Author: frivvy89
A few weeks ago, I met my ex fiancé after work. The night before, I told him I was dating my roommate. Killer opening line, right? “Wheyo Linds, where ya been?” Then, BAM: open with a doozy one-liner. Actually, more of like a “wait WTF. Didn’t she JUST get engaged? Didn’t I recently like that picture on Instagram? Who is this chick – a bachelorette contestant?” To confirm: yes, there was an engagement in March. It ended in May. I’m now dating my roommate. And no, I will not apply for The Bachelor. More of that later. Anyway. I meet…
There are dark holes in what make us whole.The gaping gaps we dread to face and feel.The holes we wish to bury,Hoping that they’re no longer realAbandoned among eternal darkness in fear,We mourn the missing, the hurt the pains, the gone.But just because our dark holes exist,Doesn’t mean we aren’t still ‘one’ As ‘one’ we tread through treacherous and uncontrollable grounds,Sometimes falling down the rabbit hole.But making our way out, despite strongest doubtsIs part of what seeks to make us whole. To seek the light, we must embrace the darkAnd sit through all the mist, the mud and murk.At times…
Before Harry Smith, now 12, received professional help for his avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (Arfid), he would eat only baby food. “What we went through,” sighs his mother, Angela Smith, 45, from Sheffield. “We had no understanding of what we were dealing with. Nobody mentioned Arfid to us at all. It took 10 years to realise there was something wrong with Harry, that he wasn’t just picky … We thought it was just: ‘Harry who wouldn’t eat.’”Angela is a full-time carer to Harry, who is on the autism spectrum. For years, her life revolved around obtaining the foods Harry was…
Skip to: Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric disorders characterized by an overwhelming fear of gaining weight coupled with extremely low body weight and distorted body image. Over the years, research has suggested a range of potential causes, including personality traits, genetics, and developmental challenges. However, emerging research has suggested that anorexia may be a metabolic disorder. Anorexic woman. Image Credit: Westend61 / Shutterstock What is Anorexia? Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a type of eating disorder which is considered to have the highest mortality rate of any psychological disorder. Those with AN may over evaluate their weight and overall shape, and…
What an honor it is to introduce you to one of my mental health heroes. Meet Dr. Steven Hayes as well as his new book, A Liberated Mind. I am reading this incredible book right now; it looks like Dr. Hayes is changing my life yet again. The first time I met his work firsthand was when I entered treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder, PTSD. In treatment, I participated in a group each week based around Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a therapeutic approach originated by Dr. Hayes. In ACT group, I was able to spend time thinking about my…
(Photo: Unsplash, Larm Rmah)Jump ToIf your young child is regularly vomiting undigested food, she could have rumination disorder, an eating disorder that may begin in infancy or early childhood. Typically, the child may burp or belch before throwing up. Unfortunately, this pattern of vomiting often becomes a habit that can lead to malnutrition if not treated.The cause of rumination disorder isn’t known, says Michelle I. Lupkin, PhD, Clinical Director of the Eating Disorders program at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. “It may happen once, and then it becomes a learned behavior and gets more common over time,” she…
Individuals with many different psychiatric disorders have a higher tendency to choose smaller, immediate rewards over larger, delayed rewards, a study led by Hamilton researchers has found. The findings of a meta-analysis by researchers of McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, which combined data from more than 40 studies, was published in JAMA Psychiatry today. That this type of decision-making tied to impulsivity, called delay discounting, is heightened in those with certain psychiatric disorders compared to others, is expected to have an important impact on future research and treatment across an array of disorders. “The revelation that delay discounting…
What an exciting summer it has been! Y’all know I’ve been writing a book–and that book is finally HERE! I’ve poured my soul into writing and editing Royally Incomplete for the past three years; we’ve been through life changes, brand changes, name changes, and body changes. I’m so proud to present my blog, in book form, plus a little extra. I’ve been working with Eliezer Tristan Publishing, an indie publishing house that focuses on mental health narratives and stories. I am so grateful to have been writing this blog for the past three years, because it flowed so…
Eating disorder researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) have discovered a neurocircuit in mice that, when activated, increased their stress levels while decreasing their desire to eat. Findings appear in Nature Communications. The scientists believe their research could aid efforts to develop treatments for a serious eating disorder called anorexia nervosa, which has the highest mortality rate of any mental disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. People with anorexia nervosa avoid food, severely restrict food, or eat very small quantities of only certain foods. Even when they are dangerously underweight, they…
What is the ‘fat acceptance movement’? There’s a lot said about it on many corners of the internet. Recently on Instagram, there’s been a lot of discussion on fat acceptance–particularly due to the release of a controversial indie ‘documentary’ that has solicited, harmed and pissed off fat and/or recovering content creators alike on various platforms. There are so many opinions, ideas and even myths about what the fat acceptance movement truly is at its core–and even more speculation and bias regarding how it helps people. I can only speak to my own experience, but I hope that in…