Eating Disorders Among Middle-Aged Women & A Success Story

On March 29th the New York Times published an article in their Health section called "An Older Generation Falls Prey to Eating Disorders" by Tara Parker-Pope. 

I think we can make a pretty general assumption and say that magazines photoshop every picture that appears in their issues, no matter how old the person is.  Look at the original versus the final cover picture of Faith Hill (late thirties/early forties) here:

Or Nicollette Sheridan here (early forties):

These obvious retouches are everywhere - so maybe it shouldn't be a surprise that many older women are now experiencing the difficulty of eating disorders.

The article talks about a specific woman, Judith Shaw, who, when she was close to turning 40, started to become obsessed with eating healthy and working out.  So obsessed that she ended up developing and eating disorder, at one point weighing just 85 pounds at 5'3". 

It is so important that women in their 40s and 50s receive the right diagnosis when they have an eating disorder because it can be mistakened for early menopause, the article points out.  One of the first ways a doctor can tell that a woman is suffering from an eating disorder is when she stops menstruating - the same thing that happens when a woman begins going through menopause.

Another problem that Ms. Shaw points out is that no one ever approached her about what she sees as her obvious obsession with losing weight.  Instead of telling her that she may need help, most people "praised her efforts to keep her weight down and her commitment to exercise."  She tells the the author of the article that "'None of my friends, my ex-husband, no one ever said anything.'"

This article is super-important in so many ways.  First, it points out that eating disorders are not just problems among young women.  In fact, it says that a "significant minority" of middle-aged women are developing eating disorders.  Also, the article points out that instead of approaching her about the problem she may have had, people instead praised her for being conscious about her weight and keeping it down, a problem that many women fighting eating disorders face.  Our society is so obsessed with being thin that we fail to see when someone is too thing and is actually putting his or her health at risk.

What is most important about her story, however, is that Judith Shaw beat the eating disorder.  After checking into a program, she started to create her own original art to help her deal and combat the illness.  The article shows pictures of some of what she created, including a life-size silhouette of her body and a plaster cast of her thighs.

Judith Shaw is not only a success story from eating disorders, but has also created some great artwork that helps raise awareness about the problem.  Her pieces are currently on display through mid-April at the Center for Eating Disorders at Columbia University Medical Center in Manhattan.  The exhibit is called "Body of Work: The Art of Eating Disorder Recovery."  She is truly a symbol of hope for many out there struggling with an eating disorder.

Remember, if you think a friend has an eating disorder, say something!  These huge health risks often go unnoticed for too long.

If you're interested in the full article, here it is.