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Am I in denial?
I'm 20, female. My psychologist informed me that I have EDNOS (Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified). I can see where she's coming from, but at the same time, I think she's wrong.
I know I have eating issues. I stay under 600 calories per day, lately it's been under 500. I think about food a lot. I've lost almost 60 pounds (but I'm still overweight--I was obese to begin with).
But I've only been doing this for five or six months. I AM still eating. So it hasn't been that long, and I haven't restricted that much.
First of all, can a psychologist actually diagnose an eating disorder, or is it unofficial unless it comes from a doctor?
Second, is it unfair to classify me as eating disordered? Does it not take away from those who are more severe, for longer? Did my therapist jump the gun?
I know what I'm doing is unhealthy. I just don't think it's as severe as everyone is making it out to be.
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Maybe give some free advice about: Mental health?
If you really disagree, then get a second opinion, but what bothers you the most about what she told you? Is it because she is wrong, because she is right, or because she labeled you and that is a form of control. Eating disorders are all about control, and the obsession of controlling calories and body weight. Go to your regular doctor and ask how many calories would be healthy for you to consume daily. My guess is that you won't go for it. Self-image is easily distorted by our inner feelings and it is almost impossible to see ourselves the way the world does. Listen to some objective opinions. If you know it is not healthy, then why are you okay with it? Your food and your body are your business, and no one else can control them for you. Your health and life are at your own mercy. What you decide is your's to live with. You don't have to defend yourself in the end to anyone else, but you are accountable to yourself and you have an obligation to your own wellness to be honest about your feelings and the relationship you have made between your feelings and your food. I had an eating disorder at a particularly stressful time in my life and understand the sense of well-being that comes from controlling food, but it was a cover-up for fear and loneliness. It took a while for me to feel good enough about myself to take care of myself. I hope that you are on that path.
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Hhhmmm where to begin...
First as to the question of doctor versus psychologist. Eating disorders are usually mental, not physical; a doctor such as a GP would very likely refer a patient to a psychologist if they suspected that a patient did indeed have an eating disorder. There isn't much a doctor can do beside suscribing meds and telling you to change your eating habits - which many patients would ignore. If there is some actual eating disorder, it is in your mind more than likely (habitual, mental, behavioral), it isn't physical, and it would be squarely in the psychologists ball-park, so to speak. So I would have to say that yes, its official, coming from a Psychologist...at least in the sense that a doctor would tell you they think you have a disease would be official, you can always get a 2nd opinion.
Is it unfair to classify you as having an eating disorder? You yourself say "I know I have eating issues", as well as "I know what I'm doing is unhealthy". Those two comments alone, IMO, are enough to raise serious concerns.
No offense - I'm just being honest when I say this - but I get the impression that you are grasping at straws, and trying to justify a refusal of your diagnosis. You might not even be doing this consciously, but it seems to come out in what you have written here. You know you have a problem, but you argue that it isn't severe. You know its unhealthy, but you counter with the idea that "there are others who are worse" (my re-wording) so it doesn't seem as bad. Even your psychologist feels you have some sort of an eating disorder (which covers a lot of ground btw), and you straight up think he/she is wrong. You do seem to be splitting a lot of hairs here.
I would indeed agree that you are in denial, to some extent.
I'm not saying I would do differently in your position, we all have to grapple with our demons. I denied that I had a drug/alcohol problem a decade ago, and fortunately I was able to come to grips with reality before things fell apart. But I spent a lot of time denying facts, ignoring everyone else, and justifying my own viewpoints in an attempt to convince others (and myself) that what I was doing was 'ok'. I can look back now and see what a fool I was, and I have a lot of regrets. Still though, I am happy with the outcome.
IMHO the best thing to do, is to bring this up to your Psychologist. Tell him/her exactly what you have said here (hell you could show them this thread even). He/She will know how you are feeling, what you are thinking, and will be much better enabled to treat you fairly. Also understand that you are dealing with a mental health issue, and often you need to put your own opinion on the back burner. This is because you are biased, and often patients do not have the point-of-view to be objective as to their condition, in the way that a psychologist would be.
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By definition you have an eating disorder(eating disorder is a complex compulsion to eat in a way which disturbs physical, mental, and psychological health. [Link](Mouse over link to see full location) ). Yes you do still eat but this may develope into a much bigger problem. With you keeping track of what you eat, it will progress and get much worse to a habbit where you cant stop, like anorexia. im pretty sure a psychologist cant dignose an eating disorder, but they are still a doctor, and probably with their knowledge they might have a pretty good idea of what eating disorders are.its better to jump the gun because, some people go too far so they wont be able to be stopped, and you being in proabably the early stage, your better to 'mold'. which i mean that you can go eiher way,farther into the eating disorder or staying safe away from it
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You do come across in this question as someone who has an eating disorder. I'd have to talk to you a little more to be sure. Limiting your caloric intake to 600 is a bit savvier. Try eating at least 1000 calories a day and add a good 20 minute workout to your daily schedule. Work out in the morning because this increases your metabolism for the day. This should help you towards a less life threatening lifestyle. You're fine right now because you've only been doing this for a short while. It already sounds like your transitioning into the danger zone by your going down to 500 cals a day. This behavior is indicative of Anorexia. I've known people who have suffered this and what you are doing is very familiar to me. See how this works? Your psychologist could have worked w/so many people w/eating disorders that they know the signs. Most people who have an eating disorder can't see they have a problem. They usually live in denial. You may want to reassess your view of yourself. I think you really know what is going on, but are afraid to admit it because what you are doing is working and you don't want to stop doing something that works for you. The problem w/this is that it won't work forever. Eventually you will either die of complications due to insufficient nutrients or start eating regular again and gain more weight than you lost. This is your body’s protective response to having gone through a starvation mode. Your body will slow down your metabolism so that you store and hold onto food more efficiently. It will be come afraid that there will be another period of famine. Your body can’t tell the difference between you intentionally wanting to restrict your caloric intake or an environment depleted of food. It will do what it is programmed to do and that is to help you survive the famine. It is because of this type of dieting that we have an obesity problem, among other things, in this country. Relax and settle down in a quiet place and look w/in you to find the answer here.
