my story
By Katie Kovacs
Editor’s Note: “My Story” is a first-person column about health issues that touch New Albany community members. Have a story to share? Email adeperro@cityscenemediagroup.com. Submissions should be no more than 500 words.
Restoring Order Katie Kovacs now helps treat the eating disorder with which she once struggled
Photo courtesy of Katie Kovacs
H
ow does an eating disorder develop? It’s a question I’m asked frequently. The answer is best explained with the analogy of a handgun. Genetics create the gun itself, which is comprised of a highly sensitive temperament and a biological tendency to deal with anxiety through eating. Environmental attitudes and values from the family, community, or extracurricular activities are the ammunition that loads the gun. Emotional distress – caused by life change, abuse or trauma – is what pulls the trigger. For me, it was the transition from high school to college that fired the loaded gun, inviting “Ed” into my life. I battled anorexia nervosa for almost the entirety of my undergraduate experience. Study sessions, Greek life formals and late nights out were replaced by individual and group therapy sessions, nutrition groups and structured eating regimens. Professional help – in combination with the support of my parents, my thenboyfriend (now husband), my friends and my faith – is what enabled me to reach recovery. The process was far from easy. As always, “Ed” was relentless in his demands of me, insisting that I eat only safe foods, restrict calories and exercise in extremes. Choosing recovery meant disobeying the voice in my head, acting opposite of its unattainable requirements – even when it caused increased anxiety – and trusting my treatment team. I found that reading books about eating disorders was helpful; hearing from others who had walked where I was walking gave me clarity and strength. I also found solace in journaling and crafting. Almost two decades later, driven by the desire to do for others what my others did for me, I am now a psychothera-
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pist and the owner of Kovacs Counseling, a private practice that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders and related issues. I work with children, adolescents and adults who are dealing with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). I employ mostly cognitive
behavioral therapy (CBT) in the course of treatment, working with collaborating professionals, including dieticians, physicians and psychiatrists to provide a holistic and multidisciplinary approach. I am also trained in family-based therapy (FBT), in which the parents are a part of the treatment team and the home becomes the treatment environment. www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com