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STARVED
Bettina Adragna/Features Writer - June 30,
2008
-
Anorexia is the bad friend who lies to
you
She and her family had moved to Avila Beach from
Arroyo Grande at the beginning of that school year,
and she was becoming more and more isolated. On
Valentine's Day, her boyfriend broke up with her.
Julia took it hard because he was the only one she
felt she could trust.
ED told her that if she could listen to him and
trust him, she would be OK. He was reassuring, at
first.
But ED became more and more demanding. Julia began
starving herself to death in an effort to avoid the
shame she felt when she didn't do what he said.
Julia was diagnosed with anorexia at the end of her
sophomore year in May 2006. Her friend “ED,” or her
eating disorder, was revealed to be a false friend.
But it took her a while to separate herself from
him.
She checked in to the Central Coast Intensive
Outpatient Eating Disorder Program (commonly called
IOP) in San Luis Obispo, and was given one week to
stop losing weight, or she would have to go to
Stanford Hospital. It was at the IOP that she
learned “ED's” true nature.
“I didn't care if I lived or died,” Julia said. “It
took too much energy to think about purposefully
hurting myself.”
Julia didn't have to go to Stanford at the end of
the week, and began group therapy in San Luis
Obispo, as well as sessions in Los Olivos, with
registered dietitian Francie White.
White is the owner of the Central Coast IOP, and
specializes in eating disorders.
Terry White, clinical director for the Central
Coast IOP program and Francie's husband, said it
takes a certain combination of factors to result in
anorexia - a genetic predisposition in the
individual, a perfectionistic, extrovert-focused
culture, and traumatic or unhealthy circumstances
or environment.
Holli Stewart, director of Dr. Holli Stewart and
Associates Counseling and Psychotherapy and a
specialist in eating disorders, said anorexia is
encouraged by cultures that focus on an artificial
body image. “It's certainly a societal thing,
because we see it more in our culture than any
other culture,” Stewart said.
Terry White said students in their first year of
college have the highest statistical incidence of
eating disorders. Stewart said she often sees cases
starting in puberty.
“Puberty is a developmental age,” Stewart said.
“Our brain is changing. Also, in our culture, youth
are becoming aware of who they are (and) where they
are in relation to others.”
Stewart said the causes tend to be
multidimensional, and caused or aggravated by “the
personality of the individual, the culture, the
family, the friends, and how they interpret” the
messages from those sources.
Francie White said anorexics tend to be
introverts.
“As introverts, they don't feel seen, and anorexia
can be a way of getting attended to,” Francie White
said.
She blames a culture that is fragmented and
competitive, and that “externalizes” life's
problems by offering a solution outside the
consumer in the form of a product.
“For the most part, there's sort of this standard
that we're supposed to be happy, and if we're not,
we take Prozac,” Francie White said. “The truth
about life that the advertising doesn't allude to
is it's a journey, and it involves great amounts of
suffering or loss Š never mind the whole media
setting a standard for weight that's
impossible.”
According to Stewart, treatment for anorexia often
involves addressing other issues such as other
mental disorders and substance abuse. Anxiety and
depression tend to be common in anorexics, so that
SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), a
type of antidepressant, are sometimes prescribed by
a psychiatrist.
Francie White said cognitive behavioral therapy is
important to change erroneous core beliefs, such as
“My worth is based on being thin,” and replacing
them with beliefs such as “I have worth no matter
what. I am a completely worthwhile, lovable human
being.”
According to Francie White, a patient with anorexia
needs a team composed of a physician, a
psychotherapist, a registered dietitian, and
sometimes a psychiatrist.
Nutrition therapy is necessary so the anorexia
patient can be in good enough shape physically to
go through therapy, Francie White said. The
physician monitors the patient's physical condition
and weight changes to make sure he or she is
medically stable.
An Intensive Outpatient Program involves nine to 15
hours of therapy a week at the program's
facilities. Outpatient care involves keeping the
patient at home and working with the patient
outside a facility. Inpatient care involves keeping
a patient in a hospital or other institutional
setting for 30 to 90 days.
Julia stayed at home with her parents while
undergoing treatment. When her friends visited,
they read magazines and watched movies. She wasn't
allowed to do any strenuous physical activity.
She couldn't play tennis, her favorite sport, in
the winter after she returned to school in the
fall. But in her senior year, she got better and
excelled in the sport.
Julia wants to go to Cal Poly and live in the dorms
this fall. She's thinking of majoring in animal
sciences, because she loves animals, or teaching,
because she loves children.
She stopped going to church for a while, but has
since regained her faith in God. She also has more
faith in herself.
“Looking back, I'm kind of a better person,” Julia
said. “I just have a way better sense of self.”
She learned that the people who love her would
always be there for her, no matter what. And she's
glad she's gone through anorexia and come out on
the other side.
“I have total faith that it's going to work the way
it's supposed to,” Julia said. “Looking back, it's
like, why would you ever choose that other
life?”
FYI:
Anorexia nervosa is a serious, potentially
life-threatening eating disorder characterized by
self-starvation and excessive weight loss.
About 10 percent of patients with eating disorders
are male.
Nearly 10 million women and 1 million men in the
United States suffer from an eating disorder.
Anorexia nervosa has the highest premature
mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder.
- Source: The National Eating Disorders
Association
Where to get help:
If you think someone you know has an eating
disorder, it's important to get professional help
immediately.
The National Eating Disorders Association has an
Information and Referral Help-line at (800)
931-2237. Information is also available at
www.nationaleatingdisorders.org.
The Central Coast IOP can be reached at 688-5057,
or by visiting www.centralcoastiop.com.
Dr. Holli Stewart and Associates Counseling and
Psychotherapy can be reached at 925-0898.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
“Julia's” name has been changed to protect her
privacy.
Bettina Adragna can be reached at 739-2220 or at
badragna@santamariatimes.com. |
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