Sex and Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes is a medical condition in which an individual’s pancreas does not produce sufficient insulin. When a person is diagnosed with diabetes, their doctor will typically discuss the difficulties, changes, and life adaptations that accompany this chronic medical condition; however, navigating sex with Type 1 diabetes is rarely addressed. The journal Diabetes Care found that…

Eating Disorders Overview

While most people are concerned about what they eat, the American Psychological Association (APA) states that people with eating disorders have abnormal eating habits that can be harmful to their health and even their life.1 Although it is hard to get an exact statistic of how many people are suffering with an eating disorder, it…

Eating Disorders and Intimacy

Eating disorders are serious, potentially life-threatening mental disorders that can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. Eating disorders can affect all areas of a person’s life, including their intimate relationships and sex life. Increased communication is important to maintain a healthy relationship with someone who is suffering from an…

Orthorexia

​According to the NEDA, or the National Eating Disorders Association, orthorexia is an obsession with healthy eating. The term originated in 1998 and has become increasingly prevalent as societal pressure to diet rises. Orthorexia has become more common as the expansion of social media has given people access to a variety of information on dieting,…

Eating Disorder Statistics

Eating disorders are serious, potentially life threatening mental disorders that affect people of all ages, genders, races, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic groups. Eating disorders are caused by a combination of biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors. Certain groups and types of people are more at risk than others for developing an eating disorder. There has…

Bulimia

What is Bulimia? Bulimia is an eating disorder categorized by a cycle of binge eating an abnormally large amount of food in a short period of time, followed by a compensatory behavior.1 Compensatory behaviors may consist of self-induced vomiting, excessive exercising, fasting, or laxative use to avoid gaining weight from binge eating.1 Individuals with bulimia…

Sex and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common mental disorder that can develop after a person experiences trauma.1 PTSD can affect anyone regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, or background. Although PTSD is most commonly associated with war or military experience, PTSD can also develop following a natural disaster, accident, sexual assault, or other traumatic or life-threatening…

Anorexia

Anorexia, or anorexia nervosa, is a life-threatening eating disorder characterized by significant weight loss due to the restriction of calorie intake.1 This extreme weight loss is accompanied by an intense fear of gaining weight, denial of the seriousness of the weight loss, and perceiving one’s own body differently than reality.1 Anorexia affects all people regardless of class,…

Sex and Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder impacting the lives of approximately 51 million people worldwide every year.1 Schizophrenia is defined primarily as a loss of touch with reality, causing a person to be uncertain of what is real and what is occurring only in their mind.1 In addition to affecting a person’s thoughts, feelings, and…