WSVN — There’s big debate about celebs and models Photoshopping themselves thinner. Experts say those misleading images are driving girls, some as young as 10, to worry about their weight. 7’s Danielle Knox is here with a new program helping girls with dieting disorders.
Meghan Trainor may croon that size doesn’t matter, but images splashed in magazines and on TV talk louder to some young girls. For Jacqueline Rangel, it started when she was just 10 years old.
Jacqueline Rangel: “It’s just so engrained, really, in our culture, in our society, to criticize yourself.”
By high school, she was compulsively dieting and exercising. She had no idea what she really looked like.
Jacqueline Rangel: “I could look in the mirror and literally watch my body shrink and expand in front of my own eyes.”
Jacqueline needed help, desperately.
Jacqueline Rangel: “It definitely reached a point where there was just no control over it.”
And it’s when these girls lose control that things take a turn for the worse.
Dr. Joel Jahraus: “Anorexia nervosa has the highest death rate of any mental health diagnosis.”
Experts say anorexia is no longer a teen issue. It’s hitting little girls.
Dr. Joel Jahraus: “What we do know is that society is putting more and more pressure on young women and girls to fit society’s expectations as far as the perfect look.”
The Oliver Pyatt Center for Adolescent Girls is designed to treat these young girls. Dr. Joel Jahraus says early recognition is key. Parents should look for some key signs that their child might have a problem.
Dr. Joel Jahraus: “Whether it be the isolation, whether it be the preoccupation with food, weight, body image, the change in their eating habits.”
Jacqueline says she started shying away from social outings because they tend to revolve around food.
Jacqueline Rangel: “I think that we have this image of eating disorders of being just, like, these emaciated girls that are completely helpless, and I don’t think that we should let it get to that point.”
Jacqueline was 18 when she sought help at Oliver Pyatt.
Yoga instructor: “So we’re going to sit tall, lengthen the spine and draw shoulders back.”
Many of the girls take yoga, which helps them connect the body and the mind. Another part of the healing process is called “mindful eating.”
Mary Dye: “Mindful eating is really just being an active observer in the present moment.”
Nutritionists give the girls a hands-on approach in the kitchen. The idea here is to help them let go of their fear of food.
Mary Dye: “Whether that be, you know, compulsively counting calories, counting measurements of food.”
And get them to trust their inner self, knowing when they’re hungry and when they’re not.
Jacqueline never thought she could overcome her struggle with anorexia. She says this center saved her life. She hopes sharing her story will help other young girls dealing with this dangerous disorder to get the help they need.
Jacqueline Rangel: “There is a whole life out there that you didn’t even know you could live.”
The Center treats all eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia and binge eating. In the Plex, Danielle Knox, 7News.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Oliver-Pyatt Centers
www.oliverpyattcenters.com
Project TEAL
www.projectteal.org