National Eating Disorder Awareness Week dissolves misconceptions
Eating disorder one-liners are no joke.
Up to 24 million Americans suffer from anorexia, bulimia, binge eating or some other form of eating disorder, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD). A quarter of college-aged women report bingeing and purging as a weight-management technique, according to the ANAD.
Corrin Bond
Luckily, there’s a week to recognize and address these diseases with National Eating Disorder Awareness Week Feb. 22-28.
The goal of the week is to raise awareness of eating disorders and to encourage participation in prevention programs.
The theme of this year’s awareness week is “I Had No Idea” — a theme intent on breaking down the stigma surrounding mental illness and body image. The goal also aims to create an environment in which individuals with eating disorders feel comfortable seeking help while also prompting others to be cognizant of signs and symptoms that may be exhibited by loved ones and peers.
It wasn’t until the 1930’s when the medical community began to recognize anorexia and bulimia as psychological, as opposed to purely physical conditions.
Although public knowledge of eating disorders steadily increased over the past few decades, there are still a host of misconceptions surrounding the subject.
A thorough awareness and understanding of eating disorders is necessary to combat major misconceptions and encourage loved ones who may be suffering.
One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding eating disorders is the definition of the mental illness.
A friend does not have to be exceptionally thin to struggle with an eating disorder, and many fail to recognize eating disorder behavior within themselves and others.
There is a spectrum of severity when it comes to eating disorders, and both the type of disorder and behavioral patterns come in varying degrees.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders last year even included a greater degree of behaviors, such as binge eating, extreme diet or exercise and body dysmorphia.
Understanding the signs and symptoms of eating disorders is essential.
It’s not always possible to determine whether or not someone has an eating disorder by their appearance alone. Some types of eating disorders — such as bulimia or body dysmorphia — can be easily hidden for long periods of time.
An awareness of eating disorders and how common they are is a step towards dissolving the stigma surrounding the mental illness.
To be able to identify an eating disorder in one’s self as well as in peers is important considering the harmful health consequences. A greater understanding of this mental illness will also help communities engage in more eating disorder prevention programs — a critical first step to solving a problem that is perpetuated by society.
There is a prevalence of desensitization when it comes to eating disorders, especially in how they’re depicted within popular culture and society.
It’s not unusual to find jokes about body image and eating disorder characteristics inserted into movies and popular television shows, either.
Cavalier remarks about eating disorder behaviors are also common in every day conversation. It’s not rare to hear someone casually complain about wanting to purge or “never eat again” after a big meal.
Through understanding and prevention, it is possible to shift societal values and work toward establishing a society that disregards shallow appearances and focuses on the health of an individual.
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected]