A Treatment Refresher

While I do have several new posts on the way, I want to highlight a couple of older Grey Thinking posts (some are several years old!  I bet you were not reading GT two years ago) that talk specifically about treatment, your attitude toward treatment, recovery expectations, etc.  While there are a couple of people that I have in mind when it comes to the subject of these posts, I think that everyone can use the refresher.

You as your own case manager
Originally Posted: 01/01/2009

I wish that all these guys were going to stay clean, I really do. I’ve just seen it so many times that I can tell when someone’s really willing to do whatever it takes and when someone’s willing to do what they think it should take. And it’s just not going to work like that, unfortunately.

–Shelly, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew 2

Wanting to want to recover
Originally Posted: 06/12/2008

Motivation to change implies an intention–weak or strong–to change one’s behavior. However, AN patients may at the same time both wish to recover and be highly resistant to change their behavior. Therefore, we suggest that assessment of motivation in these patients should include not only their motivation to change, but also their different wishes to recover which do not necessarily imply a behavioral intention.

Dr. Drew should treat eating disorders
Originally Posted: 07/01/2008

There are a lot of components of addiction treatment that I believe in and think are important, and should be applied to eating disorders:

1. Recovery is a lifelong, daily process
2. Denial, and not necessarily that you have a problem, but that you need help
3. The importance of personal accountability
4. There’s no magic cure
5. The disorder should be taken as seriously as any potential fatal disease

Do not pass Go, Do not collect $200
Originally Posted: 12/09/2008

“I don’t want to play the rehab game anymore”

– Jeff Conaway, Celebrity Rehab 2

I think that recovery can feel like a game at first because it is so different from the rest of your life. It’s nice to have others care about your wellbeing and there’s something about treatment that gives you permission to take care of yourself. Plus, there is so much positive reinforcement (gold star for following your meal plan over the weekend!). All of this doesn’t sound so bad… and I do believe you can make progress — even with this mindset.

When does the game end? Personally, I think this is when the disorder starts to feel threatened. There is something scary about recovering, and suddenly it doesn’t sound like a great idea anymore.

“I don’t want to play the rehab game anymore”

– Jeff Conaway, Celebrity Rehab 2

I think that recovery can feel like a game at first because it is so different from the rest of your life. It’s nice to have others care about your wellbeing and there’s something about treatment that gives you permission to take care of yourself. Plus, there is so much positive reinforcement (gold star for following your meal plan over the weekend!). All of this doesn’t sound so bad… and I do believe you can make progress — even with this mindset.

When does the game end? Personally, I think this is when the disorder starts to feel threatened. There is something scary about recovering, and suddenly it doesn’t sound like a great idea anymore.

It’s not about what you are doing

Since I have a serious Dr. Drew Pinsky addiction (irony intended), I was really sad when his podcast was cancelled.  Thankfully, Celebrity Rehab 2 and Sober House came out shortly after the podcast ended, so I was able to watch those repeatedly for awhile. When VH1 stopped running CR2, I read his books.  Now, having exhausted all of those Dr. Drew resources, I am listening to Loveline.  This kills me a little bit, for several reasons:

1. It’s called Loveline
2. Half of it is sex talk
3. I have to pay $5 a month for it!

Still… It’s Dr. Drew, so I have to do it.  There are calls about addictions and psychological issues, and listening to his responses to those questions is worth my $5.

Dr. Drew had a particularly great quote today:

“It’s not what you’re doing, it’s what you’re missing – and you deserve better.”

The quote was not in relation to alcoholism or eating disorders, but it really hit home with me.  Yes, you need to get better because it’s important to take care of yourself, people care about you, you should care about you, you want to be healthy, it’s pathological, etc.  But also, when you are wrapped up in the ED you are missing life.  Maybe that’s semi-intentional; maybe you’re avoiding life.  You might think you’re just coping with life in an unhealthy manner, but you really are missing it.

