At this juncture in our culture, most of us know the general concept of gaslighting. For those of you that are doubting your recollection, allow me to jog your memory. Gaslighting is phenomenon where one particular party (i.e., the gaslighter) mischievously attempts to cause another party (i.e., the discerning party), usually someone with whom they are intimately connected to some degree, to question or doubt their own sanity or perceptions of reality.

It’s that time of year again – the intense time after spring break and just before summer, where school testing is in full swing, meanwhile students and teachers are eagerly counting down the days until summer break. I’m hearing all about it from teachers, parents, and students, all of whom are reporting that this time of year is stressful and exhausting no matter your role.

Eating disorders have the second highest mortality rate of all mental health disorders, only surpassed by opioid addiction (1). Over 10,000 deaths each year are the direct result of eating disorders, that is one eating disorder death every 52 minutes (2). 81% of 10-year-old children are afraid of being fat, with 1 in 4 having attempted to lose weight (3). These alarming statistics are only just a few picked out to highlight the eating disorder epidemic.

My first response in learning that Merriam-Webster chose this word as their 2022 Word of the Year was “less than surprised.” I thought, “Hmmm. I can see that.” After all, it was constantly being used in media coverage of politics, but it has also been a phenomenon that many mental health professionals have focused on in their writings and media posts.

Therapy can seem uncomfortable; You have a total stranger asking questions about your personal life and encouraging you to share information that you would rather keep private. What could be uncomfortable than therapy with one stranger? Some might say therapy with multiple strangers- aka group therapy. So why does group therapy exist?