From Michelle Niger of FOX:
Hello, I’m a producer with “The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet.” We’re a nationally syndicated live morning television show based out of NYC. On Thursday, April 24th, we’re doing a segment about a study from the International Journal of Eating Disorders that says that eating disorders are contagious. The study says, “A study of U.S. high school students provides additional evidence that eating disorders may be contagious….researchers found that binging, fasting, diet pill use and other eating disorder symptoms clustered within counties, particularly among female students…”
I’m looking for a personal story from someone who has or has had an eating disorder, specifically someone that was shared with or learned their eating disorder from other women in high school or college. We will cover all travel accommodations to NYC. Please call me asap as this is time sensitive 212.301.5371
10 comments:
I appeared on this show in January. I found the producer to be extremely professional. And it's not as scary as it seems being on television. You first get your hair and makeup done, so you look fabulous and the crowd and studio is actually very small. The segments are also very short, about 15 mins max. If you have an experience to share, I encourage you to do so.
Oh, and plus, you're put up in Times Square, which is awesome.
Are EDs contagious? Is there a difference between "catching" something and learning a behavior? I know I "learned" how to be bulimic from friends, while my anorexia was self-taught: I wasn't skeletal, ergo I wasn't starving myself to death. I was just taking in too few calories, over-exercising, living on power bars and apples, and not menstruating.
I was on Dr Keith Ablow show and it was not a good experience. However, I think these hosts seem more personable and down to earth.
As for the subject, I'm not going to blame my bulimia on anyone. I will say that at the time just a month or so to the onset of it, I had a bf who engaged in b/p behaviors. At 18, I was naive and didn't put the two together, but I always wondered what would have happened if we had not dated. Oh yeah, and he was gay (he hid that from me) and was the first guy I slept with. He ended up hooking up with my best friend (a guy) behind my back. Plus, he would constantly say how fat he was or that he felt disgusting after eating. Funny, I never thought he was screwed up.
I totally learned and shared behaviors with my friends in high school. This isn't new news out there. I don't know if I'd be less disordered had I not hung out with a few of those people but I liked hanging out with them and being disordered with them. We went on shopping trips to buy diet pills, watched ED movies, read articles, went "binge shopping" together, which didn't really amount to much other than fat free frozen yogurt and a bag of pretzels. We almost threw up in front of each other. So, I totally think EDS are "contagious." Too bad I'm not willing to walk to Times Sq to talk about it on tv.
I think the term "contagious" is a kind of buzz word they're using. The study this segment is based on reveals that eating disorders tend to cluster, indicating them to be learned behaviors. But learned behaviors isn't as dramatic or imperative as contagious, so news orgs use this word instead.
She took my name, but they've booked everyone they need. :( Oh well, maybe another time!
Beth, I admire that you shared that. It seems to me that no matter how young or old a person is, or what they may look like - if they have an ed, alot of very deep pain is underneath their ed behaviors. No matter how a person learns or comes upon this behavior. So I hope the show does not sensationalize this matter and make it seem that an ed is simply something that is "learned" or "contagious". I do think there is that factor in many people's eds, definitely. But it's not the whole thing, not by a long shot.
I'm a little behind on this, but wanted to say that although I've never had a classic eating disorder, I lived with an anorexic in college and learned all the ways to count my food. I've always said that if I had the desire to control my eating, she taught me everything I'd need to know.
I suspect that for certain individuals, eating disorders are a coping mechanism (less learned and more "needed"), while for others (like myself), it starts out as a good way to lose weight and becomes an addiction. Whether you learn it or just do it instinctively maybe has more to do with your life story?
When i was in college, my psyc. teacher told us that he believed over-eating to be an eating disorder as well. I was curious about your take on this Dr. Stacy. I have not really seen anything on your site about it, and i would like to learn more about it. thanks!
I think we have a tendancy to learn from others and pick up habits but 'contagious' seems like completely the wrong word...
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