5 Myths And Facts About Mental Health

Myth: Mental Health is very rare and only affects a few people. 

Fact: Mental Health is more common than people think and often affects one in four people.

Myth: Children can not suffer with a Mental Health illness.

Fact: All ages include Children are capable of suffering with a Mental Health problem. 

Myth: People suffering with a Mental Health illness are violent and unpredictable.

Fact: It is actually fairly common that individuals suffering with Mental Health Problems have been a victim of violence or abuse.

Myth: Parents are to blame for an individual suffering with  an Mental Health illness.

Fact: The way a parent brings up their child is not to blame for an individual having a Mental Health Problem. There is actually no specific cause itself that is to blame for a Mental Health illness.

Myth:  People with a Mental Health illness are not able to work and function in society.

Fact: Actually 90% of people suffering with a Mental Health problem are able to work and function within society. Although they may find it more difficult it doesn't mean they are not capable. 

















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xoxox

An Addiction Too Laxatives ( The Horrible Truth About Laxatives )

Hello everybody , I hope everyone is well and are having a lovely day! :) Today's blogpost is going to be about my personal story about having an addiction to laxatives. If you are easily grossed out or repulsed by nitty gritty details about the human body ,you may want to skip this post as I am going to tell the honest truth about the affects of having an addiction too laxatives. 

   An addiction to laxatives comes under Bulimia Nervosa as you are forcing the removal of food that you have consumed. If you have followed me or been reading my blog's for awhile you may be aware that I have suffered with Anorexia Nervosa for a long time.  Back in 2011 I became addicted to taking laxatives. Previous to 2011 from the age of 11 / 12 years old (2006) I had taken diet and slimming pills on and off till I was 17 years old. In 2011 at 17 years old I became addicted to laxatives , I couldn't go a day without taking them. I mentally , psychically and emotionally felt like I couldn't survive without taking laxatives, if I ran out or could not get hold of any laxatives my body would start to become shaky and I would panic which would result in having an anxiety attack. I took laxatives mainly in liquid form ( Lactulose) from the age of 17 for 3 years up to the age of 20 I would constantly take laxatives in hope of loosing more weight. The more I became addicted to laxatives the quantity of the amount I would take would increase. By the age of 19 I was taking 500ml of lactulose within 2 days , my body felt like I would not be able to cope without consuming the liquid. I became reliant  and obsessive towards laxatives which increased my anxiety and I began to be aggressive in the way I spoke to loved ones. 

             The psychical affect of taking laxatives is not exactly pleasant. I spent 90% of my day on toilet because of the amount of lactulose I would consume. The pain was agonizing , my belly was swollen all the time , I felt like somebody was slowly grazing a knife in my tummy and because of constant straining while being on the toilet my chest , lungs , kidney , stomach and bottom was painfully aching. I had lack of sleep at night due to running to the toilet regularly. I sat at night in the bathroom crying asking myself was putting myself through this pain really worth it? I was so determined to lose more and more weight that I would continue to put myself through this pain for 3 years. 
I felt embarrassed that taking laxatives constantly made me windy.  It got to a stage where I felt so bad about myself and I hated myself so much that I felt like I deserved to be in pain. I was dehydrated all the time and when my belly was in excruciating pain I would walk hunched over because I couldn't lift my body up it was that painful. 

How Laxatives Could Affect Somebody Long Term

. Organ damage 

. Kidney Failure 

. Death 

. Heart disease of failure 

. Damage to the intestines 

. Muscle and joint problems 

. Infertility 

. Depression / Anxiety 

. Irregular periods 

. Bowel disease

Every day is a struggle living with an eating disorder , but I am happy to say it has just been under a year since I have last taken any laxatives. In summer of 2014 with lots of help from the eating disorder team and dietician I was under at that time helped me to come up with a routine and strategy to help reduce the amount of laxatives I was taking until I completely stopped. I am not going to lie and say it was easy , it was a struggle and hard work. There were times I wanted to give in and go back to taking the 500ml bottle of lactulose and there where times where it all felt too much and I wanted to jump off a cliff. One of my main motivations that helped me reduce and stop taking laxatives was that when I was told by my dietician that if I continue to take laxatives it could possibly make me infertile in the future. As somebody who has always wanted children it made me panic and motivated me to stop taking them.   

   How Taking Laxatives Affected My Life 

. Isolation from society

. Lack of sleep 

. Crying and emotional 

. Aggressive towards others 

. Depressed 

. Irritable 

. Spending most of the day in the bathroom

. No social life

. Dizziness

. Weak limbs 

. Embarrassed

. Addictive  

If you are somebody seeking help for a laxative addiction or would just like to know more about this topic see some of the links below or visit my help and information page :)

NATIONAL EATING DISORDERS.ORG

BE-AT.CO.UK

NHS

PRIORY GROUP

SUPPORTLINE.ORG

BULIMIA HELP

Love Ava

xoxox

Understanding The Different Types Of Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are when an individual has a constant battle with their eating habits and their attitude and behaviour towards food which becomes unhealthy abnormal. An eating disorder is an illness within an individuals mind which has a physical unhealthy affect on the individuals body because of there eating habits. The individual with an eating disorder can not understand and separate what others see about there body to what they see about their body. The person's perception of themselves often means there unhealthy eating habits and behaviours become a familiar cycle which is very difficult to break out off.

