Hello out there. I can't believe I haven't updated in so long! First I was plain lazy and then I managed to land a temporary job as a science teacher and have been going non stop since. I was sick the past few days and now have some energy to blog. Excellent.
My post for today pertains to something I stumbled across in my many hours of perusing the internet. I can't remember what led to it but I found an article discussing "SED" or Selective Eating Disorder. I read some of it and I have to say, I just can't agree that this is a legitimate disorder in the way bulimia or anorexia are. To me, it's a product of the over-indulgent, overly-analytical society we live in today.
Apparently, if you suffer from SED you are anxious about new foods. I guess you just can't bring yourself to eat things of a certain texture or taste. It can range from a few foods to omitting entire food groups. While that last part is bit extreme, it still sounds like a lot of bullsh*t to me. Translated I read: "I am picky and now I can excuse it." How many things can we possibly label? Kids today are already over diagnosed and over medicated in my opinion. Isn't this just making it worse? Soon we're going to have excuses for children/adults who don't like to pick up after themselves. Don't worry, make a mess, it's a disorder! We'll send you to pricey doctors for a ridiculous assessment and then medicate you for it! Do you shop too much and go into debt? We'll write your creditors a doctor's note because it's a disorder, you're not responsible for your actions.
I'm not the best of eaters myself. For some reason, I can't stand raisins. Is it irrational? Yes, those raisins never did anything to me. Quite frankly, I don't like the taste. And doesn't it really come down to that with food? You like it or you don't. Why make being picky into a disorder?
Granted, I don't suffer from SED (I hardly think my one untouchable food counts). I don't understand the all consuming anxiety that seems to engulf true sufferers when they encounter those dreaded foods. But it anxiety or just plain disgust? Are we making this into more than it is?
My main problem with labeling diseases/disorders is that I feel like we limit people to working within them. As a teacher, I have seen many students assessed and then accordingly diagnosed with learning disabilities, cognitive disorders, attention deficit disorder and so on. Now, I'm not saying that they don't have merit, I'm sure a great deal of research has gone into it to make it so. But when the child is aware of their condition they can excuse their behaviour within it. I've heard/seen a great many students shrug and say, "My mom says I can't do work because I have such and such." Is making them aware and labeling the problem helping or hurting? If they didn't have the label would they strive more to overcome it? If we didn't outright say it was a problem, would it cease to be one? It's something I've always wondered. I have a friend who believes that had she been in elementary now she would've been diagnosed with ADD. Fortunately for her she: 1. Went to school before Diagnosing Mania began and 2. Had a supportive family. The way she told it is that her parents cared and supported her in overcoming her issues. Did she actually have ADD? Debatable but if given the label, it would've followed her throughout her school career. What does that do to a child? Or an adult for that matter?
Diagnosing has it's benefits and can be very valid, don't get me wrong, I just think we tend to overdo it. Sometimes, don't we just need to take responsibility for our actions?
Those are my rambling thoughts at this late hour. Hopefully I made some sort of point. I tend to veer off in different directions as I write.
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