Psychiatric Services Alternative Medicine

Disordered Eating

What is disordered eating? When you think of someone with an eating disorder, what do you imagine? A woman who weighs 85 pounds with boney arms and legs, or another woman who weighs about 120 pounds and has just left the bathroom stall while you listened to her vomit? When we think of eating disorders, we have a tendency to think only about Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia, but we fail to miss the most dominating eating disorder yet in America, Binge Eating Disorder.

Binge Eating Disorder described as a newly defined subtype of eating disorder not otherwise specified by the DSM-IV states, “recurrent episodes of binge eating in the absence of the regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors. . .”. This means the general population who continually binge on high calorie foods for any variety of reasons without purging (vomiting) or using other means to expel the food from their system.

WHO IS AFFECTED BY BINGE EATING DISORDER?

Most individuals who binge eat but do not purge are people you see every day, for example; your co-worker who visits the vending machine and eats three candy bars at one sitting; a friend who has a bad day at work and drives through the fast food restaurant for a biggie size meal, or even you. . .when you look in the mirror and say, “I need to go on a diet”, but you continually fail and feel you will never lose weight which leads to binge eating to feel better (emotional eating) and more shameful thoughts about your body. You may not realize that diet’s don’t work, they just deprive and restrict the types and amounts of food you eat and keep the crazy cycle of bingeing active.

These individuals usually have problems with emotional eating, yo-yo dieting, guilt and shame after bingeing, weight and shape concerns, low self-esteem, illogical thoughts and feeling out of control with food. These individuals might be someone like you or someone you know.

INTERESTED?

Take the time today to call Maggie Allard, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, at Allies in Mental Health, LLC at 419-354-2464 to find out about treatment for binge eating disorder. Allies in Mental Health, LLC is located in Bowling Green, Ohio. We accept most insurance plans and offer private pay rates for those who do not have insurance.

About our Director

Maggie Allard, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor earned her Masters degree in counseling at Spring Arbor University, a Christian university where she was member secretary for the student chapter of the American Association of Christian Counselors. Maggie has her Bachelors degree in Family Life Education and is a Certified Family Life Educator.

Maggie specializes in binge eating disordered groups, marital/relationship issues (including partner abuse and infidelity), womens’ issues, depression, grief, Christian counseling, and stepfamilies.