Expert: Jeanne Rust, PhD - 8/5/2009

Question
Hi there Jeanne, it's still Lia bugging you...the site just made me ask a new question instead of "follow-up" because it was "too many". :(

If you had to generalize, under what "mind" would OCD-like tendencies fall under? Can OCD organizing/cleaning stuff be part of anorexia, or is it something separate. I feel like if I am going to eat more, that anxious energy overflows because I can't direct it towards not eating and instead I do things like clean for hours or straighten/organize, or write out my food plans or schedule for the next week, re-doing it until they're perfect. Is that silly to think that they're related? I feel like they are both equally important parts of who I am and how I respond to my life, but they also serve their own purposes independently of calming anxiety...like I don't just restrict calories or organize in order to allay my anxiety, but also because not doing these things and those consequences (gaining weight/eating more/having a messy atmosphere) terrify me in and of themselves.

I know I "should" go to a therapist, but I'm pretty poor right now (college student, paying my own tuition, etc) and can't afford even the $25 I think CAPS charges at UA...and I don't think it would really help anyways. I like to intellectualize and trying to understand what you're saying and processing it on a mental level, but if anyone were to push for me to eat more right now and go to that step of this, I doubt I'd listen...not to say I'm trying to be difficult, but...yeah. I hope you understand what I mean.

Thanks again.

Lia

Answer
Dear Lia,

You are not bugging me at all!  The OCD is rather like a which came first, the chicken or the egg, problem.  OCD often is a part of the anorexic type personality.  It is a separate condition that often improves when the person gets recovered from anorexia.  Many people with anorexia are also obsessive-compulsive.  When you'll start eating, the compulsions will begin to diminish.

If you go to student health at the U of A, there are some great therapists that are free -- Laura Orlich is one.  They also have some eating disorder support groups.  You can also go to the Mirasol office on Thursdays from 5:30 - 7:00.  The address is 7650 E. Broadway, #303.

Even if you could start just a little bit, take a small baby step, you'll really be making progress.  Even though the anorexia is so strong in you right now, you're making progress!

Warmly,
Jeannie
www.mirasol.net
www.edrecovery.com