A recent Western socio-cultural movement, increasing in popularity, is the “Mommy Makeover”…read on for the implications as they relate to eating disorders and body image concerns… A recent edition of the New York Times includes an article: “Is the ‘Mom Job’ Really Necessary?”, by Natasha Singer. In the article, Ms. Singer interviewed Dr. David Stoker, a plastic surgeon in Marina Del Rey, California, who offers his patients a “surgical cure…

Due to technical difficulties, I am currently unable to post my Blog about assessment of eating disorders and body image disturbance. In the interim, I offer you this from the Canadian Press about the increase of binge eating in college students… Binge-eating triples among university students away from home. Female students who leave home to attend first-year university or college are significantly more likely to start binge eating than peers…

Former body builder, Christopher Bell, had a unique, insiders look at the use and abuse of anabolic steroids. You see, both of his brothers are also body builders, one is a champion, and the other became tried his luck on the pro-wrestling circuit. For Bell, the use of steroids was not something that he could condone, but his brothers both felt otherwise. In an attempt to understand the reasoning behind…

Persistent mirror checking, preoccupation with perceived physical flaws, continuously asking for reassurance about appearance, comparing one’s own appearance to that of others, obsessions, social avoidance, excessive exercise, self-hatred…extreme body image disturbance. A mental illness with one of the highest suicide rates… Sounds familiar, especially when working with eating disorders. But what if I told you that there was no fear of weight gain, no self-perception of being overweight, and no…

Lynn Bjorklund, an elite, record-setting distance runner who writes of her journey in my book, 100 Questions and Answers about Anorexia Nervosa, joined me on a radio broadcast, The Dr. Casey Show on AM830 in Los Angeles is a sport psychology program and Dr. Casey dedicated the morning hour in November to the topic of eating disorders in athletes. You can listen to the entire broadcast with Dr. Casey, Dr.…

Lots of buzz recently week about a new study that appeared in the Archives of General Psychiatry this week which confirms what many Maudsley and Family-Based Treatment (FBT) proponents have been saying: FBT is not only effective for anorexia recovery in teens, it is fast being thought of as a gold-standard in anorexia recovery. In fact, in a randomized-controlled study, researchers at Stanford University and the University of Chicago found…

In my last post, I introduced the subject of eating disorders among athletes. Today, I thought that I would integrate that topic into our discussion of a team approach to eating disorders treatment. Although athletic communities and coaching personnel are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their approach to athletic training, many coaches are nevertheless unaware of the increased risk for eating disorders among athletes. Yet athletes look up to their coaches…

As a population group, athletes face a substantial increased risk for eating disorders. Premiere athletes, athletes who feel the pressure of “making weight” in order to compete, and athletes whose communities reinforce misconceptions about weight and sports performance have been shown to have elevated rates of eating disorders. Although sports participation in general can, in fact, be a protective factor for eating disorders risk, some caveats may apply. Studies show…

In the past few weeks, I have been speaking about the importance of a multidisciplinary, team approach to eating disorders treatment. As mentioned previously, this approach is associated with the best treatment outcomes and enhanced treatment effectiveness. Today, I would like to spend a few moments with you discussing experiential approaches to ED treatment. These alternative therapies can be integrated into a comprehensive team approach to treatment in order to…

In a recent post I introduced the concept of the Maudsley approach to family therapy and eating disorders. Today, let’s explore the approach in more detail… The Maudsley approach to eating disorders treatment is based on a method developed by two British researchers, Christopher Dare and Ivan Eisler, during the 1980’s at the Maudsley Hospital in London. The approach has since grown in popularity with the help of researchers and…