3 Myths About Adolescent Eating Disorder Treatment, Debunked

Residential eating disorder treatment is generally considered to be the most effective way to effectively treat bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and other disorders, But some people may feel apprehensive about going into treatment. Before entering a residential treatment program, many adolescents and families have heard some myths about what residential treatment is like and maintain some fears about what they’ll face. After all, there will be new responsibilities, a new location, a new schedule, and separation from the day-to-day schedule they are used to. 

Despite these fears or hesitations, there's nothing to worry about; in fact, in addition to providing solid psychological and medical residential treatment programs, residential eating disorder programs are increasingly comfortable and homey. Modern residential eating disorder treatment facilities are nothing like the sometimes negative media portrayal – they’re places of healing and growth, not institutional, cold hospital-like settings. Here are some common concerns people have about entering a residential treatment facility, and reasons not to be worried about them.

1. It will be like a prison

In the media, mental health treatment centers are portrayed as sterile, fluorescent-lit hospitals where clients are held involuntarily. This perception of residential treatment facilities, often based on outdated and old-fashioned ideas about mental health treatment from movies like Gia or Girl, Interrupted, is truly out of date in 2021. The simple fact of the matter is that residential treatment programs are often luxurious and comfortable, and residents are NEVER held involuntarily.    

Normally speaking, residential treatment for adolescents with an eating disorder is strictly structured, however, creating a focused space where clients can address the underlying symptoms that influence the eating disorder as well as work on a positive relationship with food and eating. This means that a comfortable, home-like setting is to be expected since a feeling of comfort and safety is key to eating disorder recovery.

2. I’ll have to retake my grade in school
 

Eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and most other eating disorders often (but not always) first appear during adolescence. This means a statistically large amount of cases will appear in people who are still in middle school or high school, stretching out into college years. These are important periods in students' development and their college prep. Of course, this can be a huge concern for both students and parents.

Thankfully, adolescent-focused residential treatment centers normally include a scholastic program as part of their daily routine. For long-term residential stays, there is normally a time set aside each day for maintaining the client’s educational path. At the highest quality residential treatment centers, they’ll have certified education professionals to teach lessons and provide tutoring in line with the client’s educational track. They will also coordinate coursework and lessons with the client’s school and parents, ensuring that eating disorder treatment won’t interfere with their education.


3. I’ll be away from home for so long

Another common fear regarding residential treatment programs is that the client will be stuck in treatment for months or years on end. While treatment can take a long time to achieve a full recovery, residential treatment is usually not needed for that length of time. Even for 30-day sessions, though, there might be fears that it will become a dreary, repetitive routine. Thankfully, most quality programs include various excursions and exposure therapies that take clients out of the facility, for learning experiences, and mental well-being.

For example, as part of nutritional and meal-planning purposes, a group of residential eating disorder clients might take an excursion to an open market and do a little shopping in preparation for a meal. Excursions to visit the movies, a live show, nearby attractions like parks, or even to the mall not only make the time fly by faster but also provide a way to put recovery lessons into everyday practice.
 

Residential Treatment Programs Can Be More

The modern eating disorder treatment experience is one that can be personally and academically fulfilling. It’s certainly not the desperate, boring, difficult experience many people imagine it to be. If you or a loved one has received a diagnosis of an eating disorder, don’t wait. Seek out a quality adolescent residential treatment facility today and get started on a happier, healthier life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: CARRIE HUNNICUTT
 

With 20 years of behavioral health business development experience, Carrie combines world-class marketing, media, public relations, outreach and business development with a deep understanding of client care and treatment. Her contributions to the world of behavioral health business development – and particularly eating disorder treatment  – go beyond simple marketing; she has actively developed leaders for her organizations and for the industry at large.

A New Way; Emerging Treatment Methods for Binge Eating Disorder

Ever since it was added to the official list of eating disorders in the DSM-V (the diagnostic manual for mental health disorders), the need for binge eating disorder (BED) treatment has become obvious.  BED is the most common form of eating disorder, but treatment is still in its relative infancy as compared to treatment for other eating disorders like anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. A binge eating recovery center that offers personalized programs and non-traditional methodology can often make greater strides in treatment than a one-size-fits-all treatment program, and for that reason eating disorder treatment centers are employing new, evidence-based, and holistic treatment methods to help their clients.
 