You’re missing:

1. Close relationships with friends
2. Many normal social situations (getting pizza, going out for lunch, meeting for a drink, getting ice cream for no reason)
3. Good experiences (as well as bad experiences) that shape you as a person

I can think of a lot of things that I “missed”

1. Close relationships with HS friends
2. Trying anything new (for most of my life)
3. Getting ice cream with friends
4. A lot of summer cookouts
5. Trips I wouldn’t go on because there would be too much food or b/c I was depressed & wanted to stay home
   (okay, this is a depressing list so I’m going to stop here)

I think that eating disorders are as much about avoiding life as they are hurting yourself.  First there is all the time that you spend wrapped up in the disorder.  You’re isolating, avoiding events with food, and spending 90% of your day thinking about food and weight.  You have no idea what is going on around you.  And then there’s treatment, which takes up even MORE time… because along with the continuing disordered behavior (it’s not going to go away overnight), you now also have a dietitian, a therapist, a doctor, a psychiatrist (and this is assuming that you don’t really put your life on pause to go to a residential or partial hospitalization program).  You are spending your free time in treatment.  And I don’t know about you, but when I’m working on tough stuff in therapy, I have a harder time dealing with the rest of life.  When I’m upset about whatever my therapist said two hours ago, the last thing I want to deal with is a presentation that’s due tomorrow.  So yes, even in recovery, you are avoiding / escaping / missing (whatever you want to call it) your life.

It’s kind of ironic when you think about it.  You spend so much time in therapy trying to change behaviors, discussing why you are coping with life via your ED, identifying unhealthy aspects of your career and relationships, etc.  However… how much time do you spend talking about what you’re missing?

And for awhile, this is the point.  Maybe something in your life is not okay.  Maybe there is too much on your plate, maybe you are in a bad relationship, maybe you do need to change your job, maybe you are killing yourself trying to please everyone else in your life–whatever.  One of the best things about residential (I think) is that you don’t have to deal with the real world while you’re in treatment.  I can just focus on myself and what I need to be doing without the constant stress and anxiety of bills, relationships, responsibilities, work, money, and the list goes on.

However, I am not new to treatment, and neither are several of my friends.  And while I do worry about their health and their symptoms, what really makes me sad is what the ED takes away from them.  For one friend, it takes away time and energy that she would rather be spending with her children.  For another, it limits her career because work has to be planned around the ED and ED treatment.  Another friend has to put relationships, summer plans, and a lot of the life that she has created in the past year on the side right now to get more intense help.

All of these friends are making the right choices to work on the eating disorder and to get the help that they need!  Absolutely.  Friend #1 can’t take care of her family if she isn’t taking care of herself, Friend #2 won’t be able to put the energy and concentration into the job that career that she really wants until she is healthier, and Friend #3 won’t be able to maintain that life if she doesn’t do intensive treatment.  My point is, though, that what saddens me the most about these friends is not their concerning ED symptoms, but all the things that they are missing out on in their lives.  They’re such wonderful people and are meant to do so much more in the world than they can with this eating disorder.  They deserve so much more out of life than this eating disorder, and that’s why I hope they can get better.

It's not about what you are doing

Since I have a serious Dr. Drew Pinsky addiction (irony intended), I was really sad when his podcast was cancelled.  Thankfully, Celebrity Rehab 2 and Sober House came out shortly after the podcast ended, so I was able to watch those repeatedly for awhile. When VH1 stopped running CR2, I read his books.  Now, having exhausted all of those Dr. Drew resources, I am listening to Loveline.  This kills me a little bit, for several reasons:

1. It’s called Loveline
2. Half of it is sex talk
3. I have to pay $5 a month for it!

Still… It’s Dr. Drew, so I have to do it.  There are calls about addictions and psychological issues, and listening to his responses to those questions is worth my $5.

Dr. Drew had a particularly great quote today:

“It’s not what you’re doing, it’s what you’re missing – and you deserve better.”

