i must be prevented

[fflo]

Via bigfatblog: Seems "the urgent need to develop strategies to prevent and treat those afflicted" by the scourge of obesity could help make being fat a new category of mental disorder for the DSM-V.

Comments

[vjsmom.livejournal.com]

That is frightening. I don't know what else to say. Disgusting, frightening, appalling.

[fflo.livejournal.com]

Okay, let's look at the bright side.




Uh...






. . . ???

[schroederjt.livejournal.com]

Gawd, didn't we just get off that list for being queer? Sheesh!

[sprig5.livejournal.com]

was there ever (or is there) any separate category for being bisexual? I'm interested in knowing if the DSM separately labels bis as "ill."

[fflo.livejournal.com]

gotta tell you, i thought that rather an odd question until you told me on the phone that a mental health professional once told you it's not crazy to be gay or straight but it's crazy to be bi.

actually i still think it's rather an odd question. what kind of--- well, don't get me going! i know, you didn't get me going. you were just sitting there minding your own business...

[sprig5.livejournal.com]

and sitting there a little too long, i might add.

[fflo.livejournal.com]

?

[fflo.livejournal.com]

ha! bitter, bitter laugh, but hardy nonetheless

[sprig5.livejournal.com]

It is only at the very end of the article that they say that they think "a component" of obesity (do they mean only obesity from certain causes? and how would you clearly separate the causes when looking at even one "case"?) could fall under their criteria for mental disorder. And they nod slightly to acknowledge the huge can of worms that they'd be exploding into society (to use an odd metaphor, I know):

"We have an opportunity in DSM-V to recognize a component of obesity as a mental disorder. Because of the complex ideologies of obesity it will be important to consider guidelines of which of these deserve to be classified as a mental disorder and which do not. This would facilitate the treatment of obesity not just as a metabolic disorder but also, when appropriate, as a mental disorder."

I sure wouldn't want to be part of the group tasked with "consider[ing] guidelines of which of these deserve to be classified as a mental disorder and which do not...."

The upshot, though, is that even if, say, the psychologists classified a small percentage of obesity as being DSM-able, it would have a huge effect culturally, and negative effects on those I care about.

[madush69.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I feel like I'm crazy for how much I love to eat, despite knowing it is bad for me. I mean one slice of pizza has enough calories for a whole meal, but I love pizza so much I can generally eat six slices, all the while consuming mass quantities of Pepsi. Then two hours later at the movies, I can get Sweedish Fish, Sno-Caps, and another soda.
After that, I can end up at Big Boy, and get a big-ass malt.
I LOVE FOOD. I Love it way more than I should. Maybe that is an addiction, or mental disorder, maybe it's not. I'm not sure.
All I know is that if I could choose to be a weight where I sweat less, and have an easier time breathing, without giving up my food, I would.
Oh, and you should have tasted that pizza last night, it was Uno's downriver, and it was awesome!

[fflo.livejournal.com]

Sounds like what you're talking about is a set of eating behaviors, not the state being fat. I mean, those things are related, certainly, but they're not the same thing at all, right? And there's not a one-to-one correspondence between 'em, in either direction. They're talking about making an arbitrarily-chosen ratio of body measurements the determining factor for a special version of crazy, mentally ill, disordered.

Whether there's some of what they call "compulsive" in how a body eats, and thus perhaps cause for psychological intervention, is another question. At least some of your eating behavior isn't bad for you, OR compulsive, since some of it is, oh, absolutely essential for your survival. On the "too much" front, isn't it only compulsive if/when you do it despite not wanting to? Like a "can't help it" thing? If you're choosing more or less freely, and you're content overall with the choices (and you yourself don't sound mournful), then are you crazy, other than in the sense that somebody else thinks you are?

Now this here is a diet-- and intentional-weight-loss--advocation-free space, so don't take me wrong with this next part. If you (someone in general here, I mean) really don't like some way you're acting in the world, including its consequences, and you convince yourself you're trapped, by circumstance or nature, more than you are, that's sorta crazy, I'll allow. And you might benefit from psychological assistance with seeing the disconnect. But that kind of crazy applies to all kinds of ways of choosing to act or not act in the world (and to think); if it's pathologized, that's a lot of pathology. And it cuts across so much thinking and behavior it'd be pretty tricky to categorize & shoehorn into the DSM in a handful of paragraphs and a list or two of symptoms, or indicators, or whatever-the-fuck they call 'em.

Some people would probably say fat people are crazy not to kill ourselves. The point they have there is that it can be horrible to be fat, but don't you think that the effects of how we're perceived culturally are much more harmful to our lives than are the actual physiological factors? Ask me what my biggest enemy about fat is, and it sure ain't how long it takes me to get out of breath. Which varies, I might point out, much more with how much I'm regularly moving than with how big I am. And the most effective way to fight the ill health effects of being fat is to fight the cultural crap that goes along with it. I ain't being facetious. I believe that. And it works better than anything else I've seen for me and so many of my flabulous friends.

Some people would say we're crazy ---and costing them money (oh no!)--- not to get stomach mutilation surgery. Of course it would be cheaper just to kill us, but focus groups would probably show that the thank-god-not-obese aren't ready to go that far yet. Yeah, that's a little facetious, but what we could be compelled to do (or not do) in order to be allowed to, say, retain health insurance shows real signs of potentially getting pretty damned ugly before I die (either 5 to 20 years "early" or not, however the hell they think they can figure that, factoring out everything else). Conditional coverage and financial penalties for how you measure are starting to happen. It's already in the insurance options at my work. And that's a slippery slope, and a dangerous one, and not just for us fatties.

[madush69.livejournal.com]

That makes sense. I think if I can just motivate myself to move a little more, and maybe do something to increase my energy, I'll be fine. Cuz the thought of giving up the joy of food is more than I can bear.

hmm

[hambokins.livejournal.com]

they better fucking not do that. somebody should be sued. i have very little patience for the APA.

Re: hmm

[fflo.livejournal.com]

dude, i hear ya. believe me.