Edeology

What happens when someone with a high acuity eating disorder needs more support than can be provided in outpatient settings, but refuses a higher level of care? Considering the high mortality rate of eating disorders, this question can quite literally be a matter of life and death. In a previous episode on harm reduction, we […]

What is an eating disorder? We know it can involve symptoms such as food restriction, binge eating, or purging behaviors. But what underlies these behaviors? What causes an eating disorder, and how do we treat it? These are questions that do not have a universal, clear-cut answer.  Is an eating disorder a coping strategy developed

If you’ve had a client who has been through multiple treatments, tried countless medications, received diagnosis after diagnosis—bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, depression, eating disorder—leaving their treatment team confused and unable to find a path that sticks, it might be dissociative identity disorder (DID). Many people with DID go years, even decades, cycling through the

Does weight affect health? For many years, the scientific and medical communities assumed the answer to this question as an obvious yes. After all, studies show correlations between higher BMI (body mass index) and various medical conditions, one of which—PCOS—is the topic of today’s episode. When we look at studies showing a correlation between weight

There’s a stereotype that eating disorders are a young woman’s illness. Many treatment centers cater primarily to young people, and even adult treatment centers often have a predominantly young adult population. As a result of this, when someone experiences an eating disorder in midlife or later, they may face not only the challenges and stigma

Periodically, I come across social media posts or comments questioning the legitimacy of work by a non-credentialed author, healer, or influencer. These questions stem from the fact that, as mental health becomes increasingly recognized as its own discipline, standards are developed to monitor and legitimize it. Academic degrees and clinical licensure help ensure credibility, ethical

Periodically, I come across social media posts or comments questioning the legitimacy of work by a non-credentialed author, healer, or influencer. These questions stem from the fact that, as mental health becomes increasingly recognized as its own discipline, standards are developed to monitor and legitimize it. Academic degrees and clinical licensure help ensure credibility, ethical

As we learn and grow, we also begin to recognize the inadequacies of what we once believed. For healthcare professionals, this realization comes with the added weight of knowing that our past lack of knowledge may have hurt the people we worked with and cared for.  In the eating disorder recovery field, there is an

As we learn and grow, we also begin to recognize the inadequacies of what we once believed. For healthcare professionals, this realization comes with the added weight of knowing that our past lack of knowledge may have hurt the people we worked with and cared for.  In the eating disorder recovery field, there is an

Eating disorders can be deadly. They have some of the highest mortality rates among mental illnesses, both as a direct result of medical complications and the increased risk of suicide. Because of this, clients with severe symptoms often require continuous support and medical monitoring that can only be provided in higher levels of care. Active