The quote was not in relation to alcoholism or eating disorders, but it really hit home with me.  Yes, you need to get better because it’s important to take care of yourself, people care about you, you should care about you, you want to be healthy, it’s pathological, etc.  But also, when you are wrapped up in the ED you are missing life.  Maybe that’s semi-intentional; maybe you’re avoiding life.  You might think you’re just coping with life in an unhealthy manner, but you really are missing it.

You’re missing:

1. Close relationships with friends
2. Many normal social situations (getting pizza, going out for lunch, meeting for a drink, getting ice cream for no reason)
3. Good experiences (as well as bad experiences) that shape you as a person

I can think of a lot of things that I “missed”

1. Close relationships with HS friends
2. Trying anything new (for most of my life)
3. Getting ice cream with friends
4. A lot of summer cookouts
5. Trips I wouldn’t go on because there would be too much food or b/c I was depressed & wanted to stay home
   (okay, this is a depressing list so I’m going to stop here)

I think that eating disorders are as much about avoiding life as they are hurting yourself.  First there is all the time that you spend wrapped up in the disorder.  You’re isolating, avoiding events with food, and spending 90% of your day thinking about food and weight.  You have no idea what is going on around you.  And then there’s treatment, which takes up even MORE time… because along with the continuing disordered behavior (it’s not going to go away overnight), you now also have a dietitian, a therapist, a doctor, a psychiatrist (and this is assuming that you don’t really put your life on pause to go to a residential or partial hospitalization program).  You are spending your free time in treatment.  And I don’t know about you, but when I’m working on tough stuff in therapy, I have a harder time dealing with the rest of life.  When I’m upset about whatever my therapist said two hours ago, the last thing I want to deal with is a presentation that’s due tomorrow.  So yes, even in recovery, you are avoiding / escaping / missing (whatever you want to call it) your life.

It’s kind of ironic when you think about it.  You spend so much time in therapy trying to change behaviors, discussing why you are coping with life via your ED, identifying unhealthy aspects of your career and relationships, etc.  However… how much time do you spend talking about what you’re missing?

And for awhile, this is the point.  Maybe something in your life is not okay.  Maybe there is too much on your plate, maybe you are in a bad relationship, maybe you do need to change your job, maybe you are killing yourself trying to please everyone else in your life–whatever.  One of the best things about residential (I think) is that you don’t have to deal with the real world while you’re in treatment.  I can just focus on myself and what I need to be doing without the constant stress and anxiety of bills, relationships, responsibilities, work, money, and the list goes on.

However, I am not new to treatment, and neither are several of my friends.  And while I do worry about their health and their symptoms, what really makes me sad is what the ED takes away from them.  For one friend, it takes away time and energy that she would rather be spending with her children.  For another, it limits her career because work has to be planned around the ED and ED treatment.  Another friend has to put relationships, summer plans, and a lot of the life that she has created in the past year on the side right now to get more intense help.

All of these friends are making the right choices to work on the eating disorder and to get the help that they need!  Absolutely.  Friend #1 can’t take care of her family if she isn’t taking care of herself, Friend #2 won’t be able to put the energy and concentration into the job that career that she really wants until she is healthier, and Friend #3 won’t be able to maintain that life if she doesn’t do intensive treatment.  My point is, though, that what saddens me the most about these friends is not their concerning ED symptoms, but all the things that they are missing out on in their lives.  They’re such wonderful people and are meant to do so much more in the world than they can with this eating disorder.  They deserve so much more out of life than this eating disorder, and that’s why I hope they can get better.

Anti-ED Coach

I’d never heard of a “Sober Coach” until watching VH1’s “Sober House.” In the last episode (I think), Will, who is Seth’s Sober Coach, accompanies him to his first concert and make sure that nothing happens to jeopardize his sobriety. While watching this I thought, “Well that’s convenient — I could use someone protecting me from anything eating disordered.”

Upon thinking about it a little more, though, I wasn’t sure what this Anti-ED Coach would protect me from. Would he make sure no one served me diet coke? Or that we only went to public places with healthy-weight people? Or would he stand outside the bathroom (any bathroom) and make me count? Okay, so maybe the idea was silly.

