Dieting: Diets Don't Work!

Hello, Beautiful World!

I hope everyone is doing wonderfully well 😊. Before I get into this blog post (which will be a little different from others because it's not really a disorder), I'd like to say that I was so happy to read all of the wonderful comments on last week's post about how much you guys enjoyed it! I also LOVED working with and learning from Dr. Ashley on marital issues/couples therapy 💕. 

This week has been very eye-opening as many very awesome things happened! I finally figured out what my final product for my project will be... but I can't tell you. I know, I know, the suspense is too real! I'm so happy with it, and I can't wait to work on it 👏. I also got a job at a summer camp (courtesy of the amazing Mr. Chadwick and Mr. Carey)- I'm taking a very big step getting out of my comfort zone in terms by spending a month and a half away from home (if you know me, you'll know I'm a hugeeeee homebody). YAYYY! 

Getting to the disorder of the week (except it's not a disorder), dieting, we're going to begin with some facts/statistics about dieting:

• 95% of those who use dieting to lose weight gain it back.*
• At any given time, up to 50% of women are on a diet. **
• Up to 90% of teens diet regularly, and 50% of adolescents have tried dieting at some point in their life. **

What surprised me the most about these statistics was that even young kids try dieting! 

Before meeting with Kristine Sinner, the registered dietitian nutrition therapist at A New Beginning who specializes in eating disorders and healthy weight management, I conducted a survey and looked through everyday media relevant to dieting. Starting off the meeting by asking her what misconceptions clients ​may have regarding diets and nutrition, I learned that clients generally believe that eating dietary fat makes them have more body fat, and eating carbs will cause them to gain weight as well. Also, there is a common misconception that skipping meals is a good way to lose weight, but it actually causes weight gain in the long-term (I'll discuss this in-depth below). 

Kristine Sinner, MS, RDN

From here, Kristine and I discussed more about dieting using the survey questions as a basis:

Misconceptions:

• Myth: Eating late in the evening will make you gain weight.
• Truth: What leads to weight gain in the evening is due to the fat that people come home from work or school, kick off their shoes, turn on the TV, sit on the couch, and eat directly out of containers. They don't portion their food, thus eating unconsciously and mindlessly, increasing their overall caloric intake than if they'd had a mindful meal.
• Myth: Pasta makes you fatter.
• Truth: No one food makes you fat. Weight changes occur directly due to caloric intake. If you need 2,500 calories a day and eat that many, you maintain your weight. If you eat more than that, you gain. Think of it as a 'metabolic bucket.' What overflows from the amount of calories you need is stored as body fat not matter what food it comes from.
• Myth: Going on a diet is the best way to lose weight because you're cutting calories and carbs, which are bad. 
• Truth: Going on a diet is not a good idea because caloric restriction below what your body needs will only promote weight loss in the short-term; if it goes below 2,000 calories a day, your body will resist weight loss and will begin to compromise lean body tissue, such as skeletal and visceral, by taking those proteins to meet energy requirements. This will lead to a decrease in overall body weight, but will make it impossible to really eat normally again because your metabolism has been slowed down so much.
• Myth: Eating protein and carbs in different meals is the best way to lose weight. 
• Truth: You need proteins, carbs, and fat to be healthy. Your body needs carbs first for energy (between 50-55% of the energy your body needs comes from carbs), then it uses dietary fat for energy. Once your body uses those two forms of fuel, protein can be used to build muscles and drives metabolism. You need to have all three!
• Myth: Eating fat makes you fat.
• Truth: Eating too many calories of any energy yielding nutrients can lead to potential weight gain. It is all about calories in versus calories out.
• Myth: Certain foods help burn fat.
• Truth: Oxygen within the blood stream through aerobic activity is how the body burns body fat. The body can burn body fat in a sense with the deprivation of carbs by resorting to a secondary source of carbs, called ketones. These are a secondary preference for the brain to keep it fed, and the fat cells help create that source for the brain. However, it is only a short-term weight loss. 
• Myth: The more you work out, the more calories you lose. 
• Truth: Excessive exercise can lead to weight gain, because it leads to an increase in appetite. Moderate, consistent, regular activity is the key to weight loss.
• Myth: Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight.
• Truth: Skipping meals will lead to increased hunger, typically later in the day due to low glucose stores. You are more likely to eat more calories than if you had spread them throughout the day. Your choices end up being compromised and you are less inhibited because you're so frantic and you want quick, fast, hurried meals. You don't make time, and you end up gaining weight. 
• Myth: You cannot eat what you love and lose weight.
• Truth: We shouldn't love food; we love people. Food is to nourish our body. You can eat foods you like to the point of satisfaction, but wanting fullness from it is what creates weight gain. Be mindful of what you're eating, and eat slowly.
• Myth: If the label says "no-fat" or "low-fat," you can eat all you want and not gain weight. 
• Truth: A calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Your body has the capacity to gain weight on anything if you eat more than your body needs.
• Myth: You cannot be overweight and healthy.
• Truth: You definitely can! BMI (body mass index) is a tool used to assess appropriate weight based upon height; but it does not differentiate between healthy and unhealthy. For example, a body builder would be considered potentially overweight because of his/her muscle weight making him/her weigh more; but that does not mean he/she is unhealthy. 
• Myth: You shouldn't eat between meals.
• Truth: You should eat snacks between meals to keep your metabolism rate stable and active.

