I am a regular contributor to the websites EatingDisorderHope.com and AddictionHope.com. Each month I will share links to the articles posted on those sites.
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
Addiction and Physical & Cognitive Disabilities: What We Know
Seeking and entering treatment is an emotionally, relationally, and financially challenging experience for anyone. Those with disabilities will likely face additional challenges when considering treatment options. This article explores barriers to treatment including accessability, lack of resources, environmental factors, and human factors.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse in the U.S.; What We Know
As I get older, I’m learning a truth I’d rather have left unknown. At some point in your child’s life, they will lose a friend.
A few months ago, my wife and I accompanied our college-aged son to the funeral of one of his friends. She was a17-year-old high school senior who was in enough pain to end her life by suicide
There were so many people at the service that the crowd flowed out the doors of the building and onto the porch. Inside, I stood against the wall, literally shoulder-to-shoulder with her peers, family members, and teachers. It became astonishingly clear to me that she was loved and would be badly missed.
For her, though, in those last moments, the darkness she felt inside eclipsed the light of love present at her funeral.
Teens Abusing Prescription Drugs
During adolescence, and up to the age of 25, tremendous changes are happening in the body and brain. Dr. Daniel Siegel points out that “brain changes during the early teen years set up four qualities of our minds during adolescence: novelty seeking, social engagement, increased emotional intensity, and creative exploration.” These qualities, which are healthy and needed for adult development, can also make teens more vulnerable to abusing prescription drugs.
Pot and Teenage Brains: Why We Need to be Concerned
At the same time more and more states pass laws to legalize marijuana for both medicinal and recreational use, research reveals more about the impact of marijuana use on the developing teenage brain.
In August, the National Institutes on Drug Abuse (NIDA) released the findings of a study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City which examined the impact of THC on key areas of the developing brain in rats. The findings raise concerns about the negative impact THC and marijuana use may have on adults who use the drug while their brains are maturing.
We Need Relationships – Not Methamphetamine
In the 1970s, a psychologist performed an experiment that has come to be known as the “Rat Park.” Previous studies had shown that when rats were left alone in a cage with two bottles, one filled with water and the other with heroin or cocaine the rats would choose the drugs over water, even to the point of overdose and death. What, he wondered, would happen if the rats were also given the chance to interact with other rats?
ARFID in Teens and Children
Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) has only recently been included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for professionals. This article explores this eating disorder and how a recent study set out to investigate how it is different than anorexia nervosa.
The Complex Relationship of Eating Disorders and Mood Disorders
Having a mood disorder makes recovery from an eating disorder even more challenging. Because mood influences energy level, motivation, and willingness to accept challenges, mood directly affects an individual’s progress toward recovery. This article explores the differences between mood and emotions and recent research into the relationship between bipolar disorders and eating disorders.
Follow Up Care After Intensive Treatment for an Eating Disorder
Thirteen years ago, I had the privilege of working with a teen girl receiving treatment for anorexia. Last month, we met again and strolled through a park with her 6-month-old baby in tow.
Now a therapist herself, she counsels clients with eating disorders. I cannot express how delightful it was to spend time with her and hold her infant daughter. It brought a lot of joy to my heart!
Athletes Coming to Terms with Their Body Shape & Weight
Over the past two years, former UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi twice “broke the internet” with stunning floor routines and an infectious personality. But that’s not all. She’s brought more attention to a struggle many athletes face—negative body image.
To hear that elite athletes struggle with body image may come as a surprise. Many people watch athletes compete and see bodies at peak physical fitness and assume athletes don’t struggle with body hatred.
Important Considerations of Anorexia and Exercise
A group of researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia, asked an interesting question about anorexia and exercise: do people with anorexia nervosa recognize or admit how much they are exercising?
As a therapist working in eating disorders since 2003, I learned long ago that many individuals with a anorexia find themselves zealously committed to burning calories. I still recall the many times my partner therapist would notice patients flexing their stomach muscles as we sat together in group therapy. Even while sitting, the patients would find a way to exercise! Even more surprising is that my partner would catch it!