However, then I went and Googled “Sober Coach,” and found a website that explains what a sober coach does. Wow, they do a lot… they really seem like “life coaches” to me. If I had to adapt the list from this website for eating disorders, it would look something like this:

1. 24 Hour Crisis Support
   1. Phone support available 24 hours a day, 5 days a week.
   2. Education on how to ask for help.
2. Daily, Weekly, & Weekend Planning
   1. Creating an hour by hour schedule when necessary.
   2. Learning to deal with free time and/or unstructured time.
   3. Establishing weekly goals.
3. Physical Well-Being
   1. Nutritional consulting.
   2. Support with eating disorder issues.
   3. Support for anxiety and depression.
   4. Creating a personalized self-care plan (acupuncture, yoga, body coach, personal trainers, etc.)
4. Career / Academic Guidance
   1. Finding a job / volunteer work / internship.
   2. Support with changing careers.
5. Fun / Passion / Purpose
   1. Learning how to have fun & explore different hobbies.
   2. How to build fun into weekly schedule.
   3. Finding one’s own aspirations and dreams.
6. Recovery Support
   1. Help in finding appropriate treatment.
   2. Daily relapse prevention plan.
   3. Support in establishing healthy friendships and relationships.
7. Team Approach
   1. Works with psychiatrists, therapists, dietitians, and outpatient programs to provide a team approach.
   2. Referrals to various professionals as needed.

If you look at the original website, you’ll see that I didn’t have to add much. If Sober Coaches really do all of the above, that’s pretty amazing. I need someone to educate me on “how to ask for help” and “how to deal with free time and/or unstructured time” ! I also like the idea of someone coordinating things with a treatment team. I think that often professionals don’t work well as a team or they don’t necessarily consider the input of the patient (when appropriate). It’s a nice thought to think you could have someone advocating on your behalf in those meetings…

I realize that this is probably realistic, but it’s an interesting thought. An Anti-ED Coach could play a role that I don’t think really exists right now in treatment. Many of these responsibilities don’t fall under the job description of your doctor, therapist, or dietitian. It’s tricky relying on your spouse / family members to serve all of these functions, too, because they all don’t necessarily mess with the nature of the relationship. For instance, if I’m having a bad night and freaking out about something food-related, I don’t really want to make my fiance listen to my possibly irrational rant about calories. At the same time, though, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to call or email my dietitian about this, either.

I am fortunate enough to have ED friends in recovery who can support me and give me advice during tough times, but that’s still a different relationship that with a Sober or Anti-ED Coach. You always have to consider if you are hurting or triggering the friend with your ED thoughts and behaviors.

Greyisms (like Buseyisms)

It’s been a little while since I talked about Celebrity Rehab, but I have been meaning to write about Gary Busey’s “Buseyisms” (by the way, I highly recommend that you watch this — it’s less than two minutes long).  Buseyisms are really just made-up acronyms.  Backward acronyms, I guess, but you start with the acronym and come up with the meaning to match the letters.

I’m sure you’ve heard these before… like FINE – Frustrated, Insecure, Neurotic and Emotional.  Now, look at a few of Gary’s…

Doubt – Debating On Understanding Bewildering Thoughts
Romance – Relying On Magnificent And Necessary Compatible Energy
Fear – False Evidence Appearing Real
Fun – Finally Understanding Nothing
Sober – Son Of a Bitch! Everything’s Real
Fraud – Finding Relevant Answers Under Deception
Faith – Fantastic Adventures In Trusting Him

So, I thought that I would create some of my own, relating to eating disorder treatment.  Personally I don’t think they’re useful — I just think that they are amusing.  However, since it took me 2+ hours to come up with these couple of Greyisms, I think that they are a little less fun.  Anyway, here’s what I’ve come up with:

• Cope – Changing Overwhelmingly Problematic Experiences
• Shame – Sense of Hurt And Malicious Embarrassment
• Fear – Flee Emotions Around Reality
• Want – Wish About Needing Things
• Denial – Dismiss Every Notion Implying Anything Less
• Therapy – Telling Her Everything Rough About Previous Years
• Support – Someone Understanding Pretty Painful and Overwhelmingly Rejecting Thoughts
• Know – Kinda Not an Original Word

So there you go — those are my best Greyisms.  If you come up with better ones (which you will surely do), definitely post them!