Although Western medicine has its place in eating disorder treatment, as it does in all forms of modern medicine, more holistic and alternative treatment methods have increasingly become centerpieces of eating disorder treatment. As complementary components to a more traditional talk-therapy methodology, they’re often used at full continuum of care facilities. Check out a few new approaches to BED treatment that are helping people make strides in their recovery.
 

Animal Assisted Therapy
 

The presence of our furry, domesticated friends brings calmness, trust, and comfort to people all around the world. Their presence can also be a boon to people engaged in mental health treatment, including treatment for eating disorders like BED. Because of this, some eating disorder treatment centers are beginning to incorporate treatment methods employing cats, dogs, and especially horses.
 

Working with horses allows these magnificent animals to become close to clients. Their sense of calmness and strength may transfer to the client, and the sense of responsibility gained from taking care of the animal can give them a better sense of their capability. Many people who engage in animal-assisted therapy for the first time have come to swear by it.
 

Massage Therapy
 

Massage therapy and chiropractic massage is a form of relaxation therapy used at many modern binge eating disorder recovery centers that can release serotonin and dopamine in the brain–these brain chemicals prompt positive feelings like contentment and relieve the mood. In recent years, many studies have been conducted on how massage affects a person’s psychological outlook; one result, in particular, shows great promise for eating disorder recovery.
 

The NCBI published the results of a study that was performed on 19 women with anorexia nervosa. The group of 19 was split in two; one group received standard therapy and the other received both the standard and additional massage therapy sessions. The ones who had had both talk therapy and massage therapy reported a lower rate of body dissatisfaction than the control group. This indicates that as part of an integrated treatment program, massage therapy can help lead to even more positive outcomes than therapy alone.
 

Yoga
 

One of the most tried-and-true alternative health and wellness treatment components used for eating disorder treatment is yoga. Yoga’s well-established in psychological, medical, and addiction-treatment circles as a physical and mental tool.
 

In a study titled “Body Awareness, Eating Attitudes, and Spiritual Beliefs of Women Practicing Yoga,” the authors came to the conclusion that:
 

“Qualitative data reported improvements in body satisfaction and disordered eating due in part to yoga and its associated spirituality.”
 

Yoga, in addition to being an ideal form of self-aware meditation, is also perfect for mindful movement. Many people with eating disorders also engage in excessive exercise – sometimes beyond the point of suffering an injury. Yoga provides a way to stay active without the high-impact exercise that becomes problematic for too many people with eating disorders.
 

New Approaches for Better Outcomes

A quality binge eating disorder recovery center in the modern age will employ multiple forms of therapy and therapeutic activities. This can include yoga and mindful meditation, traditional talk therapy, dedicated therapeutic techniques such as CBT and DBT, and many more. Binge eating treatment shouldn’t necessarily be old-fashioned – a new way has emerged, which incorporates both traditional and alternative approaches.

This is a guest blog entry. 

How to Recognize an Eating Disorder When You See One

Eating disorders are serious mental health disorders that can affect people of every age, race, ethnicity, and gender. Someone who has an eating disorder may exhibit a range of signs and symptoms that range from obvious to subtle. People close to someone with an eating disorder may not be prepared to recognize the more subtle signs; this can prevent them from reaching out to help the person who is struggling with the eating disorder
 

For this reason, we’ve listed some basic information about eating disorders, the signs you may see when these disorders are present, and what steps you can take to get help for yourself or a loved one.
Signs of Binge Eating Disorder
 

A binge eating disorder is actually the most common form of eating disorder in the United States, although it doesn't get as much recognition as others. People with binge eating disorders engage in binge eating episodes, where they compulsively eat large amounts of food in a short time. They may engage in dieting behaviors, but they do not engage in purging behaviors, such as vomiting.
 

If you suspect that your loved one may have binge eating disorder, keep an eye out for:

• Episodes of eating large quantities of food in secret.
• Frequent dieting.
• Extreme concern with weight and/or body shape.
• Unexplained weight gain.
• Keeping stashes of junk food, or hiding food.
• Discomfort about eating in a public setting.

