Happy National Eating Disorder Awareness Week! 

In my first Blog Post I addressed the problem of eating disorders and the need to inform people on them because they are widely misperceived by those who don’t have detailed knowledge on the matter. In this post I will discuss common myths surrounding eating disorders and whether they are true or not. I will also provide sources and social media accounts for factual information on eating disorders.

Myths Debunked!

1. Eating disorders are a choice.

FALSE: People do not choose to have an eating disorder. In fact, eating disorders are a serious psychological disease. There are numerous causes for eating disorders including genetics, environmental and biological factors, as well as social factors. Eating disorders can also pair with other mental disorders like depression, OCD, or anxiety. 

2. Only women get eating disorders. 

FALSE: Eating disorders affect all varieties of people of all ethnicities, ages, genders, weights, and socioeconomic statuses. About 30% of people with an eating disorder are men; however, men are less likely to seek treatment or receive help from others for their disorder. 

3. You can tell if someone has an eating disorder by how they look. 

FALSE (sometimes): There are cases when eating disorders become apparent, as in the severe cases of anorexia nervosa. Bulimia, however, is the most common eating disorder and many people who suffer from this appear healthy although they have extreme damage to the inside of their bodies.

4. Eating disorders are a matter of vanity and are only a way to get attention. 

FALSE: Eating disorders are not a matter of vanity or appearance. Most people suffering from an eating disorder often hide their bodies under baggy clothes because of their constant insecurity. They often have a distorted image of their body and view themselves as overweight even if they’re actually very thin or even underweight. 

5. Eating is the only way to treat eating disorders.

FALSE (sometimes): Some patients can establish healthy eating habits in order to maintain a normal weight; however, it’s usually a matter of psychological training and therapy. It’s important for people with eating disorders to first strive to be properly nourished instead of being malnourished, then to work on the mental aspect of their disorders. 

6. Families and parents are the cause of most adolescent eating disorders.

FALSE (sometimes): Parents have historically been said to be the cause of many eating disorders. There are certain parenting styles that may lead to this, but there are a lot of other factors that could cause eating disorders as stated earlier. 

7. Eating disorders are caused by the media.

FALSE: It’s true that media can have a negative effect on body image and perception, but of the millions of people exposed to media every day, only a very small percentage of them develop eating disorders because of it. These people also may have a genetic predisposition to eating disorders, so we cannot say for sure that media is the cause of any eating disorder. 

8. Eating disorders are not treatable.

FALSE: There are treatment options for people at any age, gender, race, and socioeconomic status. Different types of treatment may work better for some than others, but there are many different choices. It’s important for people dealing with eating disorders to reach out to people they are close with or to a medical professional in order to find the best treatment plan for them. 

To Sum It Up

There are numerous myths surrounding eating disorders, and it’s important that we identify what’s true because eating disorders are a detrimental illness. Some sources can also be found in my second Blog Post where I discussed sources to trust vs. sources not to trust. My third Blog Post can also be used to find some of my accounts from my social media campaign for more tips and facts on eating disorders. There are also accounts on social media platforms like Twitter where people share their stories and give guidelines for how to get help for an eating disorder. For example @schnitt_talk and @espnW are great examples of resources on social media. 

My mission here at “Healthy Minds for Healthy Bodies” is to bring awareness to the extreme health issues caused by eating disorders and to debunk some myths and inaccurate information regarding these disorders. 

My first post highlighted important statistics regarding eating disorders and provided some useful resources for those who are interested in learning more or getting help. It’s important to note that eating disorders are not the product of poor decisions or weight loss plans; eating disorders are a mental illness that causes harm to the physical body. 

My second post focused on which sources to trust and which not to trust when looking for information on eating disorders. There are many great sources out there that give fascinating statistics about eating disorders and offer advice on how to receive treatment for these disorders. On the other hand, there are some resources that should not, by all means, be used as a source of information, like websites that provide diet plans that advertise anorexia as a way to lose weight.

Social Media  

Social media is a prominent forum that allows people to give and receive information easily. This is a great feature of the internet, and things like blogs and Facebook give people an opportunity to provide the public with knowledge on a topic that’s important to them; however, social media has its drawbacks. For example:

• There is a potential for exposing personal information to the public and, therefore, opening the door to being hacked.
• Make sure you aren’t exposing yourself to this when you click on links or chat with people in forums. 
• Be aware that what we put on social media leaves a long-lasting footprint.
• Make sure what you put on social media doesn’t provide inaccurate or personal information when you want to seek help or reach out to others online who may be struggling with an eating disorder as well.

