DSM Changes

The DSM 5 is set to come out in May 2013. Changes have been made to most of the disorders, including eating disorders. Below I have provided some sites where you can find more information about the DSM 5 changes. (note, it's set to come out in May however the date has been pushed back before so it may be pushed back again.)

For those who don't feel like reading a bunch of sites, the APA has admitted to the shortcomings of the DSM 4 criteria for ED's.The DSM-IV scheme for classifying eating disorders is a poor reflection of clinical reality. In adults it recognises two conditions, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, yet these states are merely two presentations among many. As a consequence, at least half the cases seen in clinical practice are relegated to the residual diagnosis 'eating disorder not otherwise specified'. The changes proposed for DSM-5 will only partially succeed in correcting this shortcoming. With DSM-6 in mind, it is clear that comprehensive transdiagnostic samples need to be studied with data collected on their current state, course and response to treatment. Only with such data will it be possible to derive an empirically based classificatory scheme that is both rooted in clinical reality and of value to clinicians.

Currently, the default diagnosis, EDNOS, is the primary diagnosis which is an admitted problem of the current DSM.

Some of the changes include

adding binge eating disorder

changing criteria of anorexia by removing loss of menstrual cycle in females as part of the criteria. Also there will be changes to the weight requirement.

changes in criteria of bulimia by removing the number of episodes per week as part of the criteria.

These are just three of the more significant changes.

http://www.dsm5.org/Pages/Default.aspx

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3014461/

http://www.eatingdisorderscleveland.org/blog/bid/31155/The-DSM-V-and-Eating-Disorders

http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/04/eating-disorder.aspx

No Such Thing as Pro-ED

I am so sick of hearing the words "pro-ana", "pro-mia", "pro-ed". It's stupid! You can't be "pro-ed". Eating disorders are not a choice. You can't be for or against them.

You can be "pro-life" because abortion is a CHOICE. You can be for gay marriage because gay marriage is a CHOICE. You can be for recovery even because recovery is a CHOICE. You can be for solar energy because it's a CHOICE. What you can't be for is eating disorders. You can't be for any mental disorder because it's not a CHOICE! Hence the word 'disorder'.

Eating disorders aren't much different from any other disorder so why does everyone have to run around acting like they are. I never hear anyone say "oh you're pro-depression". Well then why the hell are people saying "oh you're pro-ana".

For that matter, you aren't promoting the disorder by having it and talking about it. I never hear "oh you're promoting depression" because you post quotes about depression and pictures of people who are depressed that you identify with. I don't hear "oh you promote cancer" because you talk about how you have cancer and post pictures of other people who have cancer. We aren't promoting eating disorders by posting these pictures. We are simply expressing ourselves.

I'm not promoting ED's. I'm not saying "oh you should develop an eating disorder because it is so much fun." (And if I ever do say that then you have full permission to beat me up.) I'm not telling people they should go buy bounty paper towels because they are more absorbent. I'm not telling anyone to do anything. I'm just expressing myself. I couldn't promote and eating disorder if I wanted to. It's not a choice. You choose to buy bounty paper towels because you saw someone on tv promoting them. You don't choose to develop an eating disorder because you saw a commercial about it. It's not something you can choose to do anymore than you can choose to be depressed or choose to get cancer.

We aren't doing anything that different from anyone else. We post how we feel. We post pictures of things we want or pictures we find beautiful. The only difference is that what we want, what we find beautiful, and how we feel, isn't acceptable. We are called this name "pro-ed" because we are being singled out. We are being told that we should shut up because we don't agree with everyone else. We have been marked as outcasts and treated as if we are the villians of the story. Well we aren't, and we aren't doing anything that someone else isn't doing.

If you don't like our blog, there is a button in the top right-hand corner with the word "unfollow". Use it.

Stop with the intolerance. Stop with the name-calling. Stop with the labeling. Especially with the illogical labeling. Just stop. I'm not asking to be liked, I'm asking that you give me respect.

What you can promote is tolerance. You can promote responsibility. You can promote acceptance of others who have these terrible disorders. You can promote love. You can be pro-tolerance, pro-acceptance, etc.

Or you can promote intolerance. You can promote labeling people with illogical labels. You can promote putting people down. You can be pro-hate and essentially a bully.

But you can't promote eating disorders and you can't be pro-ED.

No Such Thing As Pro-ED by K. Tormey is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.