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Welcome to another episode of our wellness podcast. I'm Mark DeFee and with me, is KC Schroder. We're both licensed therapists who focus on workplace mental health.

We're also pretty good friends so we're gonna have a little bit of fun. Maybe tell some stories but most importantly, we're gonna give you some great information to help you develop both personally and professionally. Does that sound good? All right! Let's dive in!

So, on this podcast episode we are talking about eating disorders. And we are extremely fortunate today to have Desiree Carroll with us. She is a licensed therapist and Case Manager with Anthem.

But she also has extensive experience helping people with eating disorders, and really all levels of care. So, Desiree, thank you for taking the time to meet with us today.

Yeah, thank you so much for having me Mark and KC.

Okay so, before Mark starts talking again I'm going to go ahead and take it away. [laughs]. The first question for you, Desiree, what do you think are really like the biggest myths surrounding eating disorders?

Yeah, that is a great question. I think one of the biggest myths is that only women struggle with eating disorders. This is 100% not true. People of all genders can be affected by an eating disorder.

There was a study several years ago that found that about 25% of people that suffer from anorexia are males. And unfortunately because of this myth that only women have eating disorders, males tend to receive a diagnosis way later than females. And that can greatly disrupt the recovery process.

That's super interesting when I think about like the images we see as a nation when we talk about eating disorders, when we see information. It's typically a woman that we see as images related to eating disordersI would have never guessed 25% that's for males. And that's incredible insight.

Yeah and KC, you bring up a good point about the media. They often portray the myth that everyone with an eating disorder is underweight. And that is not true, either. People at any shape size and weight can suffer from an eating disorder. And so those images in the media are just not accurate. In fact they can actually really further promote eating disorders because someone that's struggling might look at those and say: "Well I don't look like that. I guess I need to engage in restricting more or start exercising more." So just something for folks to keep in mind.

Yeah, yeah I think media in general, I think it's getting better as the years go by but that's a good point. I think media in general has played a heavy role in perpetuating weight issues and definitely eating disorders. So I definitely appreciate that insight.

And along those same lines in terms of the perpetuating. If we do start noticing signs or I guess what should we be looking for when we're talking about warning signs of someone who might be struggling with an eating disorder?

Yeah and whether this is for yourself or a loved one if you start to notice that there's this preoccupation with thoughts about food or diets, weight body image. If those are taking up like a lot of a person's time that can be a warning sign. Other things to look for: is there a pattern of skipping meals or have you noticed that food has gone missing rapidly? Some other signs might be that the person is isolating more and withdrawing from social activities.

And then of course just signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Those can also be warning signs for eating disorders.

Good to know, good to know

Yeah that all makes sense.

Yeah and kind of piggybacking off of that really growing up. I did unfortunately see or have friends who did struggle with eating disorders. And that was pre-clinician days. And I didn't ever know what to say or how to approach them like to tell them I was concerned about them.

So if we have a listener out there who does have somebody in their life that is experiencing or signs or symptoms of having an eating disorder, what do you think is the best way they can approach it?

Yeah I think the best way to approach somebody is by letting them know that you care. Express that concern, be patient with them. It might be something that you have to continuously bring up if the person is under 18, definitely have them start treatment as soon as possible. As early intervention can greatly increase their ability to recover. And that could start with a visit to the pediatrician.

If the person is an adult just letting them know that you're there for them and that you care. Encourage them to seek professional help. I also recommend that caregivers maybe seek therapy for themselves because it can be really stressful watching a loved one suffer.

So seeing a therapist to talk about those emotions and stressors can be really beneficial.

You mentioned the treatment and so, what does the treatment process look like for somebody with an eating disorder?

Yeah, that's a great question. So, the treatment process varies from person to person. It might start by making a visit to your primary care physician. Maybe have your labs checked and your vitals taken. They might recommend a higher level of care. So, an inpatient treatment center or a residential treatment center for the outpatient level of care. I recommend finding a psychiatrist, a therapist and a dietitian because they can really help support you in all aspects of the eating disorder together. It's also recommended to invite a family member or a trusted friend to be part of the treatment process.

Invite them to your appointments to have that extra layer of support.

That's great

Yeah well and I think you hit on it. A little bit earlier sometimes eating disorders just like a lot of other behavioral health struggles or even substance abuse struggles. Often take a toll on a whole family unit, right? So I would think that in the treatment process like you had recommended earlier it would be good for caretakers or family members even to seek out their own treatment, our own support system or way of getting help. Because it isn't an individual disease, necessarily.

Yeah I definitely think that family and friends are a huge component to recovering.

One last question: What do you think are the best I guess the best practices, the best strategies to really help someone change their relationship to food?

Yeah so I think that this can be done a number of ways. First I think establishing a meal plan that meets the physical and mental needs of the person and that's going to vary from person to person. You can't compare one person's meal plan to another's and so a dietitian can help to achieve that.

Another thing that I think can really help change your relationship with food is being mindful of your body's cues for hunger and fullness. And this is where working with a psychiatrist and a therapist can really help hone in on those skills of mindfulness. So that's definitely one and then as we've talked about throughout this whole time enlisting the support of loved ones. Letting them know where you're at in this process and allowing them to be with you in that.

I think that that's really important.

So don't go at it alone is what I'm hearing…

[laughs] Correct.

Yes, yes

Yeah, yeah, well, Desiree thank you so much for your time today. We always talk about how these short podcasts are really to give some great information and hopefully get people wanting to explore the topic more. So I guess my final question: are there any resources you might encourage our listeners to check out?

Yeah, I definitely recommend contacting your insurance company to talk about the resources that are available. And then I also recommend the National Eating Disorder Association. They are full of lots of articles tips and tricks to help people navigate this challenging illness.

Awesome. Thank you and KC, any final questions or comments to close us out?

I don't think so. Desiree thank you so much. I think you've done a wonderful job and thank you for humoring us and allowing us to kind of cage you in for this interview.

[laughs]

Yeah, of course it's just been great chatting with you guys.

Yeah, we greatly appreciate it in everything you do so I thank you again.

Everybody out there until we speak again take care and be well.