Common Myths about Eating Disorders

This week is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (#NEDAwareness) and in honor of that, we wanted to highlight some common misconceptions, facts, and statistics about eating disorders. Despite their widespread prevalence, eating disorders are one of the most misunderstood mental illnesses. Over 30 million Americans will have an eating disorder in their lifetime.

This NEDAAwareness week, with the theme of Every Body Has a Seat at the Table, we want to emphasize that eating disorders can affect anyone, help spread awareness, and make resources more accessible to all. Here are some common myths about eating disorders and the facts:

 Myth 1: Only very thin people have an eating disorder.

While the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa does include significantly low body weight, many who struggle with bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and EDNOS (eating disorder not otherwise specified) are not underweight. In fact, 94% of those with an eating disorder are not underweight. This myth is incredibly harmful and can contribute to misdiagnoses from healthcare professionals who are not trained in or exposed to eating disorders. This can also lead individuals to believe they are not “sick enough” to be deserving of help or treatment.

 Myth 2: Eating disorders only affect women.

10 million men in the U.S. will suffer from an eating disorder in their lifetime. 25% of those who suffer from anorexia nervosa are male. Because of this myth, men are at a higher risk of dying from an eating disorder due to being diagnosed later, since many people assume men don’t have eating disorders. In addition, eating disorder behaviors such as binge eating, purging, laxative abuse, and fasting for weight loss are nearly equally as common in both males and females.

 Myth 3: Eating disorders are just about food.

In a study of women with eating disorders, 94% of the participants had a co-occurring mood disorder. Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses that require a combination of medical, psychiatric, therapeutic, and dietary intervention for full recovery. While it is true that eating disorders do generally involve obsession around calories, weight, and/or body size/shape, they also involve psychological and sociocultural components. Encouraging someone with an eating disorder to “just eat more” or “just eat less” or “eat this certain way” for recovery is harmful as it does not address the complexity of the illness.

 Myth 4: Eating disorders aren’t that serious.

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, with nearly 1 person dying every hour as a direct result of an eating disorder. Young people ages 15-24 with anorexia have a 10 times greater risk of dying than their peers. Up to 20% of those who die from anorexia die by suicide. In addition, eating disorders negatively affect nearly all of the major organ systems of the body, including the heart, gastrointestinal system, brain, bones, and endocrine system.

 Myth 5: You have to be underweight or “sick enough” to get treatment for an eating disorder.

You do not have to “look like” you have an eating disorder to be deserving of treatment. Individuals may not think they qualify for treatment because their lab tests came back normal, or they are not classified as underweight. Eating disorders are incredibly good at convincing the sufferer that their illness “isn’t that serious”. Even if you have never been formally diagnosed with an eating disorder, but you have a disordered relationship with food and your body, you are at risk. While there are specific criteria outlined in the DSM-5 for formally diagnosing eating disorders, if you struggle with disordered thoughts and behaviors towards food and your body, you are worthy and deserving of help.

Eating disorders are life-threatening mental illnesses that affect people of all genders, ages, socioeconomic statuses, ethnicities, shapes, and sizes. If you or someone you care about is struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating, please reach out for help. You can contact the National Eating Disorders Helpline here, or by calling (800) 931-2237. If you are based in California and are interested in working with us at SD Nutrition Group, contact us here.

 You are seen and you are worthy of a full recovery.

Sources

Gaudiani, J. L. (2019). Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders. New York: Taylor & Francis.

National Eating Disorders Association. (2018). Eating Disorders & Co-Occurring Conditions. Retrieved from National Eating Disorders Association: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-co-occurring-conditions-0

National Eating Disorders Association. (2018). Health Consequences. Retrieved from National Eating Disorders Association: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/health-consequences

National Eating Disorders Association. (2018). Statistics & Research on Eating Disorders. Retrieved from National Eating Disorders Association: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/statistics-research-eating-disorders

Spangers, B. (2019). Eating Disorder Statistics: Get the Facts Here. Retrieved from Center for Discovery: https://centerfordiscovery.com/blog/get-the-facts-eating-disorder-statistics/