do I have an eating disorder?

I constantly change diets. From paleo to vegan to raw to paleo again. I'm obsessed with food and controlling input and output. I used to eat 800 calories a day but during university and now working I eat 1200. I have cheat meals twice a week. I'm trying to lose weight but its still not coming off. I'm 5;5 130 pounds. I want to be 115 pounds

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Baking after Eating Disorder - NEED HELP!

hi everyone :)

a few months ago i become slightly anorexic with my lowest bmi being 17. So it wasnt drastic but my parents still sent me to an inpatient clinic as there was things that happend in my past that i needed to sort out. I have been out for about 2 months. I am 174cm tall, almost 18 years old and i weigh currently 58kgs. Whenever i calculate my bmi it says i am a normal weight, but my parents and dietitian are insisting i get to a weight of atleast 60 kgs. I am currently not doing an sport which really doesnt help much. 

My huge problem is that I bake standard slab cakes to sell to my farm workers to earn more for the holiday coming up. I need the money and therefore can't stop baking. I tend to binge on the raw cake batter and the icing. I don't know how to stop myself and afterwards I absolutely feel sick to my stomach, does any one have any advice for me to stop this?

Thanks :) 

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Metabolism Down From Eating Disorder

I had an eating disorder from about 2010 to 2012. During that time period my weight was around 117 (I'm 5' 4''). I lost my period and a lot of my hair fell out. I only at around 700 calories a day maximum. I didn't feel any hunger at all.

I started eating 2000 calories a day since August 2012. It's almost been a year of me eating 2000 calories a day and my weight is now at 150 pounds. My hair has stopped falling out and I got my period back. However, I still don't feel hunger. My metabolism seems to not have changed at all since my eating disorder. Does anyone have any advice for me? It's getting really frustrating since I'm now "slightly overweight."

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Eating disorder might be coming back :(

I lost 30 pounds when my eating disorder started more than a year ago, and got to 112lbs at 5'7''. Then I recovered and gained up to 127lbs. Now I'm around 121lbs -- weirdly lost weight without much effort, because I was taking fluoxetine and it took away my appetite. I was doing alright, happy with my body and eating what I wanted when I wanted it, stopped counting calories and everything was fine.

I don't take fluoxetine anymore. But now my brain wants to convince me that I can lose some more weight and not get all crazy and anorexic again -- which is very triggering. I know I'm at a healthy weight and that I don't need to lose, but something inside me wants me to.

I always support people on this site who want to recover and come to my inbox for help. But this time I may be the one who's needing some help. Can someone say some words of encouragement please? I don't want to get sick again. :(

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I’m in my 50s — could my unhealthy eating patterns be an eating disorder?

Posted May 27, 2013, 2:00 am

I’m a woman in my 50s. Ever since my divorce last year, I’ve developed an unhealthy pattern of eating and purging. A friend suggested I might have an eating disorder. Could she be right?

I understand why you ask the question, as most people think of eating disorders as a teenager’s disease. But eating disorders also affect middle-aged and older women, and even some men.

Experts disagree about what causes eating disorders.  There probably is no single, simple answer. Genes seem to play a role. Identical twins are more likely to have eating disorders than non-identical twins, for example.

Eating disorders appear to be more common in people who have dieted frequently in the past, and in people who needed to be lean at one point in their lives — because they were competing in certain sports, for example, or dancing.

People with eating disorders appear to be more likely to have psychiatric disorders, particularly obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorder and substance abuse. I’m not a psychiatrist, but I’ve always been struck by the parallels between obsessive-compulsive disorder and eating disorders. Both involve irrational behaviors that people cannot control. Eating disorders may be a way of responding to stressful events in life.

There are many reasons why eating disorders may develop or reappear during middle age. With age, for example, you are increasingly likely to lose people you care about. Restricting food or purging can be a way to deal with distressing feelings. Divorce is another common reason. In addition to grief and loss, the breakup of a marriage can spur a person to view their body unfavorably.

The type of disordered eating you’ve described sounds like bulimia nervosa. People with bulimia go through cycles of binge eating followed by purging. While on a binge, a person with bulimia may eat an entire cake rather than one or two slices, or a gallon of ice cream rather than a bowl. This is followed by a purge: making oneself vomit or using laxatives or diuretics.