I'm not sure if psychologists are suppose to diagnose. I have been of the opinion that psychologists head up the therapy programs based on the diagnosis of a Doctor or psychiatrist. It is my opinion that only a Doctor can diagnose an illness. But, sometimes people have been doing what they do for years and have developed a good sense for these things. You may want to at least listen to what they have to say before you make your final decision.
I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor towards weight loss.
Namste!
LULABELLE
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Hi there,
First, let me say that it is a real pleasure to see such a well reasoned question about a subject on which people are rarely well reasoned.
I think with only a few points, you might very easily see the problem as others do... given your advanced intellect.
Let me ask an initial question: Have you ever dieted before and experienced the so called "yo-yo" effect? This is a situation where you starve the body, then the body defends itself by holding onto every spare calorie it get until such time as it is convinced you aren't going to do this to it again.
The typical result is to gain all the weight back plus more.
You probably see where this is going by now, but I will spell it out for others who may read this.
You think you are eating light. Your body thinks it has been transported back in time to a WWII Nazi death camp.
The problem, which the doctor was right about, but obviously didn't explain very well, is that in order to maintain your weight, you have to continue to starve yourself.
So where does he/she get off diagnosing you with a "disorder?" Simply this:
If you continue at 500 calories, there is a high probability you will eventually die.
Your eating habits are not in order for a happy life, hence: "disorder."
As for the psychologist being the one to diagnose this... in my experience that is usually the person who issues the diagnosis.
You may have lost a great deal of weight, but you have put yourself in a very odd position: If you just start eating completely normally again, your body, which as far as it is concerned has been in a Nazi death camp for HALF A YEAR, will hold onto every stray calorie it can get ahold of.
You will put weight back on.
If you look at it from the perspective of your body, you will see that there isn't going to be a no-effort way to fix the terrible thing you have put your body through.
Is it hopeless? Not even remotely. You need one thing to make recovery possible without doubling your original weight:
Find yourself a good nutritionist, who can know everything about your situation AND has experience with bringing "yo-yo" dieters back into balance.
I don't know your height, build, or metabolism, but I can tell you that where a dietitian might recommend a 10% reduction in caloric intake, you have reduced yours upwards of 60%.
The odds of you getting enough protein in 500 calories, well, not likely at all. I don't even know it is possible.
This means that your body has been consuming your muscles to stay alive.
Your heart is made of muscle... never forget that.
This leaves you with a problem in that your muscles are responsible for a lot of burned calories. If you reduce muscle mass, you reduce your body's native ability to burn calories.
You will have to work with the nutritionist to find someone to help you slowly rebuild muscle mass to avoid your body stacking on the pounds.
Aside from the muscle loss, you have done something else traumatic to your system:
Lowered your metabolism. :-(
Of all the things you will wish you could take back, this will be the big one, as it is hardest, in my opinion, to un-do.
Your body knows it can't make up for your actions by eating your muscles forever... so it slows down your metabolism to keep you from dying for as long as possible.
Let me just stop here, and say that it is as severe as everyone is making it out to be.
If you look at what I have presented here, and you do not agree, you are, indeed, in denial.
I hope that isn't the case any longer, as you have put your body in a really bad way, and the longer you let it go the harder it will be to recover gracefully.
You absolutely need help. This is NOT something you should attempt to stop without a nutritionist to guide you, yet you need to stop starving yourself ASAP.
This has to be done in a controlled manner.
What happens if you don't seek guidance? You know the level of obesity that lands someone on a daytime talk show? 900 pounds and up? Do you know how those people ended up that way? If you don't seek help with this, you are, very likely, going to find out. :-(
Please let me know how you make out with all this. I am seriously concerned for you.
DN.
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Perhaps you should change your impression of what an eating disorder means if you think that restricting to under 500 calories a day is not disordered eating. The obsessive thinking about food tells me that no matter what your weight, you may have a psychological issue with food. Without knowing your actual BMI, it's hard to say how far you are into denial, but you do seem to be in denial at least a little bit.
Look online in the DSM IV and see if you fit the criteria for EDNOS. If you disagree, you can see a medical doctor. Just the fact that you are seeing a therapist, however, tells me that you're admitting to yourself that you have a problem. Right now, you're just arguing over what to call it and how bad it is. Remember, your therapist has to put down some reason why you're being seen. Don't take it personally and remember that you're there to work on a behavior, not a label.
Be healthy.
Sabine
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Your psycologist belives it to be an eating disorder because she thinks you are doing it, not because you aren't hungry, but that you are greatly cutting back on your food intake to lose wieght.
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