Tag: research

advocacy Hope, healing and Family-Based Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa

Hope, healing and Family-Based Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa

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The most joyful words a parent can say are, “I’ve got my kid back.” With co-author, Professor Daniel Le Grange, I welcome the release of My Kid is Back, Second Edition. This updated and expanded book offers renewed hope, essential knowledge, and practical guidance for families supporting a young person...

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advocacy 51% free: The turning point in my eating disorder recovery

51% free: The turning point in my eating disorder recovery

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When I reached 55, after 44 years under the iron grip of anorexia nervosa, something inside me shifted. For the first time, I felt emphatically that I had crossed the threshold to a “51 per cent healthy self.” That moment wasn’t a magic cure—it was the hard-won payoff of decades...

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advocacy Eating disorder diagnosis failing young and old

Eating disorder diagnosis failing young and old

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In this third post that June Alexander has adapted from Alykhan’s Asaria’s article on improving eating disorder care for underserved groups, three more underserved groups are discussed — younger children, people with under-recognised eating disorders, and people with higher weights. Younger children and pre-adolescents Children under 13, and by implication,...

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advocacy Eating disorders are family disorders

Eating disorders are family disorders

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Keynote speaker at the 2013 National Eating Disorder Association conference, Dr Thomas Insel, was speaking from the heart when he said, “Eating disorders are family disorders.”* His words remain vital today. When a Federal government shutdown meant Dr Insel could not address the NEDA audience as director of the National...

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advocacy Family stories expose the reality of Family Based Treatment today

Family stories expose the reality of Family Based Treatment today

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Early responses to the call for family stories about experience with Family Based Treatment (FBT) for treatment of anorexia nervosa have been a revelation. I posted the call on my blog in October to invite first-person stories for the Second Edition of My Kid is Back – Empowering Parents to...

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advocacy Share your story and help parents get their kid back

Share your story and help parents get their kid back

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The book My Kid is Back means a lot to me because my parents did not see their kid come back. When I developed anorexia nervosa (AN) at age 11 (shortly after this picture was taken) there was no help for my parents or me. I wish my parents had...

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advocacy Millie the Eating Disorders librarian needs a job

Millie the Eating Disorders librarian needs a job

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I am very grateful to June for allowing me to write this post, and I will be grateful to any of you who can assist me in finding a new job within the eating disorders field. Many of you know me from my work as the eating disorders librarian, but...

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Memoir Hub An environment of trust in the private Memoir Hub

An environment of trust in the private Memoir Hub

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Welcome to the Private Memoir Hub. This hub is a gathering place for people like you, who want to write their memoir. Above all else, this hub is a place where you can feel safe and secure, and free to share innermost thoughts and feelings. Writing a memoir requires opening...

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Anorexia An inside story about the hard slog of eating disorder recovery

An inside story about the hard slog of eating disorder recovery

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My eating disorder (ED) stipulated that isolating myself was essential for survival. I had no capacity left in my mind or body to function as me. Until I could master self-compassion and self-care, any progress would be skin deep. To trust myself and become part of my treatment team required connection with...

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The Diary Healer News Into the Great Wide Open: Family Risk and the Prevention of Eating Disorders

Into the Great Wide Open: Family Risk and the Prevention of Eating Disorders

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Consider six propositions strongly supported by research: 1. Eating disorders (EDs) are serious, sometimes chronic mental illnesses. 2. There will never be enough qualified therapists and other professionals to treat the number of patients with EDs, especially since mood disorders and substance use disorders are more prevalent. 3. EDs are frequently difficult to...

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