You as your own case manager

“I wish that all these guys were going to stay clean, I really do. I’ve just seen it so many times that I can tell when someone’s really willing to do whatever it takes and when someone’s willing to do what they think it should take. And it’s just not going to work like that, unfortunately.”

–Shelly, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew 2

I was watching Celebrity Rehab 2 online tonight (since I’m a little behind), and these words from Shelley really caught my attention. There are so many similarities between drug/alcohol recovery and eating disorder recovery…

I think that the eating disorder fools you into only doing what you “think it should take.” To give you some examples…

1. Target weight – “There is a healthy weight range, right? It’s easy to think that anywhere in this range is good enough. So what if it’s five pounds less than your target weight… it’s still healthy.”
2. Level of care – “I am fine with outpatient treatment – I don’t need IOP (intensive outpatient treatment). I’ll talk with a therapist once a week and that will help me to be accountable. I’ve had enough treatment and I know what I need to do. Now it’s just up to me to do it.”
3. Unhealthy environments – “So working as a waitress probably isn’t the best job for ED recovery… but I think I’m really a lot better now and will be able to handle it. Besides, I need to work. I’ll use the coping strategies that I’ve learned and will be fine.”

These are all easy arguments that the eating disorder makes… but what are wrong with these decisions?

1. The “healthy weight” zone is not the same as the “statistically most successful for ED recovery” zone. Besides, your body has some catching up to do and some damage to repair… all of which is going to probably require being above 85%. Maintaining a weight below your target weight doesn’t give you much room for error, either.
2. Why err on the side of not-enough treatment? If you start IOP and they tell you that you are great and don’t need that much support, then you can quit. Why risk your health and take the chance of it not being enough?
3. Putting yourself back in an unhealthy environment is just asking for trouble. You’ll need the coping strategies to just deal with new healthy environments. You need to at least set yourself up to be successful.

There are a couple of factors that separate “what it should take” and “what I think it should take”:

1. Giving up trying to control your treatment
2. Really being committed to getting better
3. Putting recovery FIRST in your life.

Probably the biggest problem with all of my examples is that the person with the disorder is making all of the decisions. You should not be your own case manager. Unfortunately, this is a tricky area because treatment is so variable and it’s not unlikely that you will run into a lousy treatment professional. Regardless, you can pretty much assume that whatever individual treatment decisions you want to make are a bad idea. The eating disorder is so manipulative and you’re not the best person to judge what you need. As hard as this is, you really do need to give up trying to control your treatment and just do what your team tells you to do (again, assuming that you have a good team).

It’s hard to tell whether or not you’re really committed to recovery. Sometimes I feel 100% committed… I’ll go to therapy, I’ll follow my meal plan, I’ll do whatever. But… if my treatment team were to decide to raise my target weight by a couple of pounds, I would probably be very resistant. Instead of thinking “I’ll do whatever the professionals think is best for me,” I’m thinking “That’s not fair. That wasn’t the original deal. I am not okay with raising that weight.” Clearly I am not 100% committed.

Putting recovery first is a sticky subject. I’ve gone through periods of feeling like recovery really was counter-productive because it was getting in the way of real life. Going inpatient means you’re not going to school or work — both things that create structure in your life, can be healthy outlets for anxiety, and can give you a sense of accomplishment outside of your disorder. Quitting so that your entire day can revolve around food and therapy sounds like a step backwards…. and maybe sometimes, it is. However, if your work is incompatible with your recovery (as maybe being a waitress would be), then you need to find another job.

