Post 2

My posts have been scattered, my apologies for that. I haven't gotten to meet with any doctors, they continuously say that they will call me back and then never do. I've been watching many movies regarding eating disorders to get a feel for how media portrays them and frankly I was a bit disappointed.

I started with Starving in Suburbia which is a popular movie about a young dancer that starts looking at pictures of thin girls, joins a pro-anorexia website and begins restricting her caloric intake. The escalation of her eating disorder is done well because it shows how obsessive she gets with food (as do most people struggling with an eating disorder) however it does glamorize the eating disorder by making it seem almost normal.

I next watched Perfect Body because it was about an anorexic gymnast which is very personal as I was a gymnast and I struggled with an eating disorder. The main character starts training at a pre-olympic gymnastics academy and gets told to lose weight. She begins restricting her foods while still maintaining a strict training schedule. The unrealistic side of this film is that while eating next to nothing on a daily basis, she continues to maintain strength without much struggle until the very end. This isn't how it works and I believe it almost encourages young girls to try the "restriction diet."

The third thing I watched is called Binge, it's a television series that only recently started. It's about a girl that struggles with bulimia and addiction, in a very dark but comedic way. I did like this show because the main character ends up scarfing down food in private moments including her car or behind a trashcan, only to purge it afterwards. Rather than glamorizing the eating disorder or making it seem like less of a problem, Binge highlights the struggle of your mind telling you to throw up. If the media portrays eating disorders as beautiful, more young girls and boys will be inclined to try it.

Over the next few days I will finish re-reading Wintergirls  by Laurie Anderson, analyzing why the tumblr eating disorder community is so obsessed with this book, particularly the page that says "must not eat" over and over again.

Anorexia is not the beautiful long-haired girl saying no to a cupcake. It's the frail, thing-haired girl with dark circles under her eyes struggling to stay conscious. Eating disorders are dangerous. This is National Eating Disorders Awareness week. If you or someone you know are struggling with ANY eating disorder, don't be afraid to reach out for help. Eating disorders are far more prevalent than we realize, but they are not untreatable.

Remember to smile.
-Sylvia

Post 1

Hello! Sorry for not posting more recently, I got back from North Carolina only a few days ago. It was an awesome trip, North Carolina is an absolutely stunning state and it has been a pleasure being able to visit. While visiting UNC Charlotte, I spoke to various professors including a professor of Psychology, Chemistry, Neurology, English and Math. While explaining my project to the professor, she excitedly told me about the research regarding Binge Eating at the university. I got to ask many questions and ultimately found that that research is very similar to my own project. What she found was that in binge eating, cognitive behavioral therapy is almost always more effective than inpatient or even drug therapy (anti-depressants, mood stabilizers, etc.) in curing it. While most of my questions are regarding anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, learning about binge eating was a step in the right direction which highlighted my main thought that cognitive behavioral therapy is more effective than other treatment methods. Thanks for stopping by! -Sylvia Karjala

Introduction

Hello! My name is Sylvia, and my project is about eating disorders. I will be specifically researching treatment methods of Anorexia Nervosa, asking local doctors for their opinions on what treatment method they found to be most efficient, i.e. inpatient therapy, anti-depressants and other medications, cognitive behavioral therapy. Towards the end of my project I will visit the inpatient treatment centers in Arizona, touring them to see the living conditions and briefly conversing with the doctors there about their professional opinion on inpatient therapy versus cognitive behavioral therapy. I will be staying local, only having a field-trip to Southern Arizona My in-school advisor is Karen Knappenberger, and she seems to be just as excited as I am to explore anorexia. I greatly look forward to meeting local doctors and exploring treatments of this deadly mental illness.