Question 3
How would you use the results of this study when counseling a client with eating concerns/disorder?
posted by Kandice Abramson @ 1:23 PM
13 comments
ISU Dietetic Internship Journal Club
Objective: To become familiar with current scientific literature on a variety of nutrition topics and to gain experience in gathering, organizing, critically evaluating, presenting and facilitating group discussion of the literature and the implications to practice.
13 Comments:
When counseling a client with an eating/disorder I would remember this study and its results, but I don’t believe I would concentrate on social media use with the client. I would most likely focus on things like maintaining a balanced diet and mindfulness. Keeping this study in mind, I would spend a little more time explaining the importance of finding information from credible sources. I may also highlight the downfalls of social media when it comes to diet. If I felt like social media was a major issue with this client I would most likely coordinate with the other healthcare professionals on the client’s team who have more experience with behavioral health. I do believe this study brings pertinent information to the table, but diving into the subject would be out of my scope of practice. I would feel comfortable sticking strictly to the subject of food and social media, but I believe dealing with things like body image and social media should be handled by others.
When speaking with a client who has an eating disorder, I would focus more on the individual, and what triggers their behavior specifically. I think it would be important to venture into different situations to help figure out how their mindset came about. If it arises that social media may be a cause, I believe I would be able to help, but only to a certain degree, as Tessa mentioned may be out of an RD’s scope.
I was reading an article in Today’s Dietitian, and this stuck out to me, “Using visual reality grounds clients in fact when what they view through their “eating disorder lens” is DISTORTED. Because distortion is a fundamental nature of this disease, it’s crucial that you supply objective input.” (http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/062810p14.shtml)
Social media in general can make the average person see other lives in a distorted lens. Even people without an eating disorder often compare themselves to others they see on social media and consequently have a negative view of themselves, so counseling someone who has an eating disorder triggered through social media may need collaborative help through an interdisciplinary team.
I think it would be important to keep this information in mind when counseling and individual with an eating disorder and understand the social pressures picture-based social media might be creating for the individual. Even though it wouldn't be the focus of the session, it is a vital factor that cannot be ignored. The results of this study reinforce the importance of promoting acceptance and celebration of diverse bodies and how healthy looks different on different bodies.
It also might be important to use this knowledge about the impact of social media to share more health-centered messages and discourage disordered eating mindsets.
The results of this study and the supplemental article would be incredibly useful when counseling clients with eating disorders. While I would not recommend removing social media from their lives completely, it may be helpful for some clients to take a hiatus from social media (especially if this is an aspect that is debilitating to their recovery). I would focus on credible, "body positive" sources of information, and I would educate them on how to determine if information is accurate and credible. I would direct them to sites like "Health at Every Size" and "The Moderation Movement" to help them focus on health as a whole, not just a number on the scale.
Nikki, I think that is a great point to bring into this discussion! As nutrition professionals, our job is to be empathetic and provide that objective "voice" that helps clients change on their own terms. We cannot force them to suddenly stop their distorted thinking. We can only provide the tools and resources necessary to set realistic goals on their road to recovery.
How I would use these results would depend on the stage of change and point of recovery of the client. Addressing the connection between eating concerns and social media use would be difficult and likely have little impact if the client would not recognize their disordered eating behaviors. Assuming that client was motivated towards recovery and heathy habits, I would provide them with the results of the study and suggest that they try to limit social media use. While limiting social media use may seem like a difficult proposal, the research suggests that it may be beneficial. If this is not plausible or acceptable for the clients, I would suggest that they block/unfollow specific accounts or people that appear to be negative triggers for them. There are many supportive, health-promoting social media accounts that could aid in individuals’ eating disorder recovery, but there are also many easily accessible accounts that could be damaging to recovery.
Holly, you stated some points that I agree with and tried to channel in my response too. Social media use in eating disorder clients could be adapted and harnessed to use as a recovery tool over time. Using outlets that focus on healthy habits and body positivity may be able to help clients reframe their thinking and slowly retrain their minds to focus on health rather than image.
Nikki, I like your approach of helping clients identify and avoid their specific triggers. If a client is able to identify and admit that particular social media outlets trigger their disordered thoughts/behaviors, cutting out exposure to these triggers may a step towards recovery.
As a dietitian I would simply utilize the findings of this research study by better understanding that triggers for eating concerns can literally be everywhere and at times, unavoidable. Thus, it is important for a client to be aware of social media triggers (if that pertains to the individual) and develop a plan for how they will approach or cope with the triggers social media brings. Perhaps determining a mental plan for the steps the client will proceed with when a social media image or postings triggers any unwarranted feelings; thus the client will feel more confident they can overcome the trigger.
Holly, your point of a social media hiatus could be a suggestion worth mentioning to clients. Along with nutritional advice dietitians do disclose behavior therapy advice at times when it comes to instilling concepts of moderation and positive dining environments. In much the same way, social media is a mental although not physical environment which effects the dining habits of our pts. For this reason I feel social interactions can fall into an RDs jurisdiction. In the same way we use an elimination diet to discover which foods may have a negative impact on a pts health. An elimination social media contact may identify which interactions trigger disordered eating behaviors through a consistent reflection process when exposed to a limited number of social media stimuli.
This individual article may be used as a proof of significance Segway to introduce a subject of social media influence on food or prevalence of disordered eating perceptions. The article would be used a tool to displace isolative blame in context of individual nutritional/behavioral counseling.
Kirsten, I appreciate your honesty in stating that addressing the triggers social media brings may have little impact on a client. I agree in a way that many times social media triggers tend to be unconscious-- and the client may even deny social media has any effect on their dieting concerns when in fact it may. I agree with your approach in simply addressing any social media accounts that may pose a negative influence on the clients progress to better health and recommending the client remove them from their network-- at least for the time being.
I would keep the results of this study in mind while counseling the individual. However, I would focus more on the individual and listen to what thoughts he/she has. I feel that dietitians have the opportunity to help others live healthier lives and that is what I would want to do with this client. If the media did influence the clients mindset I would talk more about some of the points in this study and focus more on the medias role. However, if the client didn't mention media I would probably touch briefly on it and focus my time on what the client said.
Noel-as you mentioned it is important to help the client feel confident that they can make changes towards a healthier future and I think what you said about creating a mental plan is a really good idea.
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This studies results could be useful when counseling a client with eating concerns/disorders if the client indicated that this is something they struggle with. Counseling individuals with Ed's not like providing nutrition counseling to other individuals. There is a much heavier psychological factor to consider when working with this population, therefore it is even more important to tailor our counseling to their specific needs. If it did seem like social media was negatively impacting my client's road to recovery, I would help them create a strategy to overcome this and I would be confident that there is supporting evidence out there for this.
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