Know eating disorder myths and facts.
Corrine is sure what she’s doing wouldn't be considered a real problem. She’s smart. She’s heard the public service announcements. She’s pretty certain she knows her eating disorder facts. Purging? No way. Scarfing a million calories? Never. Starving herself? Yeah right.
So why is she hiding the fact that she feels increasingly out of control every time she takes a bite? And why does she worry that people will find out how many hours she spends on the treadmill trying to smooth her stubborn belly bulge?
Eating disorders don’t always look the way we imagine. Are you misinformed? Do you believe you can tell who suffers by the way they look, where they live, or how they were raised? Do you wonder how the way a person manages food could be such a big deal?
Get the eating disorder facts here
Myth #1: Eating disorders are the result of bad parenting.
Fact #1: Too often TV movies and teen oriented dramas give the impression that pushy or inattentive parents are to blame for their child’s detour into disordered eating.
This idea is misleading and overly simplistic. It does not address risk factors that are often a result of predispositions or seemingly ineffective means of coping with difficult situations. To lay eating disorders solely at the feet of parents can do unnecessary damage to relationships that are a huge advantage in terms of support and recovery.
Myth #2: It’s all about the food.
Fact #2: It’s true that to recover, healthy eating habits and weight are a necessary focus. However, eating disorders are about so much more than the amount of food you eat or don’t eat. Something deeper is going on. For some, abuse or trauma may be buried in the body’s responses to food. For others the power that comes with controlling weight or food intake alleviates the sense of powerlessness they are trying to manage.
The body and mind are connected, intertwined. Both are malnourished, both require treatment to recover.
Myth #3: Eating disorders are a lifestyle choice.
Fact #3: Vanity. Weight management. Self-absorption. Sufferers of eating disorders suffer a lot of judgment from people who believe the behavior is a matter of choice. Statements like, “just eat” are particularly hurtful, uninformed, and miss the deeper issues that drive disordered eating or obsessive exercise.
Myth #4: Young well-to-do white girls and gay guys get eating disorders.
Fact #4: Anyone of any socioeconomic status, race, age, sexual orientation, or gender can fall prey to eating disorders. Eating disorders know no cultural boundary and refuses stereotype. Unfortunately, this is not the case regarding perception. The general population and health practitioners alike often overlook men, older adults, and certain minority groups when diagnosing the problem.
Myth #5: Eating disorders are a passing phase.
Fact #5: Early in 2014, Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina, rightly noted that, “Eating disorders are serious biologically-influenced mental illnesses, not passing fads.” while delivering a message regarding eating disorder facts at the NIMH Alliance for Research Progress.
She makes an important point, considering the fact that people sometimes dismiss eating disorders, believing that teen girls just go through a “bulimic phase” or “try anorexia” as a sort of adolescent rite of passage or attempt to fit in. To a sufferer of any age, family members may seem to be endorsing the behavior by their reluctance to address it.
People with eating disorders require treatment and supporters who know the truth.Take the time to get beyond the myths and understand the eating disorder facts in order to be the compassionate ally they need.If you would like some extra support and are looking for a psychotherapist, please contact us for a free consultation to learn about how I can be of service.
To find out more about my services click here: Eating Disorder Treatment. Serving Boulder, Longmont, Denver..
