April

Recently a friend of mine in recovery told me that she was sharing with a group of friends about the boundaries she had to make with her mother. The word “boundaries” was foreign to her friends and many asked, “What are boundaries?” My friend went on to explain, but her friends couldn’t wrap their minds around the concept saying, “Boundaries sound mean.”

This scenario got me thinking about when I first entered therapy. Psychology jargon like boundaries, co-dependency and narcissism were shocking to learn about. I had no idea that it was healthy to tell someone, “No” and not feel bad about it. For many of us in eating disorder recovery boundaries are terrifying to set up and equally to abide by. We think a boundary is someone else being mean or we are.  This thinking is simply a result of the information that has been filtered through our addict mind.

Boundaries are actually a really good thing. They allow us to protect ourselves emotionally, physically, financially and spiritually. Over the next 4 weeks The Victorian Healing Blog is going to be discussing boundaries in

• Friendships
• Family
• Work
• Dating

We hope you join the conversation and learn something new to add to your eating disorder recovery.

We would like to kick off our series by first addressing what boundaries are and why they are an issue amongst those with eating disorders.

Boundaries are like drawing a line in the sand between oneself and others. A boundary many of us are familiar with is showing up to work on time. Many employers have the boundary that you must show up to work on time or there are consequences. The 1st time you are late you get a warning, the 2nd time you are written up and the 3^rd time you are terminated. This boundary is put in place between employer and employee so that the working environment is a healthy productive one. If this boundary wasn’t in place, employees might show up whenever they wanted, which would make for chaos and stress which might lead to the deterioration of the company.

The first element of a boundary starts with a human being having a healthy level of respect for their self. If you value something, you protect it right? Which is why we lock our cars and front doors. We value what we have and don’t want people taking what is ours. The same goes for our time, energy and emotions. We put boundaries in place so others don’t harm what is ours.

The problem for those in eating disorder recovery is that many have low self esteem and a lack of confidence in themselves which leads to not valuing oneself and then leads to poor boundaries which perpetuate the eating disorder behaviors.

Try and think of areas you may need to increase your boundaries. Journal about it and bring your questions here to The Victorian Healing Blog, we would be happy to talk about them with you. See you in a few days we discuss boundaries in friendships.

Happy Recovery,

Irvina

I recently saw a news clip featuring Katie Couric talking about eating disorder awareness month. She said, “Anorexia and Bulimia affect over 10 million girls in the US and over 2 million boys.” She went on to give resources and tips on how to detect and prevent eating disorders. At the end of it I was grateful to see eating disorders getting publicity (especially by a noted newscaster like Couric), but I was annoyed that Binge Eating, Compulsive Overeating and Obesity didn’t make it on to her list of eating disorders. I find it quite troubling that many mistaken the word “Eating Disorder” to only associate with food deprivation and not consumption. The fact of the matter is that people who are obese have just as severe eating disorders as anorexics and need just as much treatment and support.

 Coincidentally when I researched the prevalence of eating disorders in Jamaica I was ironically presented with the following data: Anorexia has not been a major plague in Jamaica. According to an article published in the West Indian Medical Journal in 2002, the incidence of eating disorders in Jamaica was low. The survey, conducted by V.O. White and J.M. Gardner, covered the period dating from 1985 to 1998 and found that two cases of Anorexia Nervosa (AN) were treated at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) and 11 cases of AN and 11 cases of Bulimia Nervosa (BN) were presented to health professionals.

Did you catch that they are just talking about Anorexia and Bulimia. However, The Ministry of Health website for promotion of healthy lifestyle in Jamaica shows that Jamaicans are killing themselves with violence, sex and fat. The policy states "during the last 50 years the major causes of death and disability in Jamaica have changed from communicable and infectious diseases to chronic disease conditions. The problems are largely rooted in the lifestyle and show a dominance of chronic diseases, sexually related conditions, including HIV/AIDS and violence related injuries and death." Interesting findings considering those with eating disorders are known to indulge in sexually promiscuity, self harming behaviors and fatty foods when binging. Hmm….

