Anorexia Nervosa is one of the deadliest, yet least researched of all the mental illnesses. "Eating disorder research has received about 1/7 of the National Institutes of Health’s research dollars compared to schizophrenia; yet the prevalence of eating disorders is about 12 times greater, with a higher mortality rate than schizophrenia and all other mental disorders."* Research is just now beginning to touch upon the neurobiology behind this brain based illness.
After suffering for the past decade with this illness, I decided to become an advocate. There are so many false messages about this disorder in the media, stereotyping it as a "White, adolescent, affluent female outcry" that serve to undermine the severity of this biological disorder. I want to be a positive force it combating these false messages, and spreading awareness about the truth of this illness.
As a graphic artist, I decided to express my experience of the disorder through digital media. I hope that my art will help reshape the narrative of this disorder, encourage recovery in those suffering, and counteract the cultural stories that contribute to the environmental component of this disorder.
All proceeds from these compilations will go towards art, research, and treatment for eating disorders.
This piece is titled "Mental Filter"....
It represents the cognitive distortion of filtering. In this distortion, an individual's brain selectively filters an environment. Here, the brain only allowing in information that confirms a set belies, and ignores information that refutes it.
Here's an example of filtering in relation to restrictive behavior -
An individual believes that she 'constantly eats more than others', which makes her feel out of control, and thus needs to restrict in order to regain control. Her brain processes images of all the times she eats more that others, and saves them in her memory; likewise it doesn't process the times that others eat more than her. In this manner, a false belief becomes a reality, unbeknownst to the afflicted.
A major factor of eating disorder treatment relies on reprogramming these distortions through CBT. CBT allows one to identify the distortion, and see how convoluted it is. The problem with this form of treatment is that it relies on meta cognition, the brain must observe itself to try to identify patterns. Often times, it is really challenging to see these distortions, and even more so to escape them once they have been identified. It becomes incredibly frustrating when the same distortions keep expressing themselves over and over, despite one's constant effort to 'reprogram' their brain.
While immensely thankful for the CBT treatment available, I cannot help thinking that there must be a more direct way to reprogram the brain, treating the source of the cause rather than the symptom. This belief has been confirmed by the information in the Neurobiology of Eating Disorders written by Dr. Laura Hill: http://www.centerforbalancedliving.org/laura-hill/.
Thank you for taking the time to read! This is my first post, so any suggestions / community input would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks.
*Estimates of Funding for Various Research, Condition, and Disease Categories (RCDC). (2017, May 26). Retrieved form https://report.nih.gov/categorical_