Adult Faith Formation on Eating Disorders and Obesity
In our continuing series on our relationship with food, we met with Candy MacNeil, MSc, a therapist who i also part of the Waterloo-Wellington Eating Disorders Coalition.
She prepared the following notes for our session, and gave permission to reproduce them.
Who has an Eating Disorder?
Determining whether an individual has an eating disorder depends on many factors, including the following:
the need for control
perfectionism
strong desire to be liked by others
being a "people pleaser"
an inability to express feelings
family conflict
having a family member with an eating disorder
excessive competitiveness
abuse (current or past)
trauma (current or past)
major life changes
low self-esteem
poor body image
dieting
Basic Facts around Eating Disorders
Anorexia is the least common form of ED
Most people with ED are not visibly underweight, so you can’t tell by looking if someone has an ED
ED’s are illnesses, not vanity or diets gone awry
People with ED’s often also have depression, anxiety or another mental health issue
Even though ED’s seem like they’re about weight and food, they’re actually more about issues like control, avoidance of rejection or criticism, feelings of inadequacy, or coping with strong upsetting feelings
People with ED’s will frequently deny or genuinely not realize they’re sick – that’s part of the illness
ED’s frequently require professional treatment and treatment doesn’t always work
Often, treatment feels as bad as the illness so understand why someone resists!
Family and friends can get help even if the person with the ED isn’t ready for help. Take care of yourself when someone you care about is sick!
Prepared by Candy MacNeil, M.Sc., RP. 2019. Permission to share is granted.
EATING DISORDER (ED) RESOURCES IN OUR COMMUNITY
CMHA offers free outpatient groups, dietitian and psychiatry for adolescents and adults.
Call HERE-247 to book an assessment.
Homewood Health Centre, London Health Services, Credit Valley Hospital and Toronto General Hospital all offer inpatient/residential treatment. Some services are covered by OHIP, others are by extra insurance.
NEDIC National Eating Disorder Information Centre offers a free listing of therapists, social workers, dietitians and treatment programs across Canada.
Visit them at NEDIC.ca
Candy MacNeil’s website provides lots of information and resources. Visit whatseatingyou.com
Contact information for ED specialists. Visit thewellnesscollaborative.com
A parents/partners/family support group is available free through the Waterloo-Wellington ED Coalition. Visit them at eatingdisorderscoalition.ca
Framingham Study about relationships as key Health determinant. For a simple explanation see: https://medium.com/thrive-global/the-roseto-effect-the-amazing-power-of-relationships-for-heart-health-ffdd49b77624
Health at Every Size – Linda Bacon - https://lindabacon.org/health-at-every-size-book/ examines how we can seek health no matter what our weight.
Prepared by Candy MacNeil, M.Sc., RP. 2019. Permission to share is granted.