Because I’m unhappy, I don’t eat. Because I don’t eat, I don’t have energy to do anything. Because I can’t do anything, I don’t get better. It’s easier to just waste away.
Agree. The lack of energy when you don’t eat arrives to the bones. I guess that’s so because bones are too near to the surface xD Everyone looks at you as if you had… cancer or so. If they get to know that your “only” illness is mental, they… Well, they don’t help.
The link you provided says, “Eating disorders are conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual’s physical and mental health.”
I didn’t originally think of this comic as one about an eating disorder, but by your own sources, sounds like it is.
The error you’re making here is that you’re skipping over the key phrase “abnormal eating habits”. Now, what is an abnormal eating habit? Is simply eating too much an abnormal eating habit? (You can skip over the rest of the sentence, because it says “may”, which means that to be an eating disorder, the following is possible but NOT a requirement) How about eating when you’re sad or bored, is that an abnormal eating habit? Having an ice cream as a pick-me-up, or Cheetos when you’re watching TV? That is totally up to individual opinion, but what I’m more concerned about are established eating disorders. If you read on, you’ll know what psychology considers “abnormal” eating practices, and eating because you are sad or depressed is not one of them. If you can’t name the specific eating disorder, it probably isn’t one.
I’ve done another strip where a character eats an ice cream to alleviate her sadness. She is not eating because she’s hungry or she needs the ice cream for sustenance. Yet, no one says this is an eating disorder, yet it’s THE SAME THING.
This is a big hint to all of you: if someone provides a link, READ THE ENTIRE LINK, just don’t cherry pick a sentence from the top whose intentional vagueness is specified upon later in the article.
katherinesays
You could actually probably classify this as Binge eating disorder or EDNOS. Binge eating disorder can be characterized by eating when sad or depressed over time which is depicted in this comic by the overweight stature of the woman. It may occur in large binged or any amount larger than the affected person would usually eat such as not being able to resist snacks when depressed. Just eating an ice cream every once in a while to cheer yourself up is not the same as this comic, where the woman seems to be habitually eating more when sad,which she dislikes, and therefore has a disordered relationship with food
No you couldn’t. One of the necessary criteria for binge eating disorder is “Each binge consists of eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances”. The amount of food and duration is not depicted, therefore you are trying to find an eating disorder where there is simply not enough information in the comic to make a diagnosis. If one has to make up things that are not in the comic, it probably isn’t going to trigger anything, and I refuse on principle to label trigger warnings on things that aren’t depicted in the comic.
Also, being sad or depressed is not a absolute necessary component of binge eating. It is one of seven symptoms, of which three or more are necessary for a diagnosis. Please read for yourself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binge_eating_disorder
Plus, you’re also arguing with the person who drew the comic, and I say she wasn’t binge eating. I mean, in the first panel, she’s eating a single cookie. As a cookie lover myself, I can tell you how simply irresistible cookies are, even knowing how bad they are for you.
Hectorsays
You wouldn’t have to have these discussions if you would drop the “trigger word” nonsense and just make the comics you feel like making. It’s not up to you to jump through hoops to avoid causing anyone the slightest discomfort.
With recent comics I’ve dropped trigger word warnings and only use them for Tumblr repostings, where they are more sensitive to this. I think if people are sensitive to certain issues of mental illness they should stay away from a comic that states it is about mental illness.
Ellesays
I don’t find this any more sensitive than the site in its entirety.
This is called an “EMOTIONAL EATING” Emotional eating is defined as overeating in order to relieve negative emotions. Thus, emotional eating is considered a maladaptive coping strategy
and add to that.. I know this “EMOTIONAL EATING” because i’m suffering from it… and I don’t see this comic is a triggering thing.. The comics here makes you realize your own situation and for you to see and understand more about yourself..
It’s more like an extra source of unhappiness and self-dislike for me.
The source of the desire to eat unhealthily was already there, the weight gain is just a bonus source of misery or an extra problem to eliminate before recovery.
The funny thing is that just because you don’t eat doesn’t mean you’ll lose weight. Most of the time I hate eating when I’m depressed, still overweight.
This… so much this… I would have cried reading this if people werent around to see it… it doesn’t always stop it, but it often does. I tell myself this all the time, though i feel like somehow i am suffering less because I have the motivation or energy or whatever to get food, it makes me feel like a fraud which makes me even more messed up…
This is also me. And every year it gets worse. I don’t like people to take my picture any more. I don’t use a picture of me on Facebook because I can’t stand how I look, and I don’t want my friends to see how I’ve deteriorated, disappearing into my own weight. And it feels like eating is one of the only things that brings me comfort.
being called fat and calling yourself a walking humanoid pig …. i’d rather keep my face hidden behind a mask or even have 3rd degree burned face to force me to place a mask so no one can know me anymore
was it not for my some people i know i wouldn’t mind to die starving i am not hungry most of the time and my energy is being wasted over my own life if i was able to give my energy to those who need it more i would give it up without a second thought
Reyali says
Response from the other side:
Because I’m unhappy, I don’t eat.
Because I don’t eat, I don’t have energy to do anything.
Because I can’t do anything, I don’t get better.
It’s easier to just waste away.
Energyless says
Eat or not, the lack of energy for almost everything still bind us all.
Lu says
Agree.
The lack of energy when you don’t eat arrives to the bones. I guess that’s so because bones are too near to the surface xD Everyone looks at you as if you had… cancer or so. If they get to know that your “only” illness is mental, they… Well, they don’t help.
