The Succeed Foundation’s Vision is “A World Free From Eating Disorders”

The Succeed Foundation has a simple mission to free the world from eating disorders. Through fundraising and investment in innovative research, and the promotion of ground-breaking evidence-based treatments and preventions, the charity aims to tackle eating disorders in measureable ways.

Every individual with an eating disorder is unique. They will not all respond to the same treatment. In partnership with researchers and clinicians, we develop a broad range of approaches and transform the science into practical tools that sufferers can beneficiate in their daily life as a self-help tool. We want to move from awareness to action.

The Succeed Body Image Programme

 The charity has a wealth of sound scientific research behind it thanks to its association with a number of academic institutions; including the University of the West of England; their Centre for Appearance Research is monitoring the Body Image programme in the UK, headed by research fellow and Doctor Phillippa Diedrichs.

The Succeed Body Image Programme (SBIP) is a cognitive dissonance-based intervention.

Dissonance theory suggests that if individuals act in ways that contradict their beliefs then they will typically change their beliefs to align with these actions. The Succeed Body Image Programme therefore, actively engages its participants in of a series of verbal, written and behavioural exercises that critique the unrealistic, ultra-thin-ideal standard of female beauty.

The SBIP is designed to help individuals across all spectrums to establish and maintain a positive body image. Using highly interactive, peer-led, small groups, it is a two-day, intervention program designed by experts and implemented through trained peer leaders on college campuses throughout the UK.  As the first peer-led, evidence-based eating disorders prevention program shown to truly work, The Body Image Program does not specifically focus on eating disorders; rather, it emphasizes creating and reaffirming positive and healthy personal body image through a variety of structured discussions, activities, and exercises. The phenomenal program has a proven track record – not only on improving body image issues, but on encouraging healthy confrontation and communication skills as well. It is the first scientifically supported evidence-based eating disorders prevention program designed.

Fat Talk Free

Fat Talk describes all of the statements made in everyday conversation that reinforce the thin ideal and contribute to women’s dissatisfaction with their bodies. We want to raise the nation’s consciousness about the danger of fat talk and our initiative is to eliminate that kind of talk from our lives and stop appearances critiques and accept the way we are.

This can be achieved by simply changing our conversation.

Our Success depends on collaboration and monitoring our work we want to focus in what works.

to access the support contact the Succeed Foundation Directly

www.succeedfoundation.org

Carers may find this link helpful too;

http://www.succeedfoundation.org/work/skillsforcarers

 

 

The Olympic Games and the Untold Legacy

This blog is a personal viewpoint from the service’s eating disorders specialist…

Will Devlin, clinical psychologist and specialist in eating disorders for the University of Bristol, looks almost sheepish as he describes his mixed feelings about the great sporting achievements we watched with pride just a few months ago:

“…Don’t get me wrong,” he says, “there’s no doubt that the Olympic Games were a proud moment in the history of the country and many of us have been inspired by the achievements of athletes like Jessica Ennis, Jonnie Peacock, and Anthony Joshua.

“But what I can’t help wondering is what effect images of these almost superhuman, super lean, super muscled athletes is having on people who are unhappy with their bodies.  Very few of us have the genetic make up, let alone the motivation, dedication, sponsorship, training and time to develop the kind of body which we’ve seen so much of during the UK’s summer of sport.

“It’s one thing to be inspired to get fit by the Olympics, even I’ve been inspired to get back to the gym.  But the fact is,” Will says with a smile, patting his tummy, “like most of the population I’ll never have the body of an Olympian however hard I try! 

His fear is that amidst the pride and positive social change inspired by the Olympics, one untold legacy will be an increase in the number of people at risk of eating disorders: “I worry that if more of us end up unhappy with our bodies, then more of us might resort to unhealthy attempts to shape up as we aspire to a rippling six-pack, tight buns or super-pert breasts.

It’s not a popular view, that inspiring a nation with acts of sporting heroism could actually be bad for some people, but as I listen to Will’s concerns I do see his point: “Condemnation is growing on all sides at the use of size zero models on the catwalk, and Kate Moss was roundly criticized for endorsing starvation when she said, ‘nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’ …but it’s not easy to say that super lean athletes might have just the same effect as emaciated supermodels on those of us who want the perfect body but simply can’t have it.  “And don’t forget,” Will says, “the athletes themselves face these same pressures, eating disorders are rife amongst sports men and women, in fact it is estimated that more than one in 10 elite athletes may have an eating disorder.”

Will’s comments get me thinking about this untold legacy, and what some of the unintended outcomes of our summer of sport might be.  There’s no doubt that the efforts of Team GB and our paralympian heroes have the power to inspire a generation, but perhaps it’s also important to recognize that the pursuit of athletic success and the body beautiful may also have its downsides.

Will works at the University’s Student Health Service.  If you think you might have an eating disorder, talking to one of the service’s GPs will ensure you get access to the specialist help you need.

 

Reflections on Body Image

Last month the Students’ Health Service had a visit from our local MP Stephen Williams, a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Body Image. He was interested to hear about our work with students with eating disorders, but we also talked through the challenges of being a student with a condition such as Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and the misuse of body building drugs such as anabolic steroids in some parts of our population.

Negative body image underlies much of the mental health work we do, whether it leads to low self esteem (which can itself lead to depression or self harm), anxiety, social phobia, and more obviously anorexia and bulimia.

The report highlights more positive ways to view ourselves and our bodies, such as the Health At Every Size movement, which focuses on health rather than weight/ Body Mass Index. This movement tries to encourage us to eat healthily and engage in appropriate amounts of physical activity and has been shown to lead to higher levels of self esteem, and better blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Anecdotally the medical community is certainly becoming increasingly wary of using BMI as a ‘one size fits all’ measure, as we watch the generations increase in height and muscle mass. Even traditional children’s measurement charts have had doubt thrown over them, with a current study from the University of Worcester identifying healthy children as being incorrectly labelled ‘obese or overweight’ by the National Child Measurement Programme. This could then lead to those children developing neuroses about their height and weight in the future, in our ‘weight obsessed society’.

Fixating on a particular weight may not be the best approach for us, and it might be better to take a more holistic approach  with better health being the best outcome measure to aim for; focus on Fitness rather than Fatness, if you like.

If you are worried about your weight/ shape or health, then please do come and see us to talk it through. We are very used to discussing these issues, and I hope you will find us good at listening and keen to help.

 

http://issuu.com/bodyimage/docs/reflections_on_body_image