Have We Bitten Off More Than We Can Chew?
By Diane R. Girardot
On November 9th, the Renfrew Center Foundation will host its 22nd Annual Eating Disorder Conference. Diane Girardot will be blogging for us daily during the conference, giving us extensive coverage of how presenters and attendees will attempt to sort out the moral dilemmas of eating disorders.
"Now that the national “war on obesity” is pretty much coast to coast, have we bitten off more than we can chew? Concerns are sprouting up that obesity-prevention programs can unintentionally lead someone into developing a severe eating disorder or other mental illnesses.
Mental health professionals worry there will be perceived sanctioning of “fat” people as the enemy since the nation has declared war on their body weights and the sizes of their sodas. Overweight teens and adolescents, already brutally bullied, could face an increase in shame, depression and even self harm if they are singled out for “help” to slim down. Heavy employees could certainly feel a flush when tapped to come down for weekly weight loss meetings.
Will the results outweigh the risks?
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Goldstein says many obesity-prevention strategies unfortunately invoke shame in the obese population that is can be more harmful than helpful. “Those who may be susceptible may be pulled into a severe eating disorder to deal with their obesity.”"
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