|
|
|
Dieting is the BIG resolution Pumpkin and pecan pie, fruitcake, fudge, gingerbread--does your mouth begin to water when you think of the traditional holiday foods soon to adorn your dining table? "Many people tell themselves they will eat whatever comes their way and then diet after the holiday season is over. In fact, dieting is one of the major resolutions made each New Year," Arthur Rousseau, M.D., Public Information Committee, Oklahoma Psychiatric Physicians Association, said. "People who are overweight usually develop a poor body image as a result of society's obsession with thinness and prejudice against obesity," Dr. Rousseau added. "Poor body image is common among both men and women who have been heavy all their lives and whose peers and parents may have chided them for their weight. The overweight person who attempts to improve body image by using an extreme diet to lose weight can also suffer from physical problems as result of the dieting effort itself." Dr. Rousseau explained that when dieters severely limit their food intake, they will eventually return to old patterns and then tend to hate themselves more for having failed. Dieters quit because they usually experience dieting as a deprivation (i.e. being cheated), become resentful and "throw the diet off." Typically, there is a cycle of heroic decisions and resolutions, discouragement, retaliatory binges, self-hate and depression. Also, at some time in the future, the person will plunge into another diet program with an outcome similar to the previous effort. The on again, off again, up and down course of the "diet life" can be a very painful and frustrating journey. "Persons with eating disorders can be treated successfully, but first they must acknowledge the complexity of the problem and be willing to accept help. Most importantly, they must let go of the quest for instant or magical solutions," Dr. Rousseau said. "Treatment may involve a combination of methods including counseling, medications, and a variety of therapies such as individual, family and group. For the more severe eating disorders, hospitalization may be necessary to control the eating cycle and medication for depression or obsessive tendencies may be helpful in some cases," Dr. Rousseau concluded. ######
|
Send mail to
oklapsychiatry@yahoo.com with questions or comments about this web site.
|