Hello all,
Today I wanted to talk about eating disorders and trauma/ptsd and how mine affect each other.
Recently i got to thinking about this.
Did you know that approximately 75% of women who have enrolled in eating disorder residential treatment have had some form of trauma. and 50% of those women have had a significant history of PTSD.
That is a large amount of women.
That got me thinking how i have PTSD and an eating disorder. how have those affected each other?
how has treatment's been for me with my eating disorder knowing i also have PTSD?
So lets go ahead and get into it.
first of all what is an eating disorder?
well there are many types. but i struggle with anorexia binge eating and bulimia.
an eating disorder is a mental illness that someone may have, its to put in simpler words a struggle with food and feeling loads of guilt or other tough emotions around it.
And what is PTSD? you may ask....
alot of times when people think of PTSD they think of veterans who struggle with the after math of major war trauma and that is true although there are all kinds of trauma, car accidents, abuse, gun violence, death of someone, and physical disasters are all examples of something that can be considered a trauma. PTSD is post traumatic stress disorder. the aftermaths of trauma has affected someone so much that they develop ptsd and deal with things like flashbacks and nightmares. which can be really tough.
Although i have C-PTSD which is PTSD from multiple trauma's the "c" stands for complex.
any way to the point...
i've noticed more than I would like to that I often use my eating disorder as a way to cope with my trauma and more specifically my PTSD from my trauma. I often experience nightmares, flashbacks, panic attacks and bad memories. ive noticed when i am so obsessively thinking about calories and my weight and numbers and what my next meal will be and when it will be my PTSD kinda backs off a bit. I am going to be honest even i have a hard time figuring "why" out.
Is it because my body is not receiving enough nutrients to function so my brain prioritizes certain things. Or is it because my mind is so obsessively thinking about eating disorders things my trauma is not as visible to me at the moment or heavy on my mind.
I also use my eating disorder as an unhealthy form of distraction. and for a sense of control. my trauma has made me feel so out of control in my life that i feel the need to control my food intake.
Lets move on to treatment. Almost every eating disorder treatment i have been to has mainly focused on my trauma saying its more important,.. while every treatment for my PTSD has focused on my eating disorder. I honestly think and know actually that there is a big connection between them for multiple reasons. and its really hard to find treatment that helps both at the same time.
But there is always hope for future treatment.
I hope this post can bring more awareness and even help you feel less alone.
A friendly reminder as i'm coming to the end of this post.
This is not me recommending an eating disorder to those with trauma. its very unhealthy and very deadly.
If you or a loved one is struggling with an eating disorder or ptsd please reach out for help or encourage the loved one to get help. You are not alone. You got this.
have a great day warr;ors
Chloe Haas
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