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The tween years (ages 8 to 14) are often plagued with acne, social anxiety, and desperate cries for independence. Although this life stage is disregarded in many psychological contexts, it’s actually vital in the development of identity and reasoning capabilities. The exposure to social messages and expectations during the ‘tween-age’ years can set the mold for the rest of a person’s life. And considering tweens spend a lot of their time in front of screens—research shows that tweens spend 4.5 hours a day watching TV (and that’s to say nothing of the time spent online)—it’s important to examine the messages that kids in this impressionable age group are consuming.

Check out our list of the top 5 online news items and stories that have fascinated or inspired us recently.

This is one person’s story; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

by Sara Stein, a former Emily Program client. Sara is a therapist and musician from Cleveland, OH.

How It Began

The word “diet” had infiltrated my being at a pre-teen age. For whatever reason, THIS was my Achilles heel in life – this was the thing that was going to reel me in again and again and unfurl all sorts of chaos, havoc, and heartache.

To keep it short and simple, I spent years and decades trying to manage and control my food intake and construct my body to look and be a certain way. There was always this gnawing, annoying thing in the back of my head telling me I wasn’t enough, that I ate the wrong thing, that something bad was going to happen, and that I needed to work harder and do better.

At The Emily Program, we personalize each client’s care so they receive evidence-based treatment that matches the severity of their illness.

Determining the correct level of care ensures that our clients receive the most effective therapies for sustained recovery. Appropriate levels of care also decrease long-term healthcare costs associated with expensive but ineffective hospital stays that don’t address the core symptoms of eating disorders.

This is one person’s story; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

by Liz Rognes, a former Emily Program client in recovery. She is a teacher, writer, and musician who lives in Spokane, WA.

A few years ago, when my second album was about to come out, a local alt-weekly wrote an article about me. Without my consent, the journalist included information in the article about my struggles with an eating disorder and drug and alcohol abuse. She included specific details that she found on a recovery blog I used to keep. The story she wrote had a narrative arc that was about a queer girl who hit rock bottom, overcame bulimia and addiction, and then turned it all into music. It didn’t paint me in a negative light, exactly, and she did also write nice things about my music, but the inclusion of my struggles from the past in someone else’s words, without warning, shocked me. It was worded in such a way that it sounded like I had shared that information with her in an interview, but I had not. I had not disclosed any information about my history of bulimia or addiction with her, and I struggled to understand why she had included it.

Research has demonstrated that ADHD shares many common symptoms with bingeing/purging eating disorders, such as impulsivity, hyperactivity, and attention deficit. While research detailing the relationship between ADHD and eating disorders is scarce, previous studies have indicated that children with ADHD are more likely to exhibit abnormal eating behaviors than children without ADHD, and that individuals with ADHD are three times more likely to develop an eating disorder than individuals without ADHD. Therefore, a diagnosis of ADHD is a crucial component to consider in eating disorder treatment, as many of the symptoms that accompany this attention deficit disorder may exacerbate or prompt disordered eating.

We recently asked people in recovery from an eating disorder to share their thoughts about the illness. We hope these insights from those who have “been there” help you if you’re seeking answers and understanding. A big thanks to everyone who contributed to this post.

These are personal perspectives; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

This is one person’s story; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

By Carla Bellino, a former The Emily Program client and woman in recovery.

I am now 23 years old. I’m graduating in December from Baldwin Wallace University with my bachelor’s degree in psychology. But what if I told you that I don’t really have concrete plans after I graduate? I certainly have an end goal in mind, and I know what I want my career to be. But I’m not entirely sure what the road looks like to get there. The thing is, I stopped making concrete plans a while ago because I’ve learned that they rarely work out the way you think they will.