Talk to your doctor about your eating patterns. If you do have bulimia, treatment can help you achieve a healthy weight and eating pattern, eliminate binge eating and purging, and address any stressful issues in your life:

Psychotherapy is the cornerstone of treatment for eating disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) challenges unrealistic thoughts about food and appearance. It can help you develop more productive thought patterns. Interpersonal and psychodynamic therapy can help you gain insight into issues that may underlie your disordered eating.Through nutritional rehabilitation, a dietitian or nutritional counselor can help you learn (or relearn) the components of a healthy diet. He or she can help motivate you to make the needed changes.Fluoxetine (Prozac) is the only medication approved to treat an eating disorder. At high doses, it reduces binge eating and vomiting, particularly in combination with psychotherapy. Other antidepressants and the seizure medication topiramate (Topamax) may also be prescribed for bulimia.

With the help of these treatments, you can overcome your eating disorder.

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1 in 5 U.S. Kids Has a Mental Health Disorder: CDC

ADHD is most common current diagnosis in children aged 3 to 17

By Brenda Goodman

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- As many as one in five American children under the age of 17 has a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year, according to a new federal report.

Released Thursday, the report represents the government's first comprehensive look at mental disorders in children. It focuses on diagnoses in six areas: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), behavioral or conduct disorders, mood and anxiety disorders, autism spectrum disorders, substance abuse, and Tourette syndrome.

The most common mental disorder among children aged 3 through 17 is ADHD. Nearly 7 percent -- about one in 15 children -- in that age group have a current diagnosis, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For other disorders, 3.5 percent of children currently have behavioral or conduct problems, 3 percent suffer from anxiety, about 2 percent have depression and about 1 percent have autism. About two children out of 1,000 aged 6 to 17 have Tourette Syndrome.

Among teens, about 5 percent had abused or were dependent on illegal drugs within the past year. More than 4 percent were abusers of alcohol, and nearly 3 percent reported being regular cigarette smokers.

The report, which supplements the May 17 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, also noted gender differences in mental disorders.

"Boys are more likely than girls to have most of the disorders overall," said Ruth Perou, the team leader for child development studies at the CDC.

Boys specifically are more prone to ADHD, behavioral or conduct problems, autism spectrum disorders, anxiety and Tourette syndrome, and are more likely to be smokers than girls, Perou said. They're also more likely to die by suicide.

"On the other hand, girls are more likely to have depression or an alcohol-use disorder," she said.

Although this is the first time the CDC has tried to compile prevalence estimates for some of the most common mental disorders in a single report, the agency has long tracked rates of many of these illnesses through population surveys.

"We are seeing increases across the board in a lot of mental disorders," Perou said. Some of the biggest jumps have been in ADHD and autism. "We don't know if it's due to greater awareness, or if these conditions actually are going up," she said.

Perou said that is a question they will try to answer as they continue to track children's mental disorders going forward.

"The good news is that mental disorders are diagnosable and treatable," she said. "If we act early, we can really make a huge difference in children's live and in families' lives overall."

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Stress Disorder May Be Common Among ICU Patients on Ventilators

Title: Stress Disorder May Be Common Among ICU Patients on Ventilators
Category: Health News
Created: 3/1/2013 12:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 3/4/2013 12:00:00 AM

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FDA Approves 'Bionic Eye' to Help Against Rare Vision Disorder

Title: FDA Approves 'Bionic Eye' to Help Against Rare Vision Disorder
Category: Health News
Created: 2/14/2013 6:36:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 2/15/2013 12:00:00 AM

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FDA Approves 'Bionic Eye' to Help Against Rare Vision Disorder

By Steven Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- An implanted, sight-enhancing device some are calling a "bionic eye" is the first to gain approval for use in the United States, officials announced Thursday.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the new Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System can help patients with a genetic eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa regain some sense of vision. About 100,000 Americans are believed to be affected by the illness, which causes a gradual deterioration of the eyes' photoreceptor cells.