There are 3 common known eating disorders , which include Anorexia Nervosa , Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating/ Compulsive Overeating. 

Anorexia nervosa is when an individual tries to keep their weight as low as possible by starving themselves and exercising excessively. Whereas ,Bulimia nervosa is when an  individual tries to loose weight or maintain their weight by binge eating/ overeating and deliberately making themselves sick or using laxatives to empty their bowels. Binge eating and compulsive overeating which is often related to obesity is also an eating disorder. Binge eating or compulsive overeating is at the opposite end of the scale relating to eating habits compared to Anorexia.   


I myself have personally suffered with Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia by being addicted to laxatives for a long time. I have previously written a blog post touching briefly on my story , if you would like to read more about my story here is the link below.

CONFESSIONS OF LIVING WITH ANOREXIA NERVOSA ( MY STORY )  

Possible Causes Of An Eating Disorder

There are many different causes of a possible eating disorder , there is not just one particular cause. Each individual is different and their reasons behind developing an eating disorder vary from each other , although some individuals may have similarities. 

. One possible cause of an eating disorder may be down to genes. If a person has a family history of eating disorders , depression or substance misuse , it is possible that this could be a factor of an individual developing an eating disorder. 

. Being bullied or heavily criticised about a person's body shape , weight or eating habits could have an emotional , mental and psychical impact on an individual and could be a cause of them developing an eating disorder.    

. Society and media influences could be a cause of an individual developing an eating disorder . With the media constantly portraying " What is perfect" could have a negative impact on an individual. 

. An individual with an obsessive personality , an anxiety disorder or low self-esteem may be at risk to developing an eating disorder.

. Sexual or emotional abuse and difficult relationships with family or friends could be a possible cause of an individual developing an eating disorder.

. Stressful situations and life events such as work , school , university ,struggling marriage , divorce or break up , death of a loved one , money troubles or strained relationships with family and friends could be a factor of a person developing an eating disorder. 

    

Anorexia Nervosa

Individuals suffering with anorexia nervosa are often under weight for what they should weigh for a healthy weight. People suffering with anorexia mental state is to constantly lose weight , as they see themselves much bigger than they actually are. For example looking into mirror they may see someone who is the size of a tiger but in actual fact they are a size of a cat. Their whole life becomes revolved around weight , body image and their relationship with food. 

Behaviours 

. Wearing baggy or loose clothes to cover their body.

. Weighing themselves daily 

. Measuring themselves , such as their waist and hip size

. Checking their body in the mirror 

. Constantly asking people if they have put weight on 

. Holding their belly or crossing their arms over their body 

. Individuals may tell lies about eating or what they have eaten 

. Giving excuses about why they are not eating 

. Pretending they have already eaten earlier 

. Lying about how much weight they have lost

How Anorexia Affects An Individual 

. Obsessively reading cookery books and recipes 

. Constantly dieting 

. Counting calories in food obsessively 

. Avoiding food 

. Eating only specific foods

. Fasting 

. Avoiding eating with others

. Hiding food

. Cutting food into small pieces 

. Taking appetite suppressants 

   

 Bulimia Nervosa



Bulimia is a cruel cycle for an individual as it is a cycle that is hard to break out of. People suffering with bulimia tend to have very low self-esteem and often think they are much bigger than they actually are. Individuals have strict rules about there diet , eating and exercise but these rules tend to fail for the individual and the individual ends up bingeing on large amounts of food and then forces themselves to be sick or take laxatives to get rid of the food consumed. This behaviour often happens because of the guilt the individual feels for bingeing out. 


Behaviours 

. Disappearing soon after eating food ( usually to the bathroom)

.Mood swings 

.Spending large amounts on money for bingeing 

.Overly exercising

.Isolated from others

.Not eating with people

.Anxiety

.Depression 

. Social avoidance


How Bulimia Nervosa Affects An Individual 


. Regular weight changes

.Isolation from others

. Obsessive towards there eating habits

.Swelling of cheeks and jaw area 

.Stained teeth 

. Constant body aches and pains 

. Acne / Spots 

. Damaged bowels

. Heart and other organ problems 

. Rapid mood changes

. Lack of energy



Binge Eating Disorder 




Individuals who deal with their feelings and emotions through eating food consistently are often known to have a binge eating disorder. Food provides comfort and sense of relief from the individuals anxieties , stress and feelings that they are experiencing. People with a binge eating disorder often have no control over their eating habits. Generally people with a binge eating disorder have very low self-esteem , depression and anxiety. 


Behaviours 

. Lying about what they have or haven't eaten 

. Hiding food

. Rapidly eating large amounts of food

. Complaining about being hungry although they have just eaten 

. Rapid weight gain 

. Mood changes 

. Isolation 


How Binge Eating Disorder Affects An Individual 


. High cholesterol 

. High blood pressure 

. Diabetes

. Asthma 

. Chronic Back Pain 

. Osteoarthritis 

. Heart Disease

. Depression 

. Further anxiety and low self-esteem 






I hope you all find this post useful :) for further information about this topic or if you are seeking help and support see my information and help page! :D 


( Help & Information Link)





Love Ava 
xoxox