It is so hard to trust your treatment to act in your best interest. Of course you want to make some of the decisions… you know yourself best, right? So often though, that’s the eating disorder talking. And while there are unhelpful professionals out there who may lead you down the wrong path (I once had a nutritionist tell me that I was “cured” and didn’t need any more help, 3 months out of inpatient.), you know when you are working with a good team. And in that case, they know what you need to do to recover. You just think that you know — and, as Shelly states, “it’s just not going to work like that.”

Do not pass Go, Do not collect $200

“I don’t want to play the rehab game anymore”

— Jeff Conaway, Celebrity Rehab 2

While I never thought I’d say this, on some level I can relate to Jeff (putting “treatment” or “recovery” in place of “rehab” in that statement). Treatment and/or recovery sound like a great idea–at least in theory. You go to therapy and talk about things that bother you. Get a dietitian’s input on what you’re eating. Relate to others with eating disorders in ED groups. Take a break from the other stressors in life to focus on yourself. Maybe draw some pictures in art therapy. Try yoga. Get medication that makes you feel better. Doesn’t sound too bad–right?

After some time, you hit a point where the “recovery game” isn’t so fun anymore. You are uncomfortable with your meal plan and with the weight that you are gaining. You don’t want to talk about certain things in individual therapy and the other people in group are triggering or frustrating. You’ve drawn the same picture in art therapy three weeks in a row. The new medications are making you drowsy, dizzy, irritable, etc. And most of all — You are missing things in your life that you want to be a part of.

I think that recovery can feel like a game at first because it is so different from the rest of your life. It’s nice to have others care about your wellbeing and there’s something about treatment that gives you permission to take care of yourself. Plus, there is so much positive reinforcement (gold star for following your meal plan over the weekend!). All of this doesn’t sound so bad… and I do believe you can make progress — even with this mindset.

When does the game end? Personally, I think this is when the disorder starts to feel threatened. There is something scary about recovering, and suddenly it doesn’t sound like a great idea anymore. I understand the panic that Jeff is experiencing.

However, because I do not struggle with a drug/alcohol addiction, it’s also easy for me to see that he has a long way to go in his recovery. His motivation to quit rehab is fueled by his addiction (and probably a lot of fear). It’s much harder for me to identify eating disordered thoughts. Treatment can be so tiresome–especially if it lasts for years. Jeff’s excuse for quitting is that he needs another back operation. I have plenty of excuses, too: I’m not underweight, I am so much better than before, I’m not getting anything out of therapy and need a break, I don’t think that therapy is the answer, there’s nothing that a dietitian can teach me (that I haven’t been told before), I have a life to get back to, etc.

I think that this is the point where you have to change your mindset and treat the ED as the life-threatening disorder that it is. Just going to appointments and sitting in groups isn’t going to make it go away — you are looking at necessary life changes. Your desire to quit is motivated by the eating disorder.

Treatment can feel like a never-ending game of Monopoly… and I don’t know about you, but Monopoly is not fun for me after the first couple of hours.

Therapists with Eating Disorders

If you polled a college eating disorders group, I bet about half of the individuals would be getting a degree in psychology (or clinical social work).  Of that remaining 50%, maybe 20% of them are studying nutrition.

It makes sense–you’re drawn to pursue a career in something that you have exposure to.  You’re especially interested in the field because of your personal experience.  Maybe you are still trying to understand your own issues.  Maybe (hopefully not) nutrition is convenient because you are obsessing over food anyway.  Or maybe you feel like you were really helped by a therapist and want to give back to the community.  It’s all related.

I’m not saying that any of this is negative–heck, I’m a psych major.  I’m not really one to judge.  However, my larger question is…

How do you feel about being treated by someone with an eating disorder history?

I’ve always felt very strongly AGAINST seeing a therapist who had an eating disorder herself.  I think part of that is related to the competitiveness of the eating disorder (not that I think SHE will be competitive, but that I will be), but I also think part of it is about objectivity.  I don’t know if you can be completely objective having suffered from the same thing yourself.  I’ve never really wanted empathy.  Maybe this is weird of me?  I just have a thing about people with eating disorders guiding others with eating disorders.  It’s the blind leading the blind.  I want to work with someone completely removed from the eating disorder world.

