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Weight Loss Forum / General Topics / July 2004Article: Older Women, Too, Struggle With a Dangerous Secret
An interesting article about women in their 30's, 40's, and 50's and eating disorders. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/06/health/06anor.html?ex=1090312009&ei=1&en=6da96 90a53bcb92f so how old would karen carpenter be now? so eds didn't exist when women now in their 30s, 40s or 50s were younger? eds in 'older women' are the same eds these women had when they were younger. only more time has passed and these women have had the chance to grow older with their ed (often hidden), not to mention suffer more over the years. no great news (sorry, those who try and sell newspapers). the only news is that it's too damn hard to find help. yes, some people develop eds post-teens/twenties, but more often it's just a continuance of difficulties which were already there and not treated, for whatever reason. F > An interesting article about women in their 30's, 40's, and 50's and eating > disorders. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/06/health/06anor.html?ex=1090312009&ei=1&en=6 da9690a53bcb92f > so how old would karen carpenter be now? so eds didn't exist when women now > in their 30s, 40s or 50s were younger? That's not what was said. > eds in 'older women' are the same eds these women had when they were > younger. only more time has passed and these women have had the chance to > grow older with their ed (often hidden), not to mention suffer more over the > years. no great news (sorry, those who try and sell newspapers). the only > news is that it's too damn hard to find help. That's pretty much the gist of the article. It's difficult for older women to get help for an eating disorder because it is generally seen as a younger women's disease. > yes, some people develop eds post-teens/twenties, but more often it's just a > continuance of difficulties which were already there and not treated, for > whatever reason. > > F It is also the result of a relapse of problems that existed and may have even been treated, not just those who never sought treatment. I found it interesting that the medical community is finally catching up with the real world in this area. If it becomes more recognized, then women may actually seek help. I can tell you that pushing 40 it doesn't help when stupid people refer to my problems as those of an attention seeking teenager or other remarks about the condition that are just as stupid and thoughtless. Jenn > It is also the result of a relapse of problems that existed and may have > even been treated, not just those who never sought treatment. I found it [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Jenn Sorry Jenn, if i came across as angry in my previous post (well, i was angry, but at people's ignorance about eds in general, and the fact that eds still sell papers but still far too few people seem to truly recognise the pain behind it all, just the superficial 'oooh, hasn't she gained/lost weight' comments etc). I agree with all you say in your para above, couldn't agree more. So many people think this is all a vanity thing, when in reality it's so much the opposite, and the pain felt at _any_ age hurts, not just in teenage years. F > > It is also the result of a relapse of problems that existed and may have > > even been treated, not just those who never sought treatment. I found it [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > F I'm glad you had a reaction to it! I really do hope that articles like this help educate some people, though some are well beyond help in that area (terminally stupid). I think that time will show that ed's are more widespread than currently estimated, but I'm afraid that since they are predominantly female and are mental, they won't get the serious attention they deserve. It's way too easy for the ignorant to write it off. Jenn Jenn >An interesting article about women in their 30's, 40's, and 50's and eating >disorders. > >http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/06/health/06anor.html?ex=1090312009&ei=1&en=6da96 90a53bcb92f I must say I hadn't thought of people developing eating disorders for the first time in, say, their 40s or 50s, but the article is also referring to women who have had the disorder since they were younger and still have it in later life. It deals with bulimia and anorexia, but not with what I think of as the "forgotten" eating disorder of binge eating. FWIW my binge eating disorder started in 1962 and I've been fighting it ever since. For many years I didn't even know I wasn't the only person in the world doing this, and for several more years it didn't have a name. I expect many women in mid life now have disorders that date back to those dark days and it is only now coming out into the open. janice > >An interesting article about women in their 30's, 40's, and 50's and eating > >disorders. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > janice That was the first thought I had when reading the article - that it hasn't been all that long that awareness of eating disorders has become so widespread. Younger women have been easier to diagnose and study because they're forced into treatment by their parents, while older women are better able to hide the situation and avoid treatment. It also doesn't help when like you pointed out some disorders still go ignored or you get really stupid people who think that the disorder entails something as simple as an unpleasant comment leading to crying and eating cookies. One thing I've read about lately is that these disorders are on the increase among MEN so maybe it will get more attention when it's not incorrectly seen as a "hysterical" women's problem. There have always been men with the problem - I've met them in treatment in the past and they have an even bigger problem getting treatment than older women have. Jenn > One thing I've read about lately is that these disorders are on the increase > among MEN so maybe it will get more attention when it's not incorrectly seen > as a "hysterical" women's problem. Sad but probably true.  Signaturejmk in NC >An interesting article about women in their 30's, 40's, and 50's and eating >disorders. > >http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/06/health/06anor.html?ex=1090312009&ei=1&en=6da96 90a53bcb92f Interesting article -- thanks for posting it! Chris 262/144/ (145-150) |
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