Some things that can be misconceptions or truths, depending on the case:

• Although eating small, frequent meals does not necessarily boost your metabolism, it sure does help maintain a stable, consistent one. Your metabolism is set based upon your activities, your age, and what you eat. Eating in small, frequent portions keeps your metabolism active, and prevents the tendency to store calories. 
• People say that coffee, green tea, and milk can help you lose weight. Caffeine has been touted in some cases to increase heart rate, and thus increase metabolism in the short-term. However, it would not lead to considerable or substantial weight loss. Milk, on the other hand, has been shown to help with weight loss because it is a nutrient dense food that contains carbs, proteins, and fat, which you need to reach a point of satisfaction to trigger cues which let your brain know you are full. 
• Skipping breakfast makes you gain weight. Well, not necessarily. It doesn't, so to say, 'make you.' There is no cause and effect relationship. If you skip breakfast, you are more likely to overeat later, thus gaining weight. Dieting has a 99.5% failure rate, and it's a $65 billion industry that is also failing. 

Since the media plays a huge role in how we perceive things, I also asked Kristine how she felt regarding the portrayal of dieting in Little Miss Sunshine, The Devil Wears Prada, Bring It On, Mean Girls, Elf, and celebrities. 

• Little Miss Sunshine: "When you eat ice cream, the fat in the ice cream becomes fat on your body. So if you eat a lot of ice cream, you might become fat, and if you don't, you'll stay nice and skinny."
• This is completely wrong because it views food as the enemy, and implies that there is a cause and effect relationship between food and weight gain. No single food will make you fat. This message encourages the dichotomization of food into good and bad categories that will ultimately make a person feel bad about him/herself. 

• The Devil Wears Prada: "Well, I don't eat anything and when I feel like I'm about to faint I eat a cube of cheese. I'm just one stomach flu away from my goal weight."
• That's no bueno. It's self-sacrifice for the superficial pleasures of vanity.

• Bring It On: "I want you to think of what you ate today. Got it? Now cut that in half. This is called a diet, people, everyone start one today! Darcy, you should stop eating. You see, when you skip a meal, your body feeds off its fat stores."
• This is also no good. It's addressing external controls versus internal control cues for eating. No one knows better than yourself when you're hungry or satisfied. It's a classic case of should's and supposed to, which can't occur when it comes to weight and control. 

• Mean Girls: "I can't go to Taco Bell, I'm on an all-carb diet."
• People often make decisions in a vacuum, so they don't even know why they're doing what they're doing. We look more into what we wear than what we put into our bodies. For example, when you're shopping for clothes, you consider it's price, functionality, color, etc. When it comes to what to eat, you just eat without considering nutritional value, how it can help your body by preventing diseases, etc. That's kinda sad, isn't it?

• Elf: "We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: Candy, Candy Canes, Candy Corn, and Syrup!"
• It's realistic for an unrealistic elf, but not humans. Food isn't always about taste; it's also got to be about nutritional value. 

• Celebrities going on extreme diets for movie roles
• When in Rome, do what the Romans do. When you're getting paid heavily to do something, anyone can do anything. If money is your motivation, as opposed to your health, then it trumps health sometimes. 

So where do all of these misconceptions regarding dieting come from? Magazines are one source of such myths. They're written by journalists, not nutritional experts! Advertisements and the dieting industry are also hugeeee sources. They're just companies putting catchy words out there; they're only trying to make a profit. Also, dieting is a learned behavior, passed on from generation to generation. You can be predisposed to dieting, but being exposed to a multitude of variables (media, etc.), you become more vulnerable to it. Similar to this, what is your family's focus? Is it religion? Vanity? Politics? Family time? This sets up one's mindset, and if the answer is vanity, then dieting becomes a learned behavior. Genetics loads the gun; society pulls the trigger (as Kristine so eloquently put it). 

 I hope you guys like my Week 8 post! Thank you all for following me on this enlightening journey, and showing me so much support!

Lots of love 💗,

--Saleena

Sources:

*Nutrition- Dieting and Eating Disorders (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2017, from http://www.healthunit.org/nutrition/hottopics/dieting/dietfacts.htm

**Facts and Statistics About Dieting (2015, July). Retrieved March 29, 2017, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/390541-facts-statistics-about-dieting/

Couples Therapy/Marital Issues: Is there really a "happily ever after"?

Hello, Beautiful World!

I hope everyone has been enjoying the wonderful, skin-scorching weather here in Arizona 😓. I swear we skipped right over spring (it maybe lasted for about two whole days?).

Despite the weather, as you all you know, I took my spring break this week!!! It was amazing to be able to simply sit around in sweatpants all day, every day for the whole week and do a variety of activities: eat, sleep, read, watch movies, repeat. I really think I missed the feeling of being bored (I never thought I would say that, but there it is).