Addison Scott says
I wouldn’t call this trigger free. In fact, it needs an ED TW.
clay says
It’s not about an eating disorder.
Katherine G. says
Yes it is. It depicts a disordered relationship to food.
clay says
No, it isn’t. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eating_disorder
Reyali says
The link you provided says, “Eating disorders are conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual’s physical and mental health.”
I didn’t originally think of this comic as one about an eating disorder, but by your own sources, sounds like it is.
clay says
The error you’re making here is that you’re skipping over the key phrase “abnormal eating habits”. Now, what is an abnormal eating habit? Is simply eating too much an abnormal eating habit? (You can skip over the rest of the sentence, because it says “may”, which means that to be an eating disorder, the following is possible but NOT a requirement) How about eating when you’re sad or bored, is that an abnormal eating habit? Having an ice cream as a pick-me-up, or Cheetos when you’re watching TV? That is totally up to individual opinion, but what I’m more concerned about are established eating disorders. If you read on, you’ll know what psychology considers “abnormal” eating practices, and eating because you are sad or depressed is not one of them. If you can’t name the specific eating disorder, it probably isn’t one.
I’ve done another strip where a character eats an ice cream to alleviate her sadness. She is not eating because she’s hungry or she needs the ice cream for sustenance. Yet, no one says this is an eating disorder, yet it’s THE SAME THING.
This is a big hint to all of you: if someone provides a link, READ THE ENTIRE LINK, just don’t cherry pick a sentence from the top whose intentional vagueness is specified upon later in the article.
katherine says
You could actually probably classify this as Binge eating disorder or EDNOS. Binge eating disorder can be characterized by eating when sad or depressed over time which is depicted in this comic by the overweight stature of the woman. It may occur in large binged or any amount larger than the affected person would usually eat such as not being able to resist snacks when depressed. Just eating an ice cream every once in a while to cheer yourself up is not the same as this comic, where the woman seems to be habitually eating more when sad,which she dislikes, and therefore has a disordered relationship with food
clay says
No you couldn’t. One of the necessary criteria for binge eating disorder is “Each binge consists of eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances”. The amount of food and duration is not depicted, therefore you are trying to find an eating disorder where there is simply not enough information in the comic to make a diagnosis. If one has to make up things that are not in the comic, it probably isn’t going to trigger anything, and I refuse on principle to label trigger warnings on things that aren’t depicted in the comic.
Also, being sad or depressed is not a absolute necessary component of binge eating. It is one of seven symptoms, of which three or more are necessary for a diagnosis. Please read for yourself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binge_eating_disorder
Plus, you’re also arguing with the person who drew the comic, and I say she wasn’t binge eating. I mean, in the first panel, she’s eating a single cookie. As a cookie lover myself, I can tell you how simply irresistible cookies are, even knowing how bad they are for you.
Hector says
You wouldn’t have to have these discussions if you would drop the “trigger word” nonsense and just make the comics you feel like making. It’s not up to you to jump through hoops to avoid causing anyone the slightest discomfort.
clay says
With recent comics I’ve dropped trigger word warnings and only use them for Tumblr repostings, where they are more sensitive to this. I think if people are sensitive to certain issues of mental illness they should stay away from a comic that states it is about mental illness.
Elle says
I don’t find this any more sensitive than the site in its entirety.
Scarlet_tears says
This is called an “EMOTIONAL EATING” Emotional eating is defined as overeating in order to relieve negative emotions. Thus, emotional eating is considered a maladaptive coping strategy
Scarlet_tears says
and add to that.. I know this “EMOTIONAL EATING” because i’m suffering from it… and I don’t see this comic is a triggering thing.. The comics here makes you realize your own situation and for you to see and understand more about yourself..
█████ says
It’s more like an extra source of unhappiness and self-dislike for me.
The source of the desire to eat unhealthily was already there, the weight gain is just a bonus source of misery or an extra problem to eliminate before recovery.
Guilherme Distinto (@linkedoranean) says
55 http://t.co/WBeuIuHnZd via @depressioncomix
Aine Rayne says
The funny thing is that just because you don’t eat doesn’t mean you’ll lose weight. Most of the time I hate eating when I’m depressed, still overweight.
D3 & EGOSELF (@d3andego) says
Yo tragando http://t.co/FjpwrLzqfs
Rose says
This… so much this… I would have cried reading this if people werent around to see it… it doesn’t always stop it, but it often does. I tell myself this all the time, though i feel like somehow i am suffering less because I have the motivation or energy or whatever to get food, it makes me feel like a fraud which makes me even more messed up…
peter says
This is also me. And every year it gets worse. I don’t like people to take my picture any more. I don’t use a picture of me on Facebook because I can’t stand how I look, and I don’t want my friends to see how I’ve deteriorated, disappearing into my own weight. And it feels like eating is one of the only things that brings me comfort.
jackmarten says
being called fat and calling yourself a walking humanoid pig …. i’d rather keep my face hidden behind a mask or even have 3rd degree burned face to force me to place a mask so no one can know me anymore
NAMELESS says
Because you really, really don’t want the kind of “unhappy” that makes you not eat. It is hell
jackmarten says
was it not for my some people i know i wouldn’t mind to die starving i am not hungry most of the time and my energy is being wasted over my own life if i was able to give my energy to those who need it more i would give it up without a second thought