People with binge eating disorder may feel out of control during episodes of binge eating, and they might begin to organize their schedule to accommodate these binge eating episodes. Binge eating disorder can lead to many of the negative symptoms of obesity such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
 

Signs of Anorexia Nervosa
 

Anorexia is a well-known restrictive kind of eating disorder where people severely restrict their caloric intake, leading to extreme weight loss. They are typically preoccupied with their body weight and may experience a distorted body image. Some of the most common signs of this disorder and behavioral symptoms include:

• Obsession with body weight, appearance, and avoiding weight gain
• Prolonged or extreme weight loss.
• Frequent dieting and counting calories.
• Chewing and spitting.
• Wearing baggy clothes to hide body shape.
• Always feeling cold
• Lethargy.
• Lack of normal menstrual cycles in women.
• Intense fear of weight gain.
• Extreme or compulsive exercise
• Becoming isolated or withdrawing from social engagements.

People with anorexia nervosa face a long list of negative symptoms. It is the most dangerous form of mental health disorder, with the highest death rate and suicide rate of them all. People with anorexia nervosa might also experience gastrointestinal problems, anemia, dizziness, thinning hair, muscle weakness, and a variety of other physical problems.
 

Signs of Bulimia Nervosa
 

Bulimia nervosa is similar to anorexia nervosa in that it often includes body image distortions and a fear of gaining weight. However, rather than restricting food intake, people with bulimia try to prevent weight gain by purging the food they eat, often during binge eating episodes similar to those in binge eating disorders. The most common way to purge is self-induced vomiting, but other methods like laxative abuse or excessive exercise are also common. Sometimes, the person will use several purging methods. Some of the signs of bulimia nervosa include:
 

• Obsession with weight and body shape.
• Evidence of binge eating episodes, such as large amounts of food disappearing or watching the individual eating large amounts of food at one time.
• Discomfort at meal times.
• Unusual rituals involving food.
• Keeping breath mints on themselves at all times, and other ways to hide the smell of vomit.
• Calluses on the fingers and knuckles.
• Evidence of purging, such as disappearing after meals, spending too much time in the bathroom, and laxative packages.
• Rapid or sudden tooth decay.

Bulimia nervosa can have many negative health effects, including thinning hair, dry skin, muscle weakness, and a range of other issues.
 

Recognizing Eating Disorders in a Friend or Family Member
 

If you believe your loved one may have an eating disorder, make sure you research their symptoms and maybe even talk to a professional before raising the issue with them. Many eating disorders cause the person great stress at mealtimes, especially when others are present, so keep your eye out during shared meals. In fact, many people discover eating disorders during the holidays, when family gatherings are common. Make sure you don’t jump the gun – a conversation about a person’s potential eating disorder is not an easy one.
 

Getting Treatment for Eating Disorders
 

Treatment for eating disorders is available in a variety of forms, including residential treatment, outpatient day treatment, and partial hospitalization programs. Residential treatment programs are conducted in inpatient facilities that provide all the resources people with eating disorders need to get better, with 24/7 medical, psychiatric, and therapeutic care.
 

Reach out to an expert such as an eating disorder counselor or the admissions staff at an eating disorder treatment center if you want to help yourself or your loved one attain a full recovery. They can help you diagnose the disorder, arrange treatment, and enter an eating disorder treatment facility, as well as arranging transportation and financial considerations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: CARRIE HUNNICUTT
 

With 20 years of behavioral health business development experience, Carrie combines world-class marketing, media, public relations, outreach and business development with a deep understanding of client care and treatment. Her contributions to the world of behavioral health business development – and particularly eating disorder treatment  – go beyond simple marketing; she has actively developed leaders for her organizations and for the industry at large.

 

What should I do after a slip and fall in a restaurant?

If you slip and fall in a restaurant, forget about feeling foolish or embarrassed by what the other diners might think when they see you sprawled on the floor. You should concentrate on understanding just what happened to you and determining what injuries you have suffered.
 

