Trigger warning: this article discusses eating disorders.
Eating disorders are hard to identify within society, and the appearance of a person can be deceiving, hence this can be seen as unfair. They are a confusing set of illnesses. The best way in which a loved one can help is by educating themselves about it to provide the best help.
“Eating disorders are a choice”
It is vital to understand that eating disorders are not a choice, just like one does not choose to have asthma or cancer.They are mental disorders that are a result of a chemical imbalance, hence your loved one has no control over it. Eating disorders, like any mental health issue, are a result of various factors which include genetic, environmental, and social factors. Through understanding this, you will truly be able to comprehend the severity of the matter and the need for help.
“Eating disorders are not a big deal”
Eating disorders, in fact, have the highest cause of death in comparison to other psychiatric illnesses, where up to 20% of people diagnosed with anorexia nervosa will die as a result of their illness. Suicide is common among individuals with eating disorders. When a person suffers from an eating disorder, it consumes their life, and they are no longer able to continue living in a normal manner. Eating disorders are not just a “phase” they can get over.
“Anorexia is the only eating disorder”
Eating disorders simply do not consist of people starving themselves. They are more complex, and they vary. Eating disorders include purging, binge eating, the use of laxatives, and excessive exercising. What must be known is that there is more than one type of eating disorder. Furthermore, people with anorexia do eat but just in extremely restricted amounts such that it becomes unhealthy.
“People with eating disorders should just eat”
In terms of people with anorexia, when presented with food, their brain perceives it in a completely different manner than that of someone who is not suffering with anorexia. Food is often feared.
“Eating disorders can be spotted simply by appearance”
Individuals with eating disorders are not a reflection of their weight, as they can vary in size. The wrongful portrayal of eating disorders in the media, in which they are portrayed to represent young underweight females, has molded our mistaken mindset. Approximately 65% of people with bulimia have normal body weight.
“Purging is only vomiting”
Purging can be any form of attempting to remove food from the body before digestion can occur. Even though making oneself throw up is the most common form, people with eating disorders may use laxatives and enemas. Non-purging methods include fasting, excessive exercise, and supplements. Purging involves life-threatening electrolyte imbalance.