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The Just A Mom Podcast
Trailer
Bonus
Episode 58
Season 1
Episode 58: Dr. Samantha De Caro, The Renfrew Center
Introduction: In this episode of the JAM podcast, we explore eating disorders with Dr. Samantha DeCaro, a licensed clinical psychologist. Dr. DeCaro discusses the prevalence, causes, and prevention of eating disorders, touching on the complex relationship with mental health, anxiety, and depression.
Pandemic's Impact on Eating Disorders:
- Isolation during the pandemic contributed to eating disorders.
- Increase in social media use, body dissatisfaction, and comparison.
- Food insecurity, anxiety, grief, and loss as triggering factors.
Factors Contributing to Eating Disorders:
- Social media's role in body image dissatisfaction.
- Challenging myths about who can have an eating disorder.
- Awareness efforts lead to increased diagnoses.
Populations at Higher Risk:
- Elevated risk for those identifying as female.
- LGBTQ+ community, victims of weight stigma, and those feeling unsafe at heightened risk.
Difference Between Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating:
- Eating disorders as complex psychiatric disorders.
- Disordered eating exists on a spectrum, ranging from clinical disorders to healthy relationships with food.
Common Eating Disorder Protective Factors:
- Avoiding dieting behaviors, promoting body acceptance.
- Encouraging a healthy relationship with food beyond fuel.
- Breaking down scarcity mindset and fostering body diversity awareness.
Promoting Healthy Attitudes in Children:
- Importance of language around food and body image.
- Teaching that all bodies come in different shapes and sizes.
- Encouraging connection with body signals and cues.
Recognizing Patterns of Emotional Eating:
- Differentiating between occasional comfort eating and problematic patterns.
- Suggesting additional coping tools beyond food.
Signs of Eating Disorders:
- Intense dissatisfaction with body image.
- Increased isolation and anxiety around food.
- Preoccupation with ingredients, calories, or cooking without personal consumption.
- Presence of depression, rigid thinking, and elevated suicide risk.
- Acknowledgment that everyone may experience some form of disordered thoughts or behaviors regarding food and body image.
- Dr. DeCaro discusses common signs of eating disorders, emphasizing hyper-focus on food and weight.
Preventing Eating Disorders:
- Strategies and protective factors are explored, challenging societal norms and promoting holistic health.
- The importance of prioritizing mental health and normalizing mental health treatment is highlighted.
- Dr. DeCaro introduces a transdiagnostic approach, emphasizing a multidisciplinary team.
Levels of Care at Renfrew Center:
- Overview of residential, day treatment, intensive outpatient programming (IOP), and outpatient care.
- Addressing the affordability of treatment and Renfrew Center's acceptance of insurance plans.
- Dr. DeCaro hints at a future episode focusing on practical ways parents can help children with a healthy relationship with food.
- The episode concludes with gratitude from Susie and Dr. DeCaro for the informative discussion on eating disorders and the importance of mental health care accessibility.