As promised, I am still doing a blog post this week on....*drum roll, please*... couples therapy/marital issues! I'd really been looking forward to this one, considering Disney is all about couples and fairytale weddings.

Just like every other post, I'm going to start off by listing some facts about marriage, divorce, and couples therapy:

• In the US, the marriage rate is 6.9 per 1k population (total of 2,140,272 marriages), and the divorce rate is 3.2 per 1k population (total of 813,862 divorces).*
• Of those who receive couples therapy, 75% are better off than couples who did not receive therapy, and 65% report improvement in terms of marital satisfaction.**
• Therapy is most affective by working on the emotional maturity of the couple and their emotional bonds. 

What I found interesting about these statistics was that the divorce rate is basically half of the marriage rate (so do half of marriages end in divorce?). And the rate is even higher for second and third marriages (so if you get re-married, the odds of staying together are slim). 

Before meeting with Dr. Ashley Southard, a clinical therapist at A New Beginning who specializes in couples therapy (EFT-trained) and family therapy, I conducted a survey and looked through everyday media relevant to couples therapy and marital issues. Starting off the meeting by asking her what misconceptions clients ​may have about marriage and couples therapy, I learned that couples ​often ​wait until their relationship is in a really bad place before seeking couples therapy. Obviously, this makes the therapy more difficult because one or both partners may have a lot of anger and/or hurt towards their partner. Thankfully, with the help of effective couples therapy many relationships - even severely troubled ones - can be repaired and restored to a loving, connected relationship.  Another misconception I learned is that couples ​may ​also come in thinking the therapist will fight to save the marriage​ at any cost​ (which isn't exactly what the therapist does), and that the therapist ​just needs to focus on changing the other partner and then everything will be ok in the relationship. 

Ashley Southard, Ph.D., LMFT

From here, Dr. Ashley and I discussed more about marital issues/couples therapy using the survey questions as a basis:

Misconceptions:

• Myth: You'll know you're with "the one" if the relationship comes easily without any problems. 
• Truth: This is a huge misconception (that if you need therapy, then he/she must not be "the one"), along with "the perfect relationship shouldn't require therapy" and "marriage shouldn't make one feel uncomfortable." No relationship is easy, and if it is really easy all of the time, then you may be avoiding important topics and issues. Marriage is hard work; some say it is the hardest next to parenting. 
• Myth: Your true love will automatically know what to say and do to make you happy; so, you shouldn't have to tell your spouse. 
• Truth: This is a major misconception talked a lot about in therapy. You need to communicate how you're feeling, and your partner needs to respond. Communication is a key element in marriage; your partner can't read your mind (which seems like a duh, but trust me, it isn't)!
• Myth: If the relationship was "meant to be," it will work out. 
• Truth: All good relationships require work. For example, in a healthy parent-child relationship, the parent needs to engage regularly with the child. Friendships require effort, and even your relationship with your body requires work (aka exercise), to name a few others. You cannot be passive in a relationship and expect it to work. ​Also, people change as they mature and sometimes the partner that was a good match for you at one point in your life may no longer be a good match for you later in life. ​
• Myth: Your partner should know exactly what they did to make you upset without you having to explain.
• Truth: This is a straight-up fantasy. You need to tell your partner in a loving, respectful way what's wrong, and it is your partner's job to listen and respond. 
• Myth: If you're truly happy with your partner, you shouldn't need to be close to anyone else. 
• Truth: You can't put all of your eggs in one basket. It is unrealistic to expect your partner to meet all of your needs, and you should have other relationships (friends, etc.) outside of him/her. 

Some things that can be misconceptions or truths, depending on the case:

• People sometimes say that a marriage is made complete only when you have kids, which can help you become closer to your partner. However, the stressors and demands of raising kids can actually create more distance in the marriage. Also, there are plenty of couples with kids that are unhappy, and plenty happy couples without them.
• "Opposites attract!""Differences will ruin your marriage!""Birds of a feather flock together!" Well, it's really a little bit of all of those. Having differences creates diversity and individuality in a relationship, making it more dynamic. However, a long-lasting marriage also needs to be founded upon some sort of common ground for both spouses (whether it be values, lifestyle, hobbies, etc.)
• There is an saying that happy couples that last in the long-run don't argue and do everything together. But, it really depends. Conflict is a healthy part of a relationship, if done so properly. If not, you're avoiding issues that should be discussed. A couple can simply have avoided everything and anything controversial, been together for a long time, and remained unhappy. Basically, a couple can be together for a long time, but that doesn't mean that both partners are happy and connected to each other. 
• When it comes to the early stages of a relationship, most people think I should avoid voicing my disagreements early on in the relationship. But, it's really about picking your battles. You should definitely voice your concerns or opinions on things that are important to you or define your value system. However, also understand that the other person isn't a carbon copy of you. If it really matters to you and defines you, hold to it and speak out. If it's something minor, let it go. 
• "You should learn to love your partner's worst qualities/flaws." Is this true? Yes, so long as they don't violate your own boundaries of values. Abuse isn't something you should accept or learn to love. But, accept other differences in hobbies/interests/etc.. 
• People say that living together before marriage decreases chances of divorce. However, research shows the opposite: premarital cohabitation may actually increase chances of divorce because people with values of cohabitation tend to also have more lenient values regarding divorce as an option when feeling unfulfilled in a relationship. If there isn't cohabitation (because of strict religious values, etc.), then it's not okay to have a divorce. So, what I'm trying to say is, for some couples it does, but for others it doesn't. 

