbalance. By purging this way on a
regular basis, a person with bulimia may feel dizzy, weak, and lethargic. In severe cases, the
vital organs of the body may fail, leading to death.
About Binge-Eating Disorder (BED):
Binge-Eating Disorder (BED) is an eating disorder that is similar to Bulimia Nervosa (BN), but
without the purging behavior. In other words, BN and BED share the bingeing component of the
disorder, but not the purging aspect. BED is also known as “compulsive overeating”, as
sufferers tend to binge-eat in response to negative events and emotions. While it is normal for
people to occasionally over-indulge, persons with BED do this more often than most. Binges
2/5
3. occur daily and
sometimes even multiple times per
day. A person with this disorder will eat when they aren’t hungry and continue to eat after their
stomach is full. One of the fundamental characteristics of BED (and all eating disorders) is
feeling out of control. The person feels as though it is impossible to stop bingeing, despite the
overwhelming negative emotions that accompany the binge. The sufferer may become
extremely upset and disgusted with themselves either during or immediately after a binge
episode, and are constantly at battle with themselves to be able to stop eating. The vicious
cycle of overeating to feel better and then subsequently feeling worse after bingeing only begins
to repeat itself over and over until the individual feels so trapped and depressed that they think
there’s no way out. Persons with BED are usually overweight and sometimes obese due to the
constant bingeing, and this further fuels the self-loathing and in turn, the use of food for comfort.
About Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD):
While this is a disorder that receives a lot less attention than some of the other psychological
disorders, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is rapidly becoming one of the most frequently
diagnosed body image disorders, particularly in the male population. Persons with BDD are
preoccupied with body image and have a severe dissatisfaction with their own body.
BDD sufferers misperceive the appearance of their bodies,
and often complain about either certain aspects of their body or their body as a whole to the
3/5
4. point where it causes extreme psychological distress and the urge to alter their appearance.
Male sufferers often report excessive exercising in an attempt to achieve the “ideal male body”
– images which they are bombarded with in magazines, television programs, movies, and
advertisements. It was once believed that these types of images only affected females, driving
their desire to be as thin as possible. However, we now know that males too can suffer from
eating disorders and body image disturbances that negatively impact their lives in the same way
that images of rail-thin supermodels can negatively influence females. BDD usually coincides
with other psychological disorders, such as depression and anxiety and normally begins in
adolescence, when the body undergoes many physical and hormonal changes. A person with
this disorder does not typically adapt well to these changes, and often compares him/herself to
the perceived “ideal” body that society deems as “perfect”. No matter how much they diet or
exercise, a person with BDD feels as though he/she never measures up to the societal pressure
that dictates what is ideal. The discrepancy between one’s personal perception of the self and
the socially-perpetuated standard causes persons with BDD to become extremely anxious,
depressed, and dissatisfied with his/her body. This obsession with trying to attain the
unattainable inevitably becomes discouraging, and for some BDD sufferers the inability to
achieve the “ideal body” is enough to send them into a downward spiral of debilitating
depression and suicidal ideation.
About Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS):
A diagnosis of Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) means that the individual is
clearly suffering from an eating disorder, but does not fit neatly into any of the established
categories because he/she fails to meet all of the diagnostic criteria. For instance, a female
could be diagnosed with EDNOS if she engages in binge-eating and purging behavior once a
week, because the diagnostic criteria for Bulimia Nervosa (BN) requires bingeing and purging at
least twice per week. Regardless of the diagnosis (EDNOS vs. BN), the person with the eating
disorder is still suffering from a dangerous and potentially life-threatening condition if left
untreated. A diagnosis of EDNOS does not mean that you are “less sick” than someone who is
diagnosed with BN. Remember, these are textbook definitions using a diagnostic manual. This
means that for each diagnosis, there are particular criteria one has to meet in order to have the
specific disorder. Aside from the physical complications associated with all eating disorders, the
psychological and emotional turmoil are also present and require treatment.
Eating Disorder Counseling:
As you can see, there are many different types of disordered eating – perhaps some that you
weren’t even aware of. Eating disorders continue to plague North America, taking countless
numbers of lives each year and disturbing the lives of millions. If you think you may have an
eating disorder, you must reach out and ask for help. Eating disorders are dangerous and
4/5
