ASK THE "DON'T DIET" DOCTOR

Dear Dr. Dorie:
I have an eating disorder, and the holidays are always a difficult time for me.  I think my family wants to be supportive, but their actions often make me feel worse.  I think they need a better understanding of how to help me.
- Help My Family Help Me

Dear Help My Family Help Me:
Eating disorders are serious conditions, and the recovery process can take some time.  Getting the right kind of support during the process of recovery can definitely enhance your progress.  Friends and family of people with eating disorders often do not know how to help, but with your help they can learn.

In general, there are three types of eating disorders:  anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder.  As a simple overview, anorexia involves low body weight and restrictive eating patterns, bulimia involves binge eating followed by purging (usually by self-induced vomiting) and binge eating disorder involves compulsive eating of large amounts of food without purging.  There are also subcategories of these disorders, and the actual diagnosis is made by a mental health professional.

Many people assume that eating disorders are only about eating and weight.  Regarding the anorexic, people think, 'They just need to start eating more and gain some weight,' and regarding the bulimic or binge eater, people think, 'They need to stop eating so much.'  However, recovering from eating disorders is not that simple.

In general, comments about eating and weight can make things worse for the person with an eating disorder.  Family members who are trying to lose weight, focused on 'diet rules' or overly healthy conscious can also adversely affect the person in recovery from an eating disorder.

The more your family can read about eating disorders, the better.  If you are reading books that you find helpful, pass them on to your family.  A resource that I often recommend is entitled 'Surviving an Eating Disorder:  Strategies for Families and Friends,' by the author Michele Siegel and colleagues.  Attending eating disorder support groups can also assist your family.  For information about support groups across the country, contact the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) at (847) 831-3438.

Help your family understand more about your eating disorder, and how their efforts affect you.  Share steps they can take to best support you.

© 2006 Dr. Dorie McCubbrey, all rights reserved.  As one of America's leading experts on obesity and eating disorders, Dr. Dorie is the author of How Much Does Your Soul Weigh? (HarperCollins, 2003).  Visit www.DrDorie.com for more diet-free solutions to your food, weight and body worries.

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