You might have slipped and fallen because the floor was wet. This is quite a common occurrence in restaurants and bars, where people spill their drinks and the staff might take too long to get the spill cleaned. Maybe there were too many people crowding a small hallway and you might not have been able to see a small step up or down or a change in flooring material.
 

First Things First: Get Medical Attention

Some people might suffer a sprained ankle due to a slip and fall accident in a restaurant, but others have fared much worse, suffering life-threatening injuries. If you are having a hard time determining how badly injured you are, stay put. Call 911 or have someone call for you. Don´t attempt to stand up until medical help has arrived.

If your injuries are minor and you can walk out of the restaurant on your own, get checked out by a medical professional as soon as you leave the premises. Keep the medical records and bills for your injuries. Don’t put off getting checked out or the insurance company might interpret it as though your injuries were not serious enough to warrant immediate attention.
 

Talk to the Manger
 

Whoever is responsible for the restaurant should be appraised of your accident. If your injuries allow it, make sure that the owner or manager, or responsible party knows what happened. Don’t ask someone else to report this for you. Also, don’t make statements such as “I think I’m fine” or “It’s probably nothing”. Stick to the facts. Have them put your statement in writing and give you a copy.
 

Document the Accident
 

Use your cellphone to take pictures of the accident. If possible, have someone take pictures of you where you fell. You want what you were wearing to come out clearly. You want to avoid the restaurant manager saying that you fell because your clothes snagged on something or you were wearing shoes that made walking difficult for you.
 

Also, take pictures of security cameras to show that the accident was captured on the restaurant’s video feed.
 

Get Testimonies from Witnesses
 

If other patrons around you saw what happened, gather their testimonies. Also, ask for their contact information. Ask around to find out who was standing close enough to witness your fall. Tell them you might need to get in touch with them later. There is no need to explain anything else to them at this point. Just let them know you might be in touch soon.
 

Talk to a Personal Injury Lawyer
 

You will need experienced legal help to be able to prove that there was negligence on the part of the restaurant. This means that they knew about the issue and took no action to correct it or to let you and other patrons know they needed to be aware of an issue when they were walking by.
 

Your Jacksonville slip and fall lawyers have had to deal with plenty of slip and fall accidents in restaurants and other premises. That is why they recommend that you seek legal help as soon as possible after the accident.
 

Start working with your personal injury attorney by telling them the full account of what happened, gather all the medical records and bills related to your injuries, if you have written testimonies and an accident report from the restaurant, give them that as well.

Your lawyer will explain your legal options and design a strategy to build a strong case and obtain the damages you are entitled to.
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Image via Pixabay
 

This is a guest blog entry. 

Bodily Injury Liability 101

 

No matter how careful you are in every area of your life, there is no way to avoid every single fall, bump, or accident. The problem is that in many cases we manage not only to hurt ourselves but to hurt someone else. For this reason, and being aware that accidents are a part of life, both general liability insurance, and automobile insurance include bodily liability coverage in their policies. Its purpose is to help you pay for the costs that come with having caused injuries to someone else.
 

Bodily Injury Defined
 

A narrow definition of bodily injury coverage includes three main areas which are personal injury to the body, disease, and sickness. A broader definition goes much further and includes such items as:

• Shock
• Disability
• Mental injury
• Mental anguish
• Death

What is the biggest problem associated with a personal injury?
 

Personal injuries are generally associated with secondary problems that may last much longer than the original injury itself. These secondary issues can have a negative impact on the life of whoever suffers from them, making daily living difficult. These may include:
 

• Past and future medical expenses
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation
• Diminished ability to carry out a previously held job
• Inability to work
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional anguish

How can your insurance policy help you face the possibility of having to deal with those issues?
Insurance policies reflect the fact that the issues listed above are a reality. Thus, they include different types of coverage that aim at protecting you (and your bank account) every day. These types of third-person liability coverage are:
 

Bodily Injury
 

This coverage offers financial protection to others when you are found to be at fault for an accident or an injury to a third party. It is understood that you may end up causing harm to somebody else either directly (such as when you harm them with your car), and indirectly (such as when you have left objects lying around and someone trips over them and gets injured).
 

