By Carolyn Hodges
Chaffee
Owner and CEO
Upstate New York
Eating Disorder Service
 |
| Dr. Margo Maine |
Contrary to popular
belief, young women aren’t the only people struggling with eating disorders – the
Upstate New York Eating Disorder Service treats men and women of all ages .
Dr. Margo Maine, an
internationally recognized eating disorder expert and author, talked
specifically about the impact of eating disorders on one patient population –
women over 21 years old – during her keynote address at the 13th Annual
Erin Leah Robarge Memorial Seminar, “No More Shame: Embracing The Body You
Never Thought You Could Love,” on Dec. 7 in Corning.
Dr. Maine, a clinical
psychologist who specializes in treating eating disorder patients, cited the
latest research on older women and eating disorders, which included some startling
figures:
• In 2003, one-third
of inpatient admissions to a specialized treatment center for eating disorders
were over 30 years old.
• Body image
dissatisfaction in midlife has increased dramatically, more than doubling from
25 percent in 1972 to 56 percent in 1997.
• About 75 percent of
American women from 25 to 45 years old report disordered eating and body image
dissatisfaction, and 67 percent were trying to lose weight, although more than
half of these dieters were already at a normal weight.
• When asked what
bothered them most about their bodies, a group of women from 61 to 92 years old
identified weight as their greatest concern.
To read more about what Dr. Maine said at the seminar,
sign up for a free email copy of our next Food For Thought newsletter, which
will be published later this winter. To receive the free newsletter, call (607)
732-5646 or (877) 765-7866, or send email to enc1003@aol.com.
The seminar, which
looked at the role of personal shame in triggering and fueling eating disorders,
was sponsored by the Upstate New York Eating Disorder Service, ClearPath
Healing Arts Center in Corning, and Ophelia’s Place in Liverpool, N.Y.