I keep thinking back to Dr. Drew and Celebrity Rehab, because he always says “that is addict thinking.”

In contrast, I have friends who ONLY want to be treated by someone who has experienced it herself.  They don’t feel like they could possibly be understood otherwise.

I’m sure the answer to this question is largely related to the specific situation… some therapists might not be quite as recovered as they need to be.  Others, with no eating disorder history, maybe CAN’T really understand or really help push you.

I felt really strongly about this until actually working with a therapist who had recovered herself.  I was a little shocked when she told me (after several sessions)–but it made sense.  She understood THAT well–of course she had to have lived it.

Overall, though, I am very wary of people with EDs going that route and eventually treating eating disorders.  With such a precarious definition of recovery, I have to wonder if doing this as your career is just another manifestation of the disorder itself–an excuse for it to be a part of your life.

Dr. Drew’s View on Body Image

For those of you who watch Celebrity Rehab 2, you’re probably aware of the extra clips on the VH1 website. In case you are not quite as obsessed with the show as I am, there was a clip where Sean talks to Dr. Drew about body image. Dr. Drew ends the conversation with this comment:

“I think the body image stuff is really a reflection of how you feel about yourself, and as that starts to improve I think this will take care of itself.”

Personally, bad body image has never “taken care of itself.” Even during periods when I have feeling pretty confident and good about myself as a person, it takes a lot of coaching to not hate my body. Usually I have to convince myself that I am adult and I’m not supposed to look like I’m 14 or that I’m not seeing myself accurately anyway, so why judge? Often I end up ignoring / hiding from my body. That works to decrease the obsession.. but I wouldn’t really say that it’s an indicator of good body image.

I’m not denying the connection between body image and self image–I just think it’s a little more complicated than that. Maybe it is that straightforward if you have never had any kind of an eating disorder… but Sean admits to bingeing and purging. He’s struggled with this in the past.

I am just a little annoyed that Dr. Drew brushed the issue off so quickly. In another clip, he talks about Amber’s inability to identify feelings… and how that deficit could lead her to use in the future. Don’t you think that negative body image could be a potential trigger, too?

I know that these patients are in treatment for addictions, not for eating disorders or negative body image. However, I feel like Sean brought something to Dr. Drew’s attention that he’s really struggling with (plus, as a guy, it’s probably harder to admit to), and Dr. Drew dismissed it–“this will take care of itself.”

Dr. Drew's View on Body Image

For those of you who watch Celebrity Rehab 2, you’re probably aware of the extra clips on the VH1 website. In case you are not quite as obsessed with the show as I am, there was a clip where Sean talks to Dr. Drew about body image. Dr. Drew ends the conversation with this comment:

“I think the body image stuff is really a reflection of how you feel about yourself, and as that starts to improve I think this will take care of itself.”

Personally, bad body image has never “taken care of itself.” Even during periods when I have feeling pretty confident and good about myself as a person, it takes a lot of coaching to not hate my body. Usually I have to convince myself that I am adult and I’m not supposed to look like I’m 14 or that I’m not seeing myself accurately anyway, so why judge? Often I end up ignoring / hiding from my body. That works to decrease the obsession.. but I wouldn’t really say that it’s an indicator of good body image.

I’m not denying the connection between body image and self image–I just think it’s a little more complicated than that. Maybe it is that straightforward if you have never had any kind of an eating disorder… but Sean admits to bingeing and purging. He’s struggled with this in the past.

I am just a little annoyed that Dr. Drew brushed the issue off so quickly. In another clip, he talks about Amber’s inability to identify feelings… and how that deficit could lead her to use in the future. Don’t you think that negative body image could be a potential trigger, too?

I know that these patients are in treatment for addictions, not for eating disorders or negative body image. However, I feel like Sean brought something to Dr. Drew’s attention that he’s really struggling with (plus, as a guy, it’s probably harder to admit to), and Dr. Drew dismissed it–“this will take care of itself.”