Thoughts on article linking abuse and obesity

 I thought this article was really excellent and something that is not talked about enough in the bariatric community.  What do others think?

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/07/linking_sexua l_abuse_to_obesit.html

 An excellent article but......my female physician broached this subject with me and I thought it was a  valid concern but thank the heavens above that this was not the case in my life.  I have read about this issue and it sure does pertain to many overweight women but not all.  There are also many extremely overweight people who enjoy excellent mental health and are still overweight no matter what steps have been taken to lose that weight.  Those issues will not go away if one does not take steps towards therapy and hard work even with or without WLS inerventions. my thoughts.

I can relate to this article 100%...I have been trying to explain it to my therapist, psych, dr, & it can feel so over whelming, because it is a complicated issue/experience. The article explains it so well. I have been in & out of OA for 20 years of up & down the scale, but a better understanding of who I am & have excellent support with others. It is painful work coming out of denial. And the longest journey is from my heart to my head. And I keep on facing the feelings. I just read another article linking abuse to all gastro issues ( you don't have to have a weight problem) like IBS, crohns, gastroparesis....making the claim of the link between the gut & the mind/brain.
I am relieved that professionals are making the connection. now for the solution.

http://gut.bmj.com/content/45/suppl_2/II1.full

Fat is a Feminist issue (a book I read years ago) discusses the link between obesity and sex avoidance, often due to childhood abuse.  It doesn't apply to everyone.

I found it empowering to think that obesity was being used as a choice to accomplish certain goals so I worked on improving my sexuality as a fat person (it was grueling, sweaty work).

Sadly it didn't help me lose weight but it did improve my mood.

 I believe that trauma impacts people in many ways and I believe that the age that the traumatic event occured and the coping skills available and supports available all impact the effect of that trauma has on a person.  I believe also that obesity is a complex issue and I for one would not want professions or the general population to categorize me or anyone else into the category of survivor based on my size.  
I find the entire issue interesting as to why, two people that experience the same or similar trauma can be impacted so differently.  I understand that we learn to cope with traumatic events based on observation of our care givers coping skills and other factors like the resources available and the stage of development we are at.  
So in saying all that I guess for myself anyway I do believe abuse and trauma play a key role for many but not all and I want to explore this personally but would not want everyday lay people who have little understanding of obesity to assume I'm big because...

 I'm not so sure it's the trauma that is the cause, but the reaction of using food as a coping mechanism. Summarily, the trauma can come from various sources, but the reaction, over eating and unhealthy food choices, remain as the constant. In getting the satisfaction response chemically in the brain during binge eating, a sense of security and safety are provided. This develops synaptic pathways in the brain making even the routine of preparing for binge eating a trigger for the feeling of security and safety. 

So, someone who was or is sexually abused, who also uses food as a coping mechanism, presents the same or similar symptoms as others *****act to some trauma by using food as a coping mechanism. It's in the reaction in my opinion.

If you get that feeling from drugs, you become a junkie, from booze, you become a drunk. 

Perhaps it's finding the best way to cope with trauma is the direction the article suggest people move in.

Thoughts?

Excellent topic by the way, thanks for posting it!

I agree...it is truly a coping mechanism...

enjoyed your post!

excellent article. I'm glad that there is research into this. Any addiction can be linked to traumatic events (tho not always, like the article states), The food addiction (when related to sexual abuse) speaks to the oral comforting, as well as the added "benefit" of making you sexually unnattractive. I thought it was interesting the way it speaks to the reasons for failure, the new attention from people being uncomfortable, and causing a spiral back down the food addiction trail.

Very interesting article!  Something that I have really noticed, is a very high rate of anxiety and or depression amongst people on OH.  There are so many reasons why people gain weight, but as someone else said, all to often, it is probably a coping mechanism and something that we take pleasure in, that we can control.

Thanks for sharing the article, Sandy and btw, I meant to tell you that you looked fantastic in your picture the other day!

 Thanks to all for your well thought out responses and comments.  I think the article was balanced in stating that not all people suffering from morbid obesity have trauma backgrounds, but that there is an over representation of trauma survivors in the bariatric population.

I'm really struggling with this issue, personally, and it drives me crazy that at 43 years old, I still can feel so ridiculously unsafe and vulnerable in a smaller body.  For me its always been the double edged sword...i want sexual attention from men, but only when I can control it completely and its on my terms.  There are days when I feel flooded simply by an admiring glance from a man on the street.  Other days I pout internally and wish I was more beautiful and captivating to men.  My life has always made more sense when i have shelved my sexuality and settled into an asexual big woman identity (and again, I know a ton of very sexual fat women, so its not that fat equals unsexy...rather, for me, I could use it as a non-sexualized social identity).  So here I am figuring out a second adolescence, reforging a new sexualized identity, in mid-life...still carrying some of the baggage of my trauma history.  And yes, I've been in therapy for about a zillion years...so no need to suggest that I go, lol!

Thanks again for helping to break down the walls of silence around this issue!