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Eating Disorders 2016
September 12-13, 2016
Volume 6, Issue 7(Suppl) J Obes Weight Loss Ther 2016
ISSN: 2165-7904 JOWT, an open access journal
conferenceseries .com
September 12-13, 2016 Philadelphia, USA
World Congress on
Eating Disorders, Nutrition & Mental Health
True identities: How recovery transforms the body, mind and soul
Kristin Kaye
Wheaton College, USA
This presentation is designed with the intentions of sharing personal experiences with overcoming Anorexia Nervosa in
hopes of allowing people to become more aware of what goes on in the mind and life of someone struggling with an eating
disorder. In this discussion, I explore what the recovery process looked like in my life as an elite level athlete by addressing the
topics of spiritual intervention, relapse prevention, support circles, and the perception of body image and self-esteem in life
after treatment. I am convinced that one of the biggest struggles people deal with is identity, especially with knowing where
or who to place their identity in. Through my own journey, I know I have had three distinct “identity” stages. I elaborate on
the parallel between my identity “as the gymnast” to recovery of my physical body by reaching a healthy weight, a parallel
between the identity of “my eating disorder” to recovery of my mind, psychological thoughts, and wellbeing, and finally, a
parallel between my identity as “the unique individual” with the recovery of my soul by developing a solid concept of who I
was created to be in the image of God. My recovery has transformed my life in such a dynamic way that it is my passion to
share and openly discuss with struggling individuals, family members, and professionals what recovery can look like. I was
able to return to the sport of rhythmic gymnastics three years after treatment and become a member of the 2009 United States
Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships Group Team. Three years after this comeback, I set a new goal in another sport,
and I am now training in an elite level program in the sport of rowing.
Attachment-related characteristics in patients with eating disorders
Manuela Gander
University of Innsbruck, Austria
Background: The following study investigates the differences in attachment-related characteristics between adolescent in-
patients with eating disorders (n=30), depression (n=30) and healthy controls (n=30).
Method: The Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP) was used to assess attachment patterns in the clinical and
healthy samples. According to the AAP guidelines, we can assess indicators representing attachment-related fear and threat
that are rooted in experiences of attachment trauma. Some of the AAP picture stimuli unleash this traumatic material leaving
the individual in a state of attachment dysregulation.
Results: The findings demonstrate an overrepresentation of the unresolved attachment status in the patient samples. Although
the difference on the amount of fear indicators between the clinical and healthy groups did not reach statistical significance,
they more often lead to attachment dysregulation in the clinical groups. When looking at attachment themes in particular,
patients with eating disorders showed dysregulation more often when story characters are in situations of extreme isolation
and emptiness (e.g. like being in jail, desperately alone, separate from the rest of the world or locked in), whereas depressive
patients more often report on helplessness (e.g. feeling out of control, being overwhelmed or trapped, hopeless).
Conclusion: These preliminary results provide evidence of not only an overrepresentation of the unresolved attachment pattern
in adolescent patients with psychiatric disorders but also indicate significant differences on attachment themes associated
with trauma in depression and eating disorders. Integrating these attachment-related issues into specific psychotherapeutic
interventions might lead to a better outcome in that age group.
J Obes Weight Loss Ther 2016, 6:7(Suppl)