Property Damage
 

This section of the coverage is used to offer financial protection in cases where things get damaged. If you destroy or damage someone else’s property, such as their car during an accident, your insurance would help cover the cost of repairing or replacing the damaged property.
 

How can you protect yourself from bodily injury claims?
 

Before you face an accident where you are at fault or damage someone else’s property, you should protect yourself with a general liability insurance policy. If you are the owner of a small business, this coverage is that much more crucial, since one single claim could end up ruining your business and forcing you to close your doors forever.
 

According to lawyer Kenneth King, it is more important to focus on the things you have to do to stay afloat in these economic circumstances than having to constantly worry about unexpected accidents and their effects on your business. Protect yourself and your livelihood: get a bodily injury policy now. It will offer you protection for third-party medical bills, legal fees, lost wages, mental anguish, pain and suffering, and even funeral costs.

In California, bodily injury liability insurance must cover $15,000 for bodily injury or death and $30,000 for wrongful death. That is what’s known as the “15/30” insurance.       
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Image via Pixabay

This is a guest blog entr.

Inside the OR: The Ten Most Essential Items

Every OR is meticulously designed to ensure that anything a surgeon could need is readily available throughout every procedure. Here are just ten of those essential items. 

1. Anesthesia

Anesthesia literally translates to ‘loss of sensation’, and it enables surgeons to perform complex, lengthy, and otherwise incredibly traumatic and painful procedures on patients who are not conscious of what is going on. This transformed surgical practice, and enabled much more complicated procedures to be developed without worry for the patient’s ability to survive. 

2. Lights

Any complex and intricate task requires excellent lighting, and this is never truer than it is within the OR. Plenty of bright, adjustable lighting must be used in order to ensure that the incision sites are not afflicted by shadows, and that the surgeon’s own hands do not get in their way. 

3. Retractor

These days, innovation continues to change the face of surgery, with many improvements being made with the Lone Star retractor. For instance, June Medical has worked to design a cam lock system, which offers the surgeon much more control and ensures that fewer personnel need to be present in the operating room – thus lowering the risk of infection. 

4. Smoke Removal System

Surgical smoke produced via cauterization can be highly damaging to surgeon’s lungs, and an effective removal system is essential to ensuring that medical professionals do not suffer long term health consequences as a result of inhalation. 

5. ECG Machine

A lot can go wrong during an operating, and close monitoring of the patient at all times is essential to ensuring that they are able to wake up from the operation without any complications or setbacks. An ECG, or electrocardiogram machine, enables everyone in attendance to monitor the patient’s heartbeat for sudden spikes or lulls, and ensure that they are coping well under anesthesia. 

6. Scalpel

The scalpel is one of the most recognisable symbols of the OR. With this, the surgeon can make precise, neat, and definitive cuts into the patient’s tissue, and ensure access to the site requiring medical attention. 

7. Sterilisation Equipment

Keeping all reusable implements clean, and ensuring that no germs are transferred from one patient to another within the OR, is an incredibly difficult job. All operating rooms need to be equipped with excellent facilities for sterilizing reusable implements, and ensuring that nothing touches the patient unless it has been scrupulously cleaned first. 

8. PPE

Personal Protective Equipment is essential not only to keeping the surgeon and those working within the OR safe, but also the ensuring that the sterile field is maintained, and that the patient is not exposed to any harmful microbes throughout the procedure. From masks to caps and gowns, all surgeons need to be appropriately dressed before entering the sterile field. 

9. Surgical Table

This is where the patient will lie throughout the surgery. It is designed to be easily adjusted to suit the height of the surgeon, and the nature of the operation, and ensure that everyone involved is always able to gain easy access to the site upon which the procedure is taking place. 

10. Backup Power

Many factors are at play during a surgery – all of which could, in worst case scenarios, backfire during the course of even the most routine procedure. One of the most devastating possibilities, however, remains loss of power, which would plunge the room into darkness and prevent any of the machines monitoring and supporting the patient from working. 

A backup source of power is, for that reason, essential, and no surgery should proceed without it.

This is a guest blog entry.