Since the media plays a huge role in how we perceive things, I also asked Dr. Ashley how she felt regarding the portrayal of marital issues/marriage/couples therapy in social media, Cinderella, Disney's "Happily Ever After," Big Little Lies, and Everybody Loves Raymond. 

• Relationship statuses in social media:
• Limit your exposure to social media and try to not​ compare your relationship to what others show about their relationship on social media. ​ ​Oftentimes, people post snippets of their life to make things look like everything is perfect or great. This can leave you feeling bad about your less-than-perfect relationship. Don't compare your insides to others' outsides. 

• Cinderella:
• It's a fantasy, and if you realistically think about her actual situation, it shouldn't work out that way. Her mom dies; her dad marries a mean woman who treats her poorly; she isn't protected from her evil stepsisters. She probably needs therapeutic support to deal with all of the trauma and abandonment she experienced as a young person, and she won't likely fall into "the perfect marriage" and not face any problems. She's actually more likely to marry someone who doesn't treat her well (or a workaholic) because of how she was raised. 

It really is only a dream...

• "Happily Ever After"
• Once again, it's a fantasy that sets people up to think that marriage will always be wonderful, and you'll always be happy and in love and it will be easy. In real life, marriage is hard, has its ups and downs, and requires a lot of work. Ideas like this paint a broad stroke that gives wrong expectations that once we get married things will get better and we will always be happy.

• Big Little Lies
• The therapist for the sexual assault couple is portrayed really well and handles situations accurately. 

• Everybody Loves Raymond
• This is wonderful to watch because it shows more realistic marital and extended family dynamics. 

So where do all of these myths come from regarding marriage and couples therapy? One obvious source is the media, which portrays this idea that marriage is all easy. Another is that therapy, especially couples therapy, has such a social stigma. What will other people say if we need to go to therapy? It's all your fault that our marriage isn't perfect! Also, there is a lot of fear in people. If a couple has to go to therapy to work on their relationship, they think they might get a divorce if they really address the problem. Marriage requires nurturing, just like any other thing. Another thing is, some of us didn't have great models of relationships in our own families (divorces, no fighting in front of the kids, no affection, etc.). We hang on to what we see on Facebook and other social media and how our own parents' relationship was, and our own relationships become like the same because we think that's what it should be like. We get scared of therapy. That it must be a problem with me. But therapy can be a really helpful resource, and you don't have to be in such a terrible place to begin with. 

 I hope you guys like my Week 7 post (how is it Week 7 already!?!?!)! Thank you all for following me on this enlightening journey, and showing me so much support!

Lots of love 💗,

--Saleena

Sources: 

*Marriage and Divorce (2017, January). Retrieved on March 21, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/marriage-divorce.htm. 

**Couples Counseling (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2017, from http://family-marriage-counseling.com/mentalhealth/couples-counseling.htm. 

Substance Abuse/Alcoholism: Do the myths make the shot?

Hello, Beautiful (Pollen-Filled) World!

Unfortunately, my allergies have kicked in really terribly, so I haven't been feeling superb since you guys last heard from me. I've basically been huddled up in my room wondering what I'm being punished for (honestly, I'm surprised my lungs haven't exploded out of me since I've been sneezing so much).

I didn't go to my internship from Monday through Thursday, as I normally do; but rather went for more hours on Wednesday and Thursday since Jessica (my amazing, front-desk buddy 💞) took those two days off (basically, I helped cover for her). Oh wait! I forgot to mention that I'll be taking next week off as my spring break 👏; so YAYYYY!!!! But don't you guys worry, I will still be coming in for an hour to A New Beginning to meet with a yet-to-remain-unnamed therapist to do a disorder of the week (so, there will still be a post and everything... I'm really having fun learning about the different mental health issues, and refuse to take a break from it)😆

Other than that, I don't have any exciting stories to tell this week (sorry!), so let's get straight into the disorder of the week (this one was a super-duper exciting one): substance abuse/alcoholism!!!!

As always, here are some general statistics regarding the disorders:

• * Substance Abuse:
• In the US, the abuse of alcohol, illicit drugs, tobacco costs us more than $700 billion annually through healthcare, lost work efficiency, and crime related costs
• In 2009, 23.5 million people (12 years of age or older) required treatment for an alcohol or drug abuse problem
• Of those people, only 11.2% (2.6 million people) received 
• ** Alcohol:
• In the US, 86.4% of people (18 years of age or older) have drunk alcohol at some point in their life
• Of the adults who needed treatment for their alcohol-use disorder, only 8.3% received it at a specialized facility (most of them being men)
• In the US, it is estimated that 623 thousand adolescents (ages 12-17) had an alcohol-use disorder
• In the US, this is the 4th leading (preventable) cause of death

Something that surprised me about these statistics was that even adolescents (even those as young as 12!) could have an alcohol-use disorder. 

