Devorah is a 33-year-old. She has been obese since childhood, but recently she has gained even more weight. Devorah binges several nights per week. During the day she diets, but inevitably when night comes she binge eats. None of the diets she has tried could control her binge eating. After bingeing, Devorah feels demoralizing guilt, shame, and self-hatred. Yet she could not stop. When Devorah developed pre-diabetes, her doctor suggested that she seek treatment for binge eating disorder. Devorah’s first stop was Pesach Tikvah. A therapist at Pesach Tikvah referred Devorah to an eating disorders specialist. With treatment, Devorah has been able to stop binge eating.
Chanah is a 20-year-old who is shidduch dating. She is very scared that her weight will discourage possible matches from accepting her. Chanah is not overweight. However, when she looks in the mirror she sees someone overweight. She spends hours a day exercising and restricts her food intake. She is no longer able to eat with her family, preferring to skip meals or eat tiny restrictive meals by herself. Chanah’s parents were very scared for her well-being and brought her to Pesach Tikvah. A therapist with experience treating eating disorders diagnosed her with anorexia nervosa and commenced treatment. With treatment, Chanah has been able to see herself more accurately, eat a nutritious diet, and let go of her obsession with her weight.
Yechezkel was a chubby child. He comes from a family of overweight people. As he got into high school, he got tired of being bullied for being overweight. He began to lose weight by restricting his food. When he would overeat, he would “get rid of it” by vomiting. Yechezkel became obsessed with his size and with weight loss, and got into a cycle of daily eating and vomiting. His teeth became weak and discolored and he developed throat problems from vomiting, but he just couldn’t stop. When his sister caught him vomiting after a meal, she told their parents and they brought him to Pesach Tikvah. Yechezkel was referred to an in-patient eating disorders clinic because his disease had progressed so far. With treatment, Yechezkel was able to recover from bulimia.