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Written by Richard Scott
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Monday, 07 June 2010 17:09 |
 Model Whitney Thompson Redefines a Healthy Body Image
When Whitney Thompson is out for a walk—in one of the many cities where the supermodel travels—it is not unusual for a stranger to approach her and blurt out her name like they were old friends. And it is no less strange for the two of them, after moving past what could have been an off-putting introduction, to fall into conversation.
Thompson is a 22-year-old internationally recognized star, but she has a familiar way with people. And while her modeling career has brought her early fame and a handlaid path to a successful living that few have the chance to realize, it is her ability to forge connections and kinship with the people she encounters that she finds most rewarding. “Girls will just walk up to me and talk to me,” she says.
The ease with which she connects with people makes Thompson a powerful ambassador in one of the driving causes in her life—the fight against eating disorders and the shift in perceptions surrounding body image. Earlier this year, Thompson became an official spokesperson for the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), a nonprofit educational and advocacy organization that has been around since 2001. Unlike many other such relationships, however, the nonprofit did not approach Thompson to act as a delegate. It was the other way around. Without stipulation, Thompson approached them.
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Written by Dena Cabrera, Psy.D.
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Monday, 07 June 2010 17:05 |
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 In a world where looks and image are everything, imagine feeling too ugly to even step out the front door. So ugly that you want to take your life. For victims suffering from body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), it’s a daily reality.
Often, BDD sufferers would rather be dead than live with their perceived defects. Suicidal ideation and attempts in BDD adolescents may be five times greater than in U.S. adolescents in general; half the adults with BDD may have suicidal ideation and 12 percent make suicide gestures. Up to 29 percent of BDD patients actually attempt suicide, with suicide risk highest in those women with perceived facial defects.
BDD hits healthy normal teenagers—both boys and girls—leaving them devastated by self-loathing, low self-esteem and severe depression.
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Written by James R. Eyman, PhD and Brent Halderman, PhD
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Wednesday, 14 April 2010 13:59 |
 The Role of Case Managers
Bill called our call center at New Directions Behavioral Health Care stating that he had been sitting in his car thinking of gassing himself within the last hour. He had only stopped to make this call. After speaking with the clinician for a few minutes he stated that she had made him feel so much better that he was no longer suicidal. Unfortunately, the contact with this client did not end so productively and easily.
More than 30,000 people commit suicide in the United States every year. In 2005, suicide was the 11th leading cause of death. Suicide is most prevalent for males after the age of 65 and most common for females between the ages of 40-50. However, the risk of suicide is greatest when a person has certain psychiatric disorders, abuses multiple substances, or suffers from specific types of medical illnesses. For example, approximately 15 percent of all people suffering from major depression commit suicide.
It is not surprising that the Surgeon General of the United States (1999), the World Health Organization (WHO) (2005), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (2001) are promoting efforts to reduce suicide. Accordingly, the Case Management Society of America’s Case Management Adherence Guidelines for Improving Patient Adherence to Depression Therapies from August 2008 states that “it is important to note that in order to complete a full social assessment for the individual with depression, a suicide assessment is paramount.”
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