October 19,2021
Last week I had the chance to interview Mrs.Pierce, an eating disorder therapist, who recently opened her own practice, The Nourishment Center. One thing we discussed that I found very interesting was that many people with a binge eating disorder, or an eating disorder with binge eating traits, most commonly bulimia, have been diagnosed with ADHD, due to impulsive tendencies and traits. When studying mental health reason that are common in patients with eating disorders, I have previously looking into depression and anxiety rates, so learning that ADHD is also common in patients with binge eating disorders. Another topic that we discussed was how long on average it takes for adolescents to reach out and receive help. Mrs.Pierce informed me that usually when she receives new patients, the eating disorder has been going on for about 6 to 12 months. This shocked me, but also, I wasn't that surprised. In our society, although more awareness is being spread, with the push for the ideal both type, many people still feel bad or scared about reaching out. Through learning this, the issue of eating disorders in adolescents has become more apparent to me and reiterated my goal of educating parents and school faculty on how to help kids who may be struggling.