This week, I met with Grace again, and conducted a survey and looked through everyday media relevant to substance abuse and alcoholism before I came in. Starting off the meeting by asking her what misconceptions clients generally came in with to her in terms of substance abuse/alcoholism, I learned that most alcoholics come in with denial, which is the first phase of alcoholism. So, the therapist has to help with that thought process when they say "I'm not an alcoholic." They also come in saying "I can just stop drinking if I want to," which I'll discuss as a myth below. The denial part was very interesting to me because if they don't think they have a drinking problem, why are they seeing a therapist?

From here, Grace and I discussed more about substance abuse/alcoholism using the survey questions as a basis:

Misconceptions:

• Myth: Alcoholism isn't a disease, but a lack of willpower, self-control, and moral failure. 
• Truth: Nope! Alcoholism and substance abuse are very much real disorders.
• Myth: Substance abuse and alcoholism come about from lifestyle, not genetics.
• Truth: Genetics is the primary reason that alcoholics have alcoholism, although environment also contributes to it. 
• Myth: If one really wants to, he/she can control their addiction on their own or through group meetings. 
• Truth: The most successful treatment options are Narcotic Anonymous (NA) and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). These are group meetings in which recovering alcoholics or drug addicts who have a desire to stop drinking/using drugs attend. They become recovering alcoholics or drug addicts when they work the 12 steps with a sponsor and attend the meetings regularly. 
• Myth: Using prescription medicines/a patch to control urges are simply replacing the previous addiction. 
• Truth: Some alcoholics take Antabuse to help stop drinking; however, it usually doesn't help because alcoholism is just a symptom of a disease, and a therapist needs to help address the spiritual and emotional aspects, as well as physical. 
• Myth: Addicts and alcoholics are easily identifiable (low socioeconomic background, unemployed, male, etc.)
• Truth: These are simply stereotypes. Alcoholism is a disease and impacts all society. 
• Myth: You cannot abuse prescribed medication.
• Truth: False, because these medicines are just like any other drug (but simply have benefits toward an illness).
• Myth: Relapse means failure and weakness. 
• Truth: Because it is a disease and an addictive one, it can be hard to break the habit. Alcoholics have been using alcohol as their main coping skill, and when they struggle with accepting powerlessness over alcohol, they turn to it for help.
• Myth: Drug addiction is worse than alcohol addiction.
• Truth: No! Many take longer to develop alcoholism versus drug addiction, but they both impact every organ of the body and will end in death if the person doesn't get help. 

From here, we moved onto the portrayal of substance abuse/alcoholism in the media. 

• Days of Wine and Roses
• The main actress role is an alcoholic (due to her husband), and the husband tries to get her sober without going to AA. She ends up dying from her drinking problem. This is a very accurate representation of alcoholism, and the consequences of not getting help. 

• Leaving Las Vegas
• Ben Sanderson, the protagonist in the movie, is an alcoholic and it costs him his friends, family, and job. He ends up trying to drink himself to death in Vegas, but build a relationship with Sera. Sera, although she originally agreed to not judge Ben, ends up urging him to go see a therapist, making Ben furious. He doesn't get the help he needs and dies from over-drinking. This accurately shows how alcohol damages personal relationships, and can lead to death without proper treatment. 

• The media glamorizes drug use and alcohol (as shown through parties in movies, etc.)
• Our culture advocates for behaviors that they present as "better-living," but are very detrimental. 

So where do all of these misconceptions come from regarding alcoholism and substance abuse? Once again, it is our culture and from our misunderstanding of these mental health issues. It's also from powerful organizations that advertise and sell liquor to our environment, which is prone to so-called "better-living" through chemistry. 

Before I get to my usual closing line, I was just wondering if you guys have any ideas on what you'd like to see as a product for my project. I have a slight idea, but am not sure if I really want to go through with it... Thank you! You guys are the best :D

I hope you guys like my Week 6 post! Thank you all for following me on this journey, and showing me so much support!

Lots of love 💗,

--Saleena 

Sources: 

*Trends and Statistics (2015, August). Retrieved March 14, 2017, from https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics

**Alcohol Facts and Statistics (2017, February). Retrieved March 14, 2017, from https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics

Trauma/PTSD: Is it really about being 'traumatized for life'?

Hello, Beautiful World!

This post will be a little different (divided into 'weekend' and 'week') as an exciting event occurred over the weekend related to my past two posts (Week 3 & 4). Without further ado, lettuce begin (idk why I just wrote that, but just go with the flow here):

Weekend (particularly Sunday):
On Sunday, as some of you may have seen on my snapchat, I went to the NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association) Walk with A New Beginning from 6AM to 9AM. Before I get into that though, let's have a little storytime session: I had to get up at 4AM!!!!! That was wayyyy too early since I haven't had to get up before 8AM since school ended. What was worse was that I couldn't fall asleep until 11:30PM the night before; so, I basically had to live off of ~4 hours of sleep.

Anyways, I woke up to an absolutely silent house (no normal human gets up that early), and realized that I make so much more noise when I'm trying to be quiet.

