Dr. Drew praises daughter's courage after eating disorder revelation

NEW YORK, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- Paulina Pinksy, whose father happens to be one of television's most recognizable mental-health experts, talked about her own personal demons in a recently resurfaced essay for the Columbia Daily Spectator.

Pinksy, a 21-year-old Barnard student, wrote last fall that she developed an eating disorder in the seventh grade, but "hit rock bottom" after the "emotional stress of being home" with her mother prompted her to "purge eight times in one day."

Pinksy said her mother "needed me to be perfect . . . I was the pretty blond girl who was a cheerleader and an ice skater. I got good grades, had a boyfriend, and was thin . . . But I was suffering under the weight of ‘perfection’ in a way that even I didn’t completely understand."

Pinksy's father, addiction specialist and television personality Dr. Drew, said in a statement:

"We are so proud of Paulina and her outreach to help others and particularly empower women. When she recognized she needed help she sought treatment and actively engaged in the process. And now she is using her insights to help others."

"Obviously, my father works in mental health," Paulina told CNN's Kate Bolduan. "So I knew what I needed to do to take care of myself."

"Talking about it has been really helpful," she added.

Paulina said she has grown closer to her mom since entering therapy and has co-organized Columbia University's Body Positivity Week.

[New York Post, ET Online]