Globally, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults, and at least 300 million of them are clinically obese. The Caribbean has some of the highest rates of obesity. In Jamaica, 52% of persons 15-74 yrs. old are overweight/obese. Women bear the greatest burden of this epidemic with 64.7% overweight/obese.

Yes, you read that right 64.7% of women in Jamaica are obese. When I I hear that I hear 64.7% of the women in Jamaica have eating disorders. Now, some might argue this statement with the evidence that people of African or Caribbean ethnicity are genetically pre-disposed to being larger on the scales. However, obesity and large are two different things. The consequences of obesity can be severe. If left untreated, an obese person is at pronounced risk of developing serious mental disorders, such as depression, personality disorders, or anxiety disorders as a direct consequence of their obesity. For many, obesity leads to chronic and often life-threatening eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa. People who are obese are also at much greater risk of developing a variety of serious medical conditions including high blood pressure, stroke, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer, gallbladder disease, upper respiratory problems, arthritis, skin disorders, menstrual irregularities, ovarian abnormalities, and complications of pregnancy. Obesity is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year in the US alone.

So to answer our original question, yes there are definitely eating disorders in Jamaica. In face 64% of the women there have an eating disorder called, Obesity. What can you do about this? You can TALK about this. You can bring this up to friends in discussions, you can blog, you can share this article on Facebook and Twitter, you can tell your doctor and therapist. The more our society knows realizes that eating disorders are not a disease of the white, the wealthy and the privileged the more and funding will go to research and stopping this disease from killing more people. People who didn’t ask for this disease but are silently suffering because no one knows how to help them. Today you have discovered how to help them, will you?

Happy Recovery,

Irvina

"We are not here merely to make a living, but to enrich the world with a finer spirit of hope and achievement - and we impoverish ourselves if we forget the errand."

- Woodrow Wilson

I visited India once with a humanitarian group called Harvest India. They are based in the city of Tenali in Southern India. With this group I met orphans, former prostitutes, lepers and AIDS patients. The women and men I met had been through more pain and terror than I could ever imagine (and I’ve been through a hellish eating disorder.) I wondered how they dealt with their pain? I thought back to my own pain that I managed with an eating disorder. I never woke up and decided, “Today I’m going to have an eating disorder.” It kind of just happened. I wondered if anyone in India experienced the same thing? I started to ask around. I spoke to some locals and found that some of the women who were rescued from prostitution were known to self mutilate and harm themselves. I also found some teenage boys who told me that girls in high school do diet and purge. And being “thin” is sought more so than being larger.

Bollywood actress, Anushka Shetty

On one hand I knew that the genetic element of eating disorders would not leave the culture untouched. On the other hand I was still quite surprised. The media in India still greatly favors voluptuous women. Curves are celebrated and seen as a sign of good health and wealth. Bollywood actress Anushka Shetty is one of the celebrated curvaceous goddesses of India.

But psychiatrists in urban areas of India are reporting cases of anorexia nervosa. Most people in India have still not heard of the condition but Delhi psychiatrist Sanjay Chugh says he has seen an explosion in anorexia cases over the past few years. Some do believe that the influence of western films and television in affluent areas has given today's Indian teenagers the idea that thin is beautiful. If women do succumb to pressure to be ultra thin and develop anorexia, says Dr Chugh, the public has little sympathy.

He says everyone is aware that hundreds of millions of people do not get enough food every day.

 "For them, a person who's starving herself to death must be stupid," he says.

But shame and ridicule will not make this disease disappear.

What it may stop is people reaching out for treatment.

Thankfully India is developing places for those suffering from eating disorders to go. The very first addiction rehabilitation clinic is called, Caim India and located in Bangalore.

Please share the information you learned today about eating disorders in India with others. Knowledge is the biggest tool we can use to prevent and stop eating disorders from spreading.

Happy Recovery,

Irvina