It took about half an hour to drive to the zoo. It was super dark outside (I don't like driving in the dark, so this was my first long drive in the dark). There were practically no cars anywhere (very eerie). I made it to the zoo, and it was soooo cold and dark (sorry, I've said dark like a million times).

But what surprised me was how many people had showed up for this walk! Everyone was so lovely and sweet and supportive despite the ungodly time we were up at, the cold, and the darkness. We set up our booth, and bam!

    

We saw an amazing sunrise. The sky literally looked like cotton-candy (seeing that made getting up worth it) :D There were awesome guest speakers, a relaxing yoga session, and the mile-long walk in the zoo was also super fun! Who knew the zoo animals are most active and awake that early?!

 At this event, A New Beginning also won first place for raising the most amount of money for the NEDA fundraiser (YAY TEAM!)😁

Side Note: While the zoo was super fun, it triggered my allergies and I woke up Monday feeling terrible (are anyone else's allergies kicking up?)

Week On-Site:

Getting to the disorder of the week, trauma/PTSD, we're going to start off with some general statistics:

• Trauma:*
• Every year, trauma "accounts for 41 million emergency department visits and 2.3 million hospital admissions" in the US
• The amount of lives lost to trauma (30% of all life years lost in the US) is equal to the combined rate of lives lost from cancer, heart disease, and HIV
• In the US, 70% (~223.4 million people) of adults have experienced some type of traumatic event**
• PTSD:**
• It is estimated that 1 out of 9 women develops PTSD (women are twice as likely to have PTSD as men)
• In the US, it is estimated that 8% of the population (~24.4 million people) have PTSD at any given time
• Of the 70% that have experienced some type of traumatic event, up to 20% develop PTSD (~44.7 million people who were or are struggling with PTSD)

What I found most interesting about these statistics was that of the millions of people that experience trauma at some point in their life, only about 20% develop PTSD. In other words, I was surprised that trauma didn't always lead to PTSD. 

Before meeting with Grace Brooks, a clinical therapist at A New Beginning who specializes in abuse/trauma/neglect, I conducted a survey and looked through everyday media relevant to trauma/PTSD. Starting off the meeting by asking her what misconceptions clients generally came in with to her in terms of trauma/PTSD, I learned that people come in feeling like they are permanently damaged. If a client has trauma and has no resources at the time of the trauma to process those feelings, that trauma is hard wired in the limbic system (the emotional part of the brain). As an adult, experiences in their life can trigger the original trauma and they experience feelings as if they are emotionally younger (they also may be experiencing emotions from their past). Their reaction seems like an overreaction. Some clients believe the symptoms of PTSD that are occurring in their adult life (depression, anxiety, self-defeating coping skills like an eating disorder) have nothing to do with the way they were raised. Many have no memories of any trauma in their past, and have difficulty assessing memories. 

Grace Brooks, MA, LISAC, LPC

From here, Grace and I discussed more about trauma/PTSD using the survey questions as a basis:

Misconceptions:

• Myth: Trauma only occurs after a life-threatening event. Everyone who faces such an experience will also get PTSD. 
• Truth: No! The life-threatening event is the trauma, and without support from family or professionals when it occurs, symptoms from PTSD can appear.  
• Myth: One can get through trauma alone if he/she is strong. 
• Truth: Trauma recovery cannot be done on your own. Clients need a professional to help them resolve the trauma. It has nothing to do with strength, except courage to get help.  
• Myth: If the trauma occurred a long time ago, you cannot change anything about it.
• Truth: By accessing the limbic system, the client can resolve their trauma no matter when it occurred. Treatment involves assisting the client to their memories of trauma. For instance, writing a timeline of behaviors from your past.  Mental health therapists use various skills to resolve the trauma (to name a few: EMDR therapy, Gestalt therapy, or Somatic Experiencing). Gestalt is using empty chair to reenact the feelings from the trauma by visualizing your abuser in the chair. Somatic Experiencing works with physical sensation, and helps the client access those sensations and release feelings from the trauma that have not yet been processed. Complex PTSD are many traumas that were experienced, and you can use the same techniques mentioned above. With treatment, negative cognitions, such as "I am bad," that are hard wired in your limbic system when you were a child can be replaced to "I am good" by creating new neural pathways from your limbic system to your prefrontal cortex. 
• Myth: For PTSD, one only needs to process the trauma to become fine. 
• Truth: Only talking about it will not help. Treatment has to be experiential by accessing the wounded ego state where the trauma is hard wired. An ego-state is an entire system of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors from which we interact with one another. 
• Myth: PTSD only affects war veterans.
• Truth: Anyone who experiences trauma or any life threatening experiences can experience PTSD symptoms. 
• Myth: People suffer from PTSD right after they experience a traumatic event.
• Truth: No, it takes time for the trauma to manifest into PTSD. If you have a therapist working with you in the immediate present when the trauma occurred, you won't have the symptoms of PTSD because you will have created a place where you can feel safe again and have processed the trauma. Also, when it manifests is different for everyone (anywhere from six months to twenty years).

