April 20, 20073:31 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

The pressure to be thin

“There were bags of vomit everywhere” - Joni Harbeck, Model

As a woman, the pressure to be thin is intense; as a model, the pressure is overwhelming. The fact of the matter is that in the modeling world “thin is in.” Designers do not make clothes to fit the model; models are forced to fit the designer. What exactly does the perfect model look like? According to most modeling agencies, she has no larger than a 34-inch hip and is 5-foot- 10 or 5-foot- 11. According to Jennifer Mangan, president of Exposure modeling agency, girls that fit these measurements may have a “skeletal” build. However, “skeletal” does not do justice to the condition some of these girls are in. After two South African models recently died of complications related to anorexia, the consequences of being too thin are being realized by the international modeling community. The fact is that eating disorders can be fatal, if nothing else, “extremely harmful” with “long-term effects.” If you or someone that you know is suffering from an eating disorder seek professional help before it is too late. The following is an excerpt of an article that outlines the current dilemma of eating disorders in the world of modeling:

When Joni Harbeck left Kansas to pursue a modeling career in New York she was 18 years old, 5-foot-11 tall and weighed 145 pounds.

She quickly got a strong message: Lose weight.

Once she was down 20 pounds, she was mainstreamed into the usual budding model routine. She was sent to Milan to build up her photo book before returning to New York and living in an East Village apartment with other models.

There she saw signs of a disturbing reality of the modeling industry. She found evidence that two models suffered bulimia, an eating disorder in which people binge on food and purge.

“There were bags of vomit everywhere,” says Harbeck, who now does New York fashion runway and photography work.

Harbeck’s experience points to a tragic side of a glamorous profession. Catwalk models are thin. Some, of course, are naturally small because they are young, 15 or 16 years old, and not yet developed.

Click here to read the entire article

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3:26 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

Celebrate Recovery equips churches internationally

Churches throughout the world are realizing that real people with real problems are coming to them to find the help that they need. Drugs, alcohol, depression, and sexual addictions are all issues that hurting people are seeking out biblically based help for. In some instances, church leaders do not feel equipped to deal with these types of issues; that is where organizations like Celebrate Recovery come in. Intended only as a support and not as treatment for chemical and behavior issues, Celebrate Recovery is partnering with churches throughout the entire world to equip Pastors and lay leaders with the tools they need to offer support. In addition to their website, Celebrate Recovery hosts an international blog for Pastor’s hosting or interested in hosting recovery groups at their church.

Click here to visit Celebrate Recovery’s International Blog

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April 6, 20073:37 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

The church’s changing view of mental illness

The realities of mental illness have been largely overlooked historically by churches in America. Even in recent times, mental illness is occasionally associated with a lack of faith or sin among communities of faith. One psychiatrist recalled a woman, who was managing well with the help of medication, that ceased to take her medication at the advise of her Pastor. The Pastor told her that she was cursed because of her sin and this was why she was suffering from depression. As a result, the woman stopped taking her medication and threw herself down a flight of stairs. Another woman, after recalling her mother’s challenges with mental illness, felt isolated from her church stating, “I had a deep prayer life but could not talk to anyone at church about my mothers problems… I wondered if God had forgotten about us.”

The good news is that things are changing. Churches across the nation are beginning to see faith as an instrument for recovery for those suffering from mental illness. The following is an excerpt of an article from the Chicago Tribune that discusses the changes that have and are occurring in the church’s position on mental illness:

The National Council of Churches USA has produced a documentary called “Shadow Voices: Finding Hope in Mental Illness,” which has aired on ABC-TV stations nationwide. The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism spoke out against insurance discrimination during the High Holidays, and Pope Benedict XVI used World Day of the Sick to focus on the disease.

That message “was the catalyst for renewed Catholic outreach,” said Connie Rakitan, chair of the Chicago Archdiocesan Commission on Mental Illness.

Pathways to Promise, a national interfaith organization that promotes understanding for the mentally ill, is using a $90,000 grant from the American Psychiatric Foundation to launch an anti-stigma campaign aimed at some 26,000 U.S. churches and synagogues. The goal of the new campaign is to chip away at misperceptions by providing support and resources.

“We’re just emerging from a time when people feared this disease because they didn’t understand it,” said Rev. Bob Dell of Sandwich in DeKalb County. Dell, who has a 49-year-old son with schizoaffective disorder, has channeled his energy into Pathways to Promise after retiring from parish ministry with United Church of Christ.

Click here to read the entire Chicago Tribune article

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