I haven't posted here for quite some time. Instead, I have been reading books (for fun as well as to learn more about BPD/ED) as well as continuing to recover from unexpected surgery earlier this Spring. The last took some starch out of me but at the same time the situation was brought under control and I feel a lot better. I caught up on a lot of my reading, too.
The books are somewhat related.
The first, which I've been working slowly through because it's so thought-provoking, is Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow. While on a plane last week, I laughed out loud after finding myself making a choice that wasn't the correct answer. You'll have to read the book to find out what I'm talking about. The recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, Mr. Kahneman, a psychologist, incorporates his important work with judgement and decision making.
The second, Brainwashed - The Seductive Appeal of Mindless Neuroscience, by psychiatrist Sally Satel and psychologist Scott O. Lilienfeld , was recently reviewed in the Wall Street Journal. I found the premise noted in the review interesting enough to buy the book because I recently had a long conversation about the subject matter with a neuropsychologist. Although I do not know yet, since I haven't read this book myself, I suspect that Kahneman's book and this one will further illuminate some of the problems that can develop in neuroscience using small sample sizes and techniques that are still becoming better understood.
And then just this week, David Brooks of the New York Times just wrote an interesting review of Brainwashed as well as commentary titled "Beyond the Brain" [June 17, 2013] noting, "It’s a pattern as old as time. Somebody makes an important scientific
breakthrough, which explains a piece of the world. But then people get
caught up in the excitement of this breakthrough and try to use it to
explain everything."
The third, and the one just recommended to me this morning by a therapist skilled in DBT, is Loving Someone With Borderline Personality Disorder by Shari Y. Manning with a forward by the can I say creator of DBT, Marsha M. Linehan. The subject matter is an ongoing challenge for me yet I want to remain an ally as best as possible for my family member. I look forward to reading it and returning here to provide a review.
Information is provided about eating disorders, particularly of adults, to parents and other loved ones written by a parent who is in recovery from an eating disorder.
Welcome
When I created this blog, I was "getting on" in my early sixties, hence the blog name. However, my adult daughter's eating disorder and co-occurring emotional dysregulation disorder and other co-morbidities - ongoing for about 33 years - became and was our focus as we attempted to help her get into recovery. By learning about, reflecting on, reading about, attending conferences and writing about eating and brain disorders, I created a place to blog what I've learned. I hope this blog will be of use to others, especially families of and adult sufferers themselves to help them get into recovery. I update posts from time and the update date will be present at the top of the post.
Sadly, my daughter passed away in early October 2021 mainly because her body became so malnourished that she was immunocompromised, contracted a severe infection that was not properly addressed during an earlier hospital stay the month before, and developed an overwhelming non-covid pneumonia following surgery to save her life. I believe she should have been able to receive palliative care but Arizona, our country, and even the professionals trained in the treatment of eating disorders, particularly anorexia, are not "there" yet. I address the issue of palliative care in a recent post below, initially written in November 2021. I am not a certified eating disorder specialist. I am an Expert by Experience and college-educated with a BA in Community Work with an additional certificate in a one-year program in Business Administration from the same institution.
I am passionate about all of this because, as Shakespeare wrote in The Taming of the Shrew, Act 4, Scene 3: "My tongue will tell the anger [and sadness] of my heart or else my heart, concealing it, will break. And, rather than it shall, I will be free even to the uttermost, as I please in words."[2016]
Travel Guide
If you're new to my blog, I recommend you begin on the right side and take a look at the "Of Note" offerings. Read Dr. Cynthia Bulik's recent published interview (5/4/22) "Rethinking Eating Disorders" if you want to print an easy-to-understand professional's expert opinion about anorexia for your family doctor or the therapist. [Early intervention is absolutely critical. For those whose eating disorder is categorized as entrenched or severe and enduring, read the editorial comment by Stephen Touyz and Philipa Hay for a new approach about treatment. It is possible for your loved one to recover! I have also attached a link here for additional papers on the subject of severe and entrenched eating disorders. If you are a family member or friend of an adult with an eating disorder and have been at this for awhile, I refer you to the posts within the title "Adult Eating Disorders and Recovery Tools" found in the Index on the right hand side of this site. As well, in the "Of Note" section take a look at those posts with an asterisk. If you're a parent and need support, look for posts in the Index about parent support or parent toolbox.
In my opinion, the best book to buy, to refer to constantly and to share with members of the medical/psychiatric profession is "Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders" by Jennifer L. Gaudiani MD, CEDS, FAED. "Dr. Gaudiani aims to improve medical diagnosis and treatment, motivate recovery, and validate the lived experiences of individuals of all body shapes and sizes, while firmly rejecting dieting culture."
I recommend two groups who will support you on your journey - F.E.A.S.T and the National Alliance for Eating Disorders. Both maintain websites and Facebook private groups.