My 600-lb Life is a documentary series airing on the popular network TLC. The show began in 2012 and has since detailed the weight loss journeys of men and women dealing with severe obesity. Two of the women focused on in this series are Marla and Brittani. Both suffered a traumatic experience as adolescents and have since developed extreme binge eating disorders. As the cameras follow these two women before and after gastric bypass surgery, the details of their mental health begin to unfold.
In Marla’s story, at 800 pounds she is bed-bound and fed by her daughters in their home. As a young adult, she was taken hostage by an ex-boyfriend, and during the kidnapping two police officers were shot. After the ordeal, she began to cope with the trauma by binge eating, and for years has not been able to stand or take care of herself. Relying on others to get her the things she needs, her independence continued to decline, and with the advice of her doctor, she opted to undergo gastric bypass surgery. During her trip to the hospital, a blood clot dislodged resulting in a pulmonary embolism. After being admitted to ICU and eventually stabilized, the doctors performed gastric bypass without her losing weight beforehand. As she recovered from surgery, Marla began to revert to a more childlike state and refused to cooperate with her healthcare providers. After days with no sign of compliance, Marla was discharged to her daughter’s home where she continued with her previous habits for more than a year. With a lot of progress to be made, it is unclear whether Marla was able to change her behaviors and treat her binge eating disorder. Brittani’s story began after years of being sexually abused as a child by a family member. Throughout her childhood, she began gaining weight and continued to binge eat into adulthood. At 400 pounds Brittani relied on her husband while she continued to lose her independence. As she describes the discomfort she felt during her binges, Brittani slowly began to lose weight with healthy eating and was finally admitted for gastric bypass surgery. After the surgery, Brittani began to exercise and maintain a healthy diet with the support of her husband, losing more than half of her body weight. According to the DSM-5 (2013), binge eating disorder is characterized by eating in a discrete period of time a significant amount more food than most people would consume. People experiencing binge eating disorder may also sense a lack of control over eating during the episode, and may feel distress and guilt regarding the binge. On average, binge eating occurs at least once a week for three months (2013). Treatment for binge eating disorder should involve the combination of cognitive, interpersonal, dialectical behavior, and pharmacotherapy (MayoClinic, 2016). Combining these treatments focuses on alternative coping mechanisms, relationships with other people, and learning to better regulate stress and emotions (MayoClinic, 2016). Gastric bypass surgery is usually only recommended for severely overweight individuals that are motivated and show …show more content…
Brittani, for example, began binge eating as a child after being molested by a family member. According to Brewerton (2014), this is common in child-onset binge eating disorder following some sort of trauma. Marla was also exposed to a traumatic experience after being taken hostage and began binge eating. This is a consistent finding especially in women of Caribbean-Black decent, like Marla that may use binge eating in order to cope with stress following a traumatic experience (Lacey, K.S., …show more content…
In this show, it is clear that most commonly a traumatic event triggers these disorders in an individual. While some people may cope differently and proactively seek help, the two individuals discussed in this show did not. This eating obsession became an unhealthy form of coping, leading to a decrease in quality of life. It is clear that overcoming a binge eating disorder is greatly dependent on the individual’s willingness to change. Once an individual decides to make a lifestyle change, there are multiple components that may help with success. The psychopathologies in these disorders are strong, and surgery is not always the answer. By utilizing a strong support system, seeking help psychologically, and learning about new coping mechanisms, an individual much like Brittani will hopefully be able to overcome a binge eating disorder and lead a healthy
In Marla’s story, at 800 pounds she is bed-bound and fed by her daughters in their home. As a young adult, she was taken hostage by an ex-boyfriend, and during the kidnapping two police officers were shot. After the ordeal, she began to cope with the trauma by binge eating, and for years has not been able to stand or take care of herself. Relying on others to get her the things she needs, her independence continued to decline, and with the advice of her doctor, she opted to undergo gastric bypass surgery. During her trip to the hospital, a blood clot dislodged resulting in a pulmonary embolism. After being admitted to ICU and eventually stabilized, the doctors performed gastric bypass without her losing weight beforehand. As she recovered from surgery, Marla began to revert to a more childlike state and refused to cooperate with her healthcare providers. After days with no sign of compliance, Marla was discharged to her daughter’s home where she continued with her previous habits for more than a year. With a lot of progress to be made, it is unclear whether Marla was able to change her behaviors and treat her binge eating disorder. Brittani’s story began after years of being sexually abused as a child by a family member. Throughout her childhood, she began gaining weight and continued to binge eat into adulthood. At 400 pounds Brittani relied on her husband while she continued to lose her independence. As she describes the discomfort she felt during her binges, Brittani slowly began to lose weight with healthy eating and was finally admitted for gastric bypass surgery. After the surgery, Brittani began to exercise and maintain a healthy diet with the support of her husband, losing more than half of her body weight. According to the DSM-5 (2013), binge eating disorder is characterized by eating in a discrete period of time a significant amount more food than most people would consume. People experiencing binge eating disorder may also sense a lack of control over eating during the episode, and may feel distress and guilt regarding the binge. On average, binge eating occurs at least once a week for three months (2013). Treatment for binge eating disorder should involve the combination of cognitive, interpersonal, dialectical behavior, and pharmacotherapy (MayoClinic, 2016). Combining these treatments focuses on alternative coping mechanisms, relationships with other people, and learning to better regulate stress and emotions (MayoClinic, 2016). Gastric bypass surgery is usually only recommended for severely overweight individuals that are motivated and show …show more content…
Brittani, for example, began binge eating as a child after being molested by a family member. According to Brewerton (2014), this is common in child-onset binge eating disorder following some sort of trauma. Marla was also exposed to a traumatic experience after being taken hostage and began binge eating. This is a consistent finding especially in women of Caribbean-Black decent, like Marla that may use binge eating in order to cope with stress following a traumatic experience (Lacey, K.S., …show more content…
In this show, it is clear that most commonly a traumatic event triggers these disorders in an individual. While some people may cope differently and proactively seek help, the two individuals discussed in this show did not. This eating obsession became an unhealthy form of coping, leading to a decrease in quality of life. It is clear that overcoming a binge eating disorder is greatly dependent on the individual’s willingness to change. Once an individual decides to make a lifestyle change, there are multiple components that may help with success. The psychopathologies in these disorders are strong, and surgery is not always the answer. By utilizing a strong support system, seeking help psychologically, and learning about new coping mechanisms, an individual much like Brittani will hopefully be able to overcome a binge eating disorder and lead a healthy