A new piece and why I'm proud of it

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1070952858_65179ab50b_o.jpgI published a story with the Atlantic yesterday about how under-diagnosed Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is while treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has really good results. Generally the thrust is that if therapy is such an effective treatment for overeating, why don't doctors prescribe therapy instead of diets?  

Anyway it was a big deal to me that that story came out because:

  • I've always wanted to write a piece in service of people with BED. I think there are a lot of people out there who may not realize therapy could help them with their eating issues, which is much preferable to years of beating themselves up over failed diets and plans.  

  • This is the first story I've done that took a lot of time to research--time that I wasn't guaranteed to get paid for. I first interviewed Dr. Julie Friedman a few years ago when I thought of a hook for the story. It took awhile for the pitch to come together along with a timely peg (I originally mentioned Joey Julius, a college football player who is in rehab for BED). I would probably give up except I kept noticing that the story that I wanted to write had not yet been published. So I'm proud of myself for not giving up even though it was a longer, slower process than I'm used to.  

  • The Atlantic is a goal publication of mine.  

  • I had a really quiet summer as did most people I know in the creative field. I hope this piece signals a more fruitful fall. I'd been thinking during that quiet time about what kind of writing I want to do in the future and I am glad this is a step in that direction.  

  • This doesn't really have anything to do with pride but the photo at the top of the story reminds me of a photo I took on a family vacation. That photo ended up being used on a cover of the  Journal of the American Dietetic Association, where I used to work. People really like pictures of dirty old food piled up!