Hey – big news, everyone! Over the weekend, the American Psychiatric Association’s board of trustees approved the fifth edition of the DSM-V, the influential diagnostic manual of mental disorders – the bible of psychiatry. The changes will go into effect in May, marking the first time it’s been revised since the DSM-IV in 1994. This manual … Continue reading »
“Guys just don’t get it,” he said, fidgeting in his chair. “When I tell a guy friend about my eating disorder they say, ‘Come on, dude. That’s a girl thing.’ They don’t understand, so I don’t tell them.” The person speaking was one of the two men present at the support group last Wednesday night, … Continue reading »
Sunday was the Baltimore NEDA Walk, where I walked with a group of women from treatment as well as a couple of my family members; we called ourselves StrongHer. I couldn’t be more proud of my team – we raised over $3,600 for NEDA, making us the top team in fundraising. The girls (and my … Continue reading »
The doctor gave me a discharge date: October 3rd. By then I’ll have been in treatment for exactly fourteen weeks – that’s ninety-eight days! Ninety-eight days of supervised meals and stepping on scales, of needles and tourniquets, of talking about feelings and coping skills and how to walk into a grocery store without having a … Continue reading »
Day 19 - What is the hardest thing you had to give up because of your disorder/addiction? Control. My body, I feel, hasn’t been mine for a while: I’ve relinquished control first to the eating disorder itself and now to my treatment team. I’ve stepped back, allowing these other entities to push and pull me whichever way … Continue reading »
Wednesdays are always tense at intensive outpatient because it’s a weigh-in day. Stepping on the scale midday while fully clothed and full from breakfast and lunch is guaranteed to show some weight fluctuation – something none of us really want to see – and so everyone is distracted on Wednesdays; brooding and disappointed, the patients … Continue reading »
One of the art therapists recently returned to me my folder of work from when I was on the unit, and I wanted to share some of it with you. I’ve found art therapy to be extremely helpful in processing my feelings, my goals, and my thoughts, very cathartic and calming. It’s not about the outcome … Continue reading »
My body image is terrible today; I feel awful about myself and my appearance, like I’m some sort of frumpy, pudgy lump o’ shit. Couple that with returning to the environment where I had been the most active in my behaviors, the ground zero of my eating disorder.. oy. Not a good mix. Today I … Continue reading »