The new device uses a tiny video camera attached to eyeglasses that transmits images to a sheet of electrode sensors that have been sewn into the patient's eye. These sensors then transmit those signals to the brain via the optic nerve. The device helps replace the damaged cells of the retina and helps patients see images or detect movement.

"It's a start, it's a beginning," said Dr. Mark Fromer, an ophthalmologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "It's going to be exciting for people who get this device who are currently just seeing light or dark, [they] will see shapes and that will be life-altering for them."

An FDA official was similarly enthused.

"For many of the approximately 1,300 individuals who will develop the disease this year, this technology may change their lives," Dr. William Maisel, deputy director for science and chief scientist at FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in an agency blog post. "It's the difference between night and day," he added.

Maisel's post also included testimony from people who had tested the device and spoke in favor of its approval at a recent FDA hearing:

"The biggest thing to me was being able to see the crosswalk lines on the street so I can safely cross streets in Manhattan," one user said.

"The most exciting day to me was October 27th, in 2009," another testified. "It was the first time I was able to see letters on the monitor screen [during a test of visual perception]. I had not seen letters since 1994, so that was huge."

A third person said he had a 17-year-old son, "and I don't mind telling you how much -- I mean, how happy that made me, not only to see the silhouette of my son, but to hear that voice coming and saying, 'Yeah, it's me, Dad. I'm here and I love you.'"

People with retinitis pigmentosa suffer damage to the light-sensitive cells of the retina. As these cells slowly degenerate, patients lose side vision and night vision and later on, central vision. The disease can cause blindness,

The FDA's approval is a limited one, labeled a "humanitarian use device" approval, meaning the Argus II can be used only for fewer than 4,000 patients per year.

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Preventing posttraumatic stress disorder by facing trauma memories

Nov. 27, 2012 — Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a form of learning that begins at the moment of the exposure to extremely stressful situations and that grows in impact as trauma-related memories are rehearsed and strengthened repeatedly. This somewhat oversimplified view of PTSD yields a powerful prediction: if one could disrupt the rehearsal and strengthening of traumatic memories, a process called reconsolidation of memories, then one might reduce PTSD risk or PTSD severity after potentially traumatic events.

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To be certain, it is tricky to attempt to alter traumatic memory reconsolidation. In fact, some early strategies for "trauma debriefing" turned out to strengthen rather than diminish posttraumatic learning.

Despite these challenges, a new study by Dr. Barbara Rothbaum and colleagues reports that a behavioral intervention delivered to patients immediately post-trauma is effective at reducing posttraumatic stress reactions.

"PTSD is a major public health concern," said Rothbaum, professor in Emory's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. "In so many people, what happens immediately after a traumatic event can make things worse or better. Right now, there are no accepted interventions delivered in the immediate aftermath of trauma."

To conduct the study, the researchers approached patients who presented to the local emergency room due to a traumatic event, including rape, car accident, or physical assault. Half of those who agreed to participate received the behavioral intervention, which was started immediately, while the other half did not. All patients were repeatedly assessed for symptoms of depression and stress over a twelve-week period.

The intervention is a modified form of exposure therapy in which a survivor confronts anxiety about a traumatic event by recounting it. Administered over the course of 3 1-hour sessions, the goal is to alter the person's thoughts and feelings about the traumatic event. Trained therapists asked the participants to describe the trauma they just experienced and recorded the description. The patients were instructed to listen to their recordings every day. The therapists also helped the patients look at obtrusive thoughts of guilt or responsibility, and taught them a brief breathing relaxation technique and self care.

They found that the intervention was safe, feasible, and successful at reducing posttraumatic stress reactions, compared to those who were assigned to the assessment-only condition, at 4 and 12 weeks post-injury.

"This study provides an elegant and clinically important test of the trauma reconsolidation hypothesis," commented Dr. John Krystal, editor of Biological Psychiatry.

The implications of this study are immense, Rothbaum explained. "If we know what to do, then we can train emergency workers to intervene with patients on a large scale. In addition to being implemented in the emergency room, it can help on the battlefield, in natural disasters, or after criminal assaults."

She concluded, "More research is needed, but this prevention model could have significant public health implications. A long-standing hope of mental health research is to prevent the development of psychopathology in those at risk instead of being limited to symptom treatment after disease onset."

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