Copyright

There are some sources that can’t be shared because of Copyright, but it’s important to gain insight from other’s work as long as we give credit to those people. I aim to use content that has already been published to highlight key details and distinguish good information from bad information without claiming this information as my own or gaining any profit.

Here are my own social media accounts used to spread awareness for my campaign.

My campaign Healthy Minds 4 Healthy Bodies can be found on Instagram at @hmf.hb

My campaign can also be found on Facebook at Healthy Minds for Healthy Bodies

My campaign can be found on Vimeo at Vimeo.com/mentalhealth

Remember, social media is a great outlet for reaching out to others or finding resources that are relatable to you, but just make sure to be smart about social media in order to avoid scams and exposing your personal information. 

In my previous post, I highlighted the importance of eating disorders and the harm caused by them. Many might understand the depth of these disorders as they’re caused by serious mental disturbances; however, eating disorders are still misunderstood and thought by some to be self-prescribed weight loss programs. In this blog post I will point out some resources used to clear up any questions regarding eating disorders and provide sources to help people receive treatment. I also want to identify some sources that are unreliable in that they support eating disorders as a way to lose weight and encourage people to develop these eating patterns.

Get Facts and Get Help 

1. Do Something is a great site for those looking to broaden their knowledge on eating disorders. Many people know the basics of eating disorders, but this source is useful for identifying statistics in order to acknowledge how prevalent and damaging these disorders really are. For example, I learned that eating disorders cause the most deaths of any mental illness which puts into perspective how detrimental this illness is. 
2. Walden Behavioral Care gives four detailed steps to help someone struggling with an eating disorder get started with recovery. The four steps in include:

• Reach out to someone you trust

• Seek a professional opinion

• Research treatment options

• Make a commitment

They also give sources within each step for further information, and there’s a chat section for people to directly reach out to the company. This source is important for those beginning to seek guidance for treatment of an eating disorder. 

3. Help Guide is an awesome resource that informs people on how to help others who have an eating disorder. They give some great background information on eating disorders, so the person can educate themselves before they reach out to someone with an eating disorder. I also really like the section provided on common myths about eating disorders. It’s important to look past the media and learn the facts on these mental illnesses. Lastly, it informs people on how to talk to someone you may be concerned about.  

Lose These Sources if you Want to Lose Weight

1. This website explains how being “thin” is a necessity during this time in order to be accepted, and developing anorexia is the best way to accomplish this. This theory is commonly known as “Pro Ana” and it has a large group of supporters who aim to keep their weight under their suggested BMI in order to gain features like thigh gaps, defined collar bones, and flat waists. This source also includes a list of suggested tips for achieving this “goal” including intermittent fasting, showing more skin, excessively working out, and purging. This is 100% inappropriate and should therefore not be advertised to women as a healthy way to feel attractive and lose weight. Eating disorders should not be promoted as diets when they are mental illnesses. 

2. Crazy Figures is another “Pro Ana” source that provides several diets that can be used to achieve extreme weight loss. Some of the diets include:

• “Skinny Bitch Diet” which cuts out all meat, dairy, sugar, and processed foods

• “Five Bites Diet” which includes 5 bites of porridge, 5 bites of a sandwich, and 5 bites of pasta in a day

• “Russian Gymnast Diet” which includes a glass of juice, a fruit salad, and an apple in a day

These ridiculous diets are not scientifically proven and they’re used to promote unhealthy eating habits. I also encountered many spelling and grammatical errors throughout the website, which adds to my case that it is a very unreliable source. 

3. Quora is a question and answer forum in which people can ask about almost anything they wish and get answers and insight from others who have an account. I came across an astonishing amount of questions regarding people trying to develop an eating disorder in order to lose weight quickly. Many people asked for advice on how to become anorexic, what the best “Pro Ana diets” are, and how to hide the signs of an eating disorder so people won’t notice. These disturbing forums push people further into the depths of mental illness instead of leading them toward help.

To Sum it Up

These websites provide a wide variety of resources available to people regarding eating disorders. Obviously, some of them are more useful than others, but it’s important to know of the informative sites and the sites providing misinformation so we can get the facts needed to get help people with eating disorders.