All about Gender Identity

Gender Identity is a timely and relevant topic that deserves proper discussion and attention. As we all have known, gender identity only has distinctions which are the male and female. However, it still has a wider spectrum of perceptions that must be discussed thoroughly considering the modern influences of this generation. Given that, here is a brief discussion of gender identity and linking ideas for us to gain more awareness about this relevant topic. 

Defining Gender Identity 

Gender identity refers to one’s personal sense of their own gender. It can correlate with what sex is assigned to one when born or differ from it. Also, gender expression reflects the gender identity of a person but not all the time. For example, in this modern time, people may express their appearances, attitudes, and behaviors assigned to a specific gender role; however, these do not essentially reflect their true gender identity. 

Moreover, each society has its own set of gender categories, which serves as the basis for self-identity. As mentioned previously, there are two main categories of gender which are the female and male. Females express femininity and males express masculinity. Now, gender identity has been known to form at the age of three. After this age, making changes to it can be difficult, and failed attempts to reassign it results in gender dysphoria. 

Age of Formation 

Different theories were made and used to determine the exact age of the formation of gender identity. It has been a tough journey for researchers since children still lack language at an early age. Communicating and investigating children in terms of their gender identity did not come easily However, researchers claimed that gender identity mostly forms at the age of three. This is the age where children are starting to be aware of themselves, their identity, likes, and life. This is the age where their level of consciousness, not only about themselves but also in the surrounding increases. Moving forward, let us now proceed to the factors affecting the formation of gender identity. In this way, we can widen our perspective about this topic and gain more knowledge on how to deal with it.
 

Factors Affecting the Formation of Gender Identity 

Lots of people are not yet completely aware of gender identity, especially the factors affecting its formation. This leads to confusion and hard times in coping and understanding it. Given that, below are the brief discussions about these factors. 

Nature vs. Nurture 

The very first factor that affects gender identity formation is nature vs. nurture. Nurture refers to the environmental or social factors, and nature pertains to the biological factors. Beginning with nurture, human beings are born to be social-making interactions not only with fellow human beings but also with nature, society, and other elements. With daily exposure to a specific kind of nature, gender identity can be formed. For example, when a child is exposed to a setting that consists of feminine attributes, the child will be more likely to become feminine. Although biologically, the child is male, exposure to femininity can alter gender identity. One big example of this is when a boy is born with siblings that are all female. The tendency of the child to think and feel feminine will increase as his exposure to his female siblings is dominant.

 
On the other hand, the nature or biological factors affecting gender identity is also important. The females have feminine attributes, while the males have masculine attributes. Once a child has been made aware of what biological features he or she has, these attributes can be nurtured over time.

For a wider discussion, below are specific factors: 

Biological Factors

This is considered as the most important factor for gender identity, for it comes naturally. Any feminine features will lead to femininity, and masculine features will lead to masculinity. Examples of unchangeable and inner features are the reproductive system containing the ovaries and vagina for the female and sperm for the male. As our world continues to be more modernized, altering physical features representing gender identity has been made possible through surgeries and operations. This is where the idea of transgender and trans-sexuality follows. 

Transgender and Trans-Sexuality 

Due to confusion, other people choose to alter their gender identity by undergoing major surgeries removing or changing the features that show their old identity. Countries such as Thailand are only one of the well-known countries that host surgeries for transgender purposes. Due to advancement in technology, that surgeries like these are becoming successful and even undergoing further development and improvement. In this way, people who wish to change their gender identity can have a higher assurance that they will never hide who they truly are. They will have the confidence to show what and who they really are as long as it does not create any negative effect on other people. 

Environmental and Social 

The next set of factors is environmental and social. Here, we are going to discuss the specific factors that affect the formation of gender identity of one’s self. 

Parental Establishment 

Since a child is born, the parents are there to look and care for him or her. Whatever the parents do and show to their child will be copied and admired by the child. This is what we call the parental establishment or simply the influence the child’s development not only in gender but also in other area. 

Parents must show the proper respect connected to a gender. If the child is a female, then feminine influences must be established. On the other hand, if the child is a male, then masculine influences must be established.

Society and Groups 

Another factor is society and groups. Any gender influence learned by a child from society and groups will then contribute to shaping the individual and can avoid leading him or her into confusion in the future.

This is a guest blog entry.