Some things that can be myths or truths, depending upon the case:

• To say that trauma affects everyone the same is a very broad statement that is both true and false. It can be true because of the similar symptoms present in patients (for example, most everyone has startled experiences). However, it can also be false because just because some people don't have a startled response does not mean that they don't have PTSD. So, while there is a certain set of criteria (aka core symptoms) patients have to meet, they may not have all of the same symptoms besides those ones. 
• Trauma both can and cannot affect one for the rest of his/her life. If you do put in work and effort during recovery and therapy, you can certainly get much better in terms of your reactions to situations. However, if you don't work on it, your reactions get much worse and you can start to close-in on yourself. Basically, do the trauma work and you can get better. Recovery is possible. 
• Trauma most definitely can negatively impact one's personality/character. But get through treatment, and you can become a survivor instead of a victim. Also, getting through trauma work allows one to be there for others, building compassion by knowing at a deep level what others are going through. 

Since the media plays a huge role in how we perceive things, I also asked Grace how she felt regarding the portrayal of trauma/PTSD in If I Stay, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Iron Man 3, and Sling Blade.

• If I Stay
• It's definitely a good portrayal of trauma (it's traumatizing to witness one's whole family dying and being the only one to survive). 

• Forrest Gump
• During the scenes in the movie in Vietnam, if it was a real person, it would absolutely cause trauma (even if they didn't necessarily portray it as so in the movie). 

• Saving Private Ryan
• Anyone in a war, unless they found some resource to process the trauma on the spot, would have trauma. The characters were in the midst of war, which is a life threatening event, so PTSD is possible.

• Iron Man 3
• Tony Stark does faces trauma and PTSD after his involvement in the alien war invasion in The Avengers (this can be seen by his symptoms: reclusiveness, outbursts of anger, etc.).

• Sling Blade
• This movie is actually what is shown to students studying trauma in graduate school (it shows how trauma develops into PTSD). 

Something interesting that I have slowly been realizing is that emotional trauma (repeated invalidating messages, etc.) is the basis for a lot of disorders. People end up believing and internalizing these messages, creating a negative core belief in themselves that gets in the way of them being able to reach their goals and living a successful life. It's actually deemed to be 'the silent killer' of the mental health world.

So where do all of the misconceptions surrounding trauma/PTSD come from? One source is social media. People who think they're knowledgable about these disorders go ahead and spread the wrong information throughout the internet. It can also be due to to research that had been later proved invalid (the former information just stuck around even after being proved wrong). Lastly, sadly to say, sometimes even professionals give incomplete information because they may not be fully-versed in mental health issues. 

 I hope you guys like my Week 5 post! Thank you all for following me on this enlightening journey, and showing me so much support!

Lots of love 💗,
--Saleena



Sources:

*Trauma Statistics (2014, February). Retrieved March 6, 2017, from http://www.nationaltraumainstitute.org/home/trauma_statistics.html

**PTSD Statistics (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2017, from http://www.ptsdunited.org/ptsd-statistics-2/

Binge-Eating Disorder: Making it Easier to Digest the Truth

Hello, Beautiful World!

This week was absolutely, mindblowingly awesome! Dr. Anné so kindly invited me to join her for her Channel 3 news segment on Good Morning, America on Wednesday on eating disorders 😆! It was such an honor to be able to join her in the studio (even if it was only behind-the-scenes).

Literally me after being invited...(but in more professional clothes)

I don't normally do story-time, but this was such a memorable experience and I really want to share it all with you guys! To begin with, I had to wake up a lot earlier than usual to get to the studio on time (with extra time to spare in case I mess-up with my driving skills somewhere). This extra time came in handy because it was a nightmare to drive on 7th street. People were driving in the middle lane, there were too many cars, the lanes were so tiny, and you couldn't make a left turn at so many places. I missed the turn to the studio because there was no place to make a left-turn; so, I had to drive an extra five-minutes ahead, make a U-turn, and find parking at the studio for normal people like me (not employee parking). I got there before I had to, and used the extra time to take some photos and sit in the lobby to check social media. Here's a funny little story: the doors in the studio were really weird (almost magnetic), and when I went to open the door, it opened mostly without my effort. The problem was that my hand was stuck in the handle, and so I had to awkwardly enter the studio being pulled by the door. How embarrassing! There was a couple inside looking at me all funky. I have seen and used a door before, people (just not that type of door)!

Outside of the studio (I took this photo from my car... in a non-creepy way, of course)

Showing off on social media (aka Snapchat)

Pardon my terrible photography skills... this is inside the lobby

Photos of people that work there? 

More lobby photos...

Some other events happened... blah blah blah... and we're finally in the studio!!!!! It was so cool watching all of the dynamics and efforts that went into a live news channel 😋. Dr. Anné went live, and it was wonderful seeing her talk about what she's so passionate about. Despite the bumpy morning, she was so calm, cool, and collected. You can watch the whole segment online somewhere I'm sure. All in all, it was pretty awesome, and I'm so grateful to have been presented the opportunity to come along :D

A beautiful panorama of the studio

Dr. Anné live!

Watching the weather segment was pretty awesome!

