By Dixie Brown, MS, ICAADC, CAP, LCAS, Executive Director of Willow Place for Women The risk factors for BED and substance abuse are very similar. Once one occurs, the other often follows. Both BED and substance abuse disorders are spurred by depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, or a combination of the three. Both involve compulsive behaviors and a clear preoccupation with seeking solace in substance. The shame associated with BED is often so overwhelming that sufferers will turn to drug or alcohol abuse a means of calming the psychological symptoms and after-effects of a binge. BED signs and symptoms While weight gain is a good indication of BED, not every afflicted individual will appear overweight or obese. Those who suffer from BED will typically experience most …
Alcoholism and Binge Eating Disorder
By Dixie Brown, MS, ICAADC, CAP, LCAS, Executive Director of Willow Place for Women Alcoholism and binge eating disorder (BED) frequently co-occur. BED is the most common eating disorder in the US. It affects three times as many people who suffer from anorexia and bulimia combined. Many individuals who suffer from BED also have substance abuse disorders – binge drinking disorder or alcoholism, most commonly. We still don’t know exactly why these two disorders often occur together. But simultaneous treatment is essential for recovery from both conditions. Alcoholism and binge eating disorder – two sides of the same coin Many studies have concluded that eating disorders and substance abuse disorders co-occur more frequently than not. Especially in women, and especially among patients who are already …
A Prisoner Of My Own Mind: Inside My Eating Disorder
Have you ever wondered what it is like to have an EATING DISORDER? What it is like to live with a horrific mental illness that no one seems to understand, an illness that is often misdiagnosed, swept under the rug or hidden behind plastic smiles? […]
Bariatric Surgery In The Elderly
While the often impressive benefits of bariatric surgery on health and quality of life in younger patients with severe obesity are well documented, the safety and benefits of bariatric surgery in older patients remains largely unclear. Now, a systematic review by my colleague Alexandra Chow from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, published in Obesity Surgery looks at outcomes in patients older than 65 years of age. The review includes data from 8 studies (1835 patients) of roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, all of which were case series. Overall mean excess weight loss was about 70{7920e18cf5186565893a18d1f69fa52bf2806dc683a7bfcea51d671d2f7d8125}, which is only marginally less than generally seen in younger patients with this procedure. Mean 30-day mortality was 0.14 {7920e18cf5186565893a18d1f69fa52bf2806dc683a7bfcea51d671d2f7d8125} with a post-operative complication rate of around 20{7920e18cf5186565893a18d1f69fa52bf2806dc683a7bfcea51d671d2f7d8125}, with wound infections being …
The US Has Made Remarkable Progress In Policy Recognition Of Obesity As A Disease
While the debate about whether or not obesity merits being called a disease may still be discussed in lay circles (and, unfortunately, even amongst some so-called “experts”), there have been some remarkably forward-thinking policy decisions in the US, that should have long helped lay this “debate” to rest. Here are just some of the policies supporting the idea of obesity as a disease passed by US legislators in recent past, as outlined in the article by Scott Kahan and Tracy Zvenyach published in Current Obesity Reports. In 2002, the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) explicitly stated obesity is a disease and codified the right to deduct medical treatment for obesity. In 2004, the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) revised longstanding national …
What an Eating Disorder in Recovery Sounds Like
Wait… You’re not over that eating disorder yet? During National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (NEDAwareness), I did a fair amount of preaching to the choir about early intervention. Presumably, some of it reached the general public, but since the overwhelming majority of my followers — if not all of them — are people who have […] The post What an Eating Disorder in Recovery Sounds Like appeared first on The Middle Ground.