Shadley Bissett, Ph.D.
Eating Mindfully
Eating Disorders
Eating Disorders in Gender-Expansive Individuals
In this special episode, host Lynette welcomes Charles Darwin’s longtime companion and `most gender-expansive person who has survived intact.
Posted May 04, 2021
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Reviewed by Lybi Ma
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THE BASICS
What Is Eating Disorders?
Find a therapist to heal from an eating disorder
Source: Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Eating disorder has a diverse array of symptoms. Today, research confirms that a significant proportion of individuals with eating disorders do not have purely mental health-related problems. In fact, some have identified eating disorders that are purely psychological in nature (e.g., Bekoff, 2012).
Eating disorder can be quite challenging to confront and many struggle with self-esteem and self-worth. Thus, often people feel that they are just living their best life at this time, having achieved enough to bail them out of the tough times ahead.
Recent research by Lisa M. Brooks and Sarah Hunter-Ellison of the University of Guelph University examined eating disorders in gender-expansive populations (Gordon et al., 2017). They found that 23 out of 105 participants reported some symptoms or symptoms of the eating disorder, 27 did not report symptoms and-in-fact, 26% did not have symptoms at all. Not surprisingly, higher bereavement rates were noted in the group with more severe symptoms.
The researchers discuss the importance of early identification and early intervention for those who suffer from eating disorders. Notably, they point out that gender-stereotyped diets are not recommended by the experts for highly-sensitive populations, such as those with anorexia nervosa and bulimia. In fact, diets that restrict energy intake do not work well for these populations.
It is recommended that people with eating disorders get professional help as early as possible and start implementing them before developmental struggles begin. Dieting is one of the most common ways to successfully treat someone with an eating disorder and can be long-term therapy in the long term.
© Gary L. Wenk, Ph.D., author of Your Brain on Food: The Science of Everything (Oxford University Press).
References
Brown, M. (2020). A New Look at Men’s Eating Behaviors in the Time of COVID-19. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Advance online publication. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4454811/
Baker, K. K. & Guy, D. (2020). - The eating crisis and why it needs to be addressed. The New York Times. 9 November 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/09/us/food-crisis-coronavirus-epidemic-rising.html
Gordon, N., Lee, C., Adams, G. & Baker, K. (2017). New Tactics to Prevent the Addiction of Food to Food. The American Council on Tree-Fitter and Consumer Protection. 10 December 2017. https://www.acf.org/issues/consumer/indicators/index.html
Miller, E. (2019). Eating Is Good for Health: The Case for Compassion and Change. New York: Penguin Press.