Getting to the disorder of the week, binge-eating disorder (aka BED), we're going to start off with some general statistics (I was really happy to read in last week's comments that you guys like this section and find it helpful 😁):*

• A 2007 study found that 3.5% of women and 2.0% of men have had BED during their life, making it more common than anorexia and bulimia, and breast cancer, HIV, and schizophrenia
• ~0.2-3.5% of females and ~0.9-2.0% of males will develop BED
• "Sub-threshold BED occurs in 1.6% of adolescent females"
• "Research estimates that 28.4% of people with current BED are receiving treatment for their disorder"
• "BED often begins in the late teens or early 20s, although it has been reported in both young children and older adults."
• Males account for 40% of those with BED

What I found most interesting about these statistics was that although BED is so much more common than breast cancer, only about a fourth of the people with BED are receiving treatment, compared to those getting treatment for breast cancer. Why is the treatment rate so low?

Before meeting with Jennifer Denkers, a clinical therapist at A New Beginning who specializes in eating disorders, I conducted a survey and looked through modern, everyday media relevant to BED. Starting off the meeting by asking her what misconceptions clients generally came in with to her in terms of BED, I learned that people come in feeling like they lack willpower. Feeling like they're lazy, and that they just can't get this right. That maybe they're just addicted to food because they really like it. They don't understand that there are underlying emotional issues behind their disorder, and that it's not because something is wrong with them. That common trend of people with mental health issues feeling as though they're the problem? It even continues to apply to eating disorders. 

Jennifer Denkers, LPC

From here, Jennifer and I discussed more about BED using the survey questions as a basis:

Misconceptions:

• Myth: Binge-Eaters have weak willpower
• Truth: Absolutely not! BED usually comes about from two factors:
• Underlying emotional factors (unmet emotional needs, trauma, etc.)
• Brain chemistry
• Myth: BED isn't a real disorder. Everyone overeats at some point in their life. 
• Truth: Although it is true that people do sometimes eat beyond the point of being full, BED is a a very different pattern of overeating (those with BED eat a lot of calories in one sitting in secrecy, but tend to eat very little in front of others). It includes a lot of rituals, secrecy, and an element of lacking control.
• Myth: BED is the same as bulimia.
• Truth: The difference between bulimia and BED is that people with bulimia have compensatory behaviors (exercise, laxatives, purging, etc.), while those with BED typically do not. 
• Myth: BED is rare. 
• Truth: We can see this is false simply through the general statistics I listed earlier. In fact, BED has only been recognized recently, which is why people didn't seek treatment (because they didn't see it as a psychological issue). This goes to answer my earlier question about why treatment rates are low. 
• Myth: BED treatments include discipline and diets. 
• Truth: Typically, treatment focuses on helping patients incorporate movement that works with their lifestyle. Also, it provides education on how our body utilizes food (along with food in general). However, the main focus should be on the underlying emotional factors that come into play.

Some things that can be myths or truths, depending upon the case:

• People tend to think that those with BED are overweight or obese. This is not necessarily true as there are binge-eaters who aren't overweight. 
• Side note: in fact, there are even healthy people can be overweight. 
• Although stress can play a role, BED doesn't only affect women who are stressed-out. As shown by the earlier statistics, men are also affected by BED. 
• Weight-loss surgery doesn't cure BED because a lot of what underlies BED is more emotional core issues. Surgery only really helps with the physical aspect of things, not reaching the emotional aspect. Hence, binge-eaters can still eat their way back and gain weight. So, surgery can be a tool, but not a treatment. 

Since the media plays a huge role in how we perceive things, I also asked Jennifer about she felt regarding the portrayal of BED in Elf, Super Size Me, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 

• Elf:
• Scene: Elf is home alone, and eats pasta covered in chocolate, marshmallows, syrup, and more sugary, junk food. 
• Not necessarily a portrayal of BED because it's not always sugar that's consumed excessively. Also, this scene doesn't show the shame, guilt, and secrecy that people with BED feel afterwards. 

• Super Size Me
• This is more of a depiction of disordered eating (and not knowing the effect of food on our body) rather than BED. It's basically showing how overeating foods that aren't nourishing for the body affects the body and general health. 

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Scene: Augustus eating a lot of chocolate in the factory and in his day-to-day life.
• This is more compulsive, over-eating than BED. Not necessarily all binge-eaters binge on chocolate, and they won't eat in excess in front of others (they binge in hiding). 

BED as a mental health eating-disorder diagnosis has not been around as long, making it hard for people to see their behavior as a psychological issues that needs treatment. Also, by nature, our culture is very shaming of those who are overweight, obese, or don't live a 'healthy lifestyle.' This is perpetuated by different media, including the diet and fashion industry. For example, magazines put much emphasis on celebrities and their weight gain/loss. We need to shift our focus away from such labelling and stereotypes, and work to simply be healthy individuals. 

 I hope you guys like my Week 4 post! Thank you all for following me on this enlightening journey, and showing me so much support!

Lots of love 💗,

--Saleena 

Sources:

*Overview & Statistics (n.d.). Retrieved February 28, 2017, from https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/binge-eating-disorder