Dr. Marcy Forta

Let’s take this concept of internalization and perception a bit further by looking specifically at the delicate and influential age of adolescence for the Jewish orthodox female. Adolescence, in general, is an age where overall there is a higher propensity for developing disordered eating and/or eating disorders. Adolescents are looking to discover who they are […]

We discussed the religious risk factor considerations last week and so I was going to move on to the next category of risk. But, based on the response to my last post, I have decided to delve a little deeper into this topic. The relationship between religion and eating disorders is both complex and multifaceted. […]

We’ve been talking about the many factors that can influence and create risk for eating disorders and disordered eating. There are religious considerations that do impact these issues. That said, religion cannot be viewed as an entirely positive or negative construct regarding eating disorder risk. This is partly because there are psychological variables as well […]

What are some of the other causes of eating disorders? There are many potential causes of eating disorders with not one single issue that can be pinpointed as a sure-fire cause. Rather it is the combination of certain risk factors and how the affected person internalizes and/or perceives them, that creates the risk for them. […]

Eating disorders are powerful forces that can prove difficult to stop. People affected by them often don’t know how to differentiate between themselves and the disorder. And while eating disorders are all about food – whether that means controlling what you eat, bingeing, purging, or dieting chronically, the actual causes and onset of them are […]

So, what is an eating disorder? Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses with numerous physical and emotional consequences. According to the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5), eating disorders refer to distorted ways in which people consume or absorb their food. These behaviors can significantly impact the persons physical, psychological, and emotional […]

Studies have established that Jewish orthodox women and girls are often at higher risk for developing disordered eating pathology and/or a clinically diagnosed eating disorder than their secular counterparts. In 2004, Rayworth et al. determined that Jewish women are more than two times as likely to meet the criteria for eating disorders as those of […]

Eating disorders are often misunderstood and sometimes, even considered a lifestyle choice. The reality, however, is that eating disorders are severe psychiatric illnesses with a complex etiology, thought to be caused by a complicated interplay of biological, psychological, and environmental factors. Adolescence, the age when eating disorders tend to emerge, is a time of particular […]

According to ANAD: Eating disorders affect at least 9% of the population worldwide. 9% of the U.S. population, or 28.8 million Americans, will have an eating disorder in their lifetime. Less than 6% of people with eating disorders are medically diagnosed as “underweight.” 28-74% of risk for eating disorders is through genetic heritability. Eating disorders […]