Misconceptions About Eating Disorders: Part Two

by Fiona Stockard | May 28, 2014 | Addiction Articles, Body Image / Eating Disorders

Written By: Katie Schipper

Eating Disorders are incredibly dangerous and deeply misunderstood diseases. They claim the lives of every gender, religion, social class, age group, culture, and race. There’s no one who’s immune to an eating disorder, just like there’s no one who’s immune to addiction. The idea that eating disorders are a choice was discussed in Part I. In Part II, we’ll talk about the common misconception that eating disorders are reserved for white, privileged women.

Misconception: Eating Disorders Only Affect White Adolescent Girls from Wealthy Families

The idea that someone chooses to have an eating disorder and therefore, should easily be able to stop, is pretty dangerous. Equally as dangerous is the idea that only rich, white girls suffer from eating disorders. The danger, of course, lies in the fact that this leaves out thousands and thousands of men and women who suffer from eating disorders. This is like assuming a crack addict must be a black man from the inner city. These types of myths help perpetuate deadly misinformation.

First things first, there are reasons this misconception has gained so much momentum. Like most lies, it started out with a kernel of truth. Eating disorders usually (usually, not always) develop in the early teens. Based on current research, women tend to be at a higher risk for developing eating disorders. That’s pretty much it for the true part. The reality, as always, is much more complicated and covers much more ground.

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Many More Are At Risk

Women aren’t the only group at a higher risk for developing an eating disorder. Other groups include: people who engage in certain sports, those who experience acute stress, those who experience intense stress, and those with other mental or physical illnesses (including addiction). Even these groupings shouldn’t overshadow the much more vital truth – anyone is at risk. Eating disorders can occur at any age, in any income family, to any gender identity, to any race…the list goes on and on.

Do you know the warning signs of Anorexia?

Taking It Too Far

Another trait shared between eating disorders and addiction is the idea that individuals have an imaginary “line” they cross. This means that what may start as just a diet, or an attempt to lose a little weight, can develop into an eating disorder. The same can be said of what initially may be just comfort food or the occasional overindulgence. What might start as small changes in behaviors and habits can easily (and quickly) develop into something very dangerous. Unfortunately, as is true with addiction, by the time someone notices these changes, the line has often already been crossed.

Dispelling lies and misinformation is essential for eating disorder treatment and recovery. The more accurate information that’s spread, the more likely under-representing groups will be to seek and receive help. To believe that any group is exempt from developing an eating disorder is to deny them the chance to recover.

Eating Disorders Facts and Statistics: Part One

by Fiona Stockard | May 19, 2014 | Addiction Articles, Body Image / Eating Disorders

Written By: Katie Schipper

Misconceptions About Eating Disorders

Like addiction and alcoholism, eating disorders are a vastly misunderstood disease. The mental, emotional, spiritual and physical anguish that accompany an active eating disorder is immense. Also like alcoholism, the obsessive thinking and pathological devotion to protecting the disease are such that outsiders often resort to blaming the individual – this makes it easier for loved ones to swallow. Over a series of articles, we’ll look at common misconceptions about eating disorders. Dismantling myths is a vital step towards the future of eating disorder treatment.

Misconception: Eating Disorders Are a Choice

Perhaps the most dangerous of myth about eating disorders is that the suffering individual choses their condition. While initially there may be behaviors that were chosen, there comes a point where the person’s power of choice vanishes. Dieting and exercise are no longer about losing weight. They’ve become a compulsion and addiction. They lead to still more dangerous habits, including: laxative abuse, purging, and abusing diet pills of all shapes and forms.

The same can be said for those who suffer from binge eating and compulsive over eating. What initially begins as comfort, soon takes on a dangerous life of its own. Consumption is no longer a choice.

The parallels to addiction are impossible to ignore. Like an alcoholic with a bottle of booze, or an addict with a pipe, all choice is lost. All control vanishes from the individual suffering from an eating disorder.

How can I recover from eating disorders?

Eating Disorders Can Be Deadly

If untreated, eating disorders are fatal. They carry a higher mortality rate than addiction and alcoholism. In fact, eating disorders are the deadliest mental illness.

Again, like addiction, the paths that lead to eating disorders are varied. They usually involve a combination of both genetics (nature) and the environment someone was raised in (nurture). There’s rarely a single cause.

For many young women, the first noticeable sign of an eating disorder is poor body image. The insistence that what they look like is the end all and be all feeds into the misconception that eating disorders are voluntary. Eating disorders are not about vanity. Sure, that can be the first step, the first warning sign and trigger. In the end, eating disorders have very little to do with how one looks.

How many people a year do eating disorders kill?

Eating Disorders Aren’t a Choice

While they aren’t a choice, and shouldn’t be viewed as such, recovery from eating disorders is a choice available to ALL suffering individuals. Eating disorder treatment, paired with aftercare and twelve-step involvement, is often successful.

However, long-term recovery isn’t possible by merely treating symptoms of the disease. Symptoms include those things that look like causes, i.e. the desire to be thin, or dissatisfaction with one’s body. For any hope of recovery, each case has to be faced honestly.

As with recovery from alcoholism and addiction, recovery must be an ongoing, lifelong process. It can’t be done alone. The first step in eating disorder recovery is becoming clear about the true nature of the disease – it isn’t a choice.

Where can I find eating disorder treatment?