This post was written by Laura Oyer, PhD, HSPP, psychologist, Parkview Behavioral Health Institute Eating Disorder Program.
Eating Disorders Awareness Week falls at the end of February, and this year’s theme is “It’s Time for Change.” The observance is an important opportunity to address the many stereotypes, misconceptions and myths around eating disorders. These misconceptions are harmful, because they lead to overlooking those who are struggling and delay life-saving treatment.
To help me write this blog and challenge these stereotypes, I asked individuals and their loved ones on the healing journey to finish this sentence, “Something I want my community to know about eating disorders is...” Below are their quotes, categorized into themes. I want to thank these amazing, brave individuals for sharing their wisdom with us.
Theme No. 1 – Individuals with eating disorders are highly ambivalent and many believe they aren’t sick enough.
Many people with eating disorders are often hesitant to acknowledge that their eating behaviors are a problem. When I talk with clients, there is usually a part of them that recognizes that their eating, movement, and/or thoughts about food, body, and weight are impacting their mental health, but there is usually another part that thinks it’s not that bad. They often point to their body size or medical stability to prove they are okay; however, many struggle in various areas of life, obsessing about food, their body or weight, and don’t realize how detrimental this is to their physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual health.
One individual on the recovery journey shared, “It takes an unprecedented level of self-trust to really throw oneself into recovery.” This is so true; many individuals have to take a huge leap of faith and trust their family, friends and treatment team to start doing the scary and hard work to begin the recovery journey.
Theme No. 2 – It’s not just about food.
Many people believe eating disorders are just about food and either a vanity, control or willpower problem. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. I often tell loved ones that eating disorders are like an iceberg. There’s what you see above the water, like eating problems, maybe feeling out of control and over-eating/binge eating, trying to get rid of the food eaten by over exercising, vomiting or other ways, or restricting the type or amount of food. But under the surface is so much more. Things like anxiety, depression, trauma, major life changes, relationship conflict, trouble managing intense emotions, loss and grief, spiritual wounds, sensory problems, and so on.
One person on the healing journey shared, “Eating disorders are multi-faceted and difficult to understand until you start peeling back the layers and get to the core of your being.” Eating disorder treatment focuses on both the behaviors with food and the things under the surface that are causing and fueling the behaviors.
Another individual on the healing journey shared, “This is not something that is chosen. Eating disorders have a major genetic component.” This is also really important to note. These are bio-psycho-social-metabo disorders that have genetic and biological components and often run in families. This genetic vulnerability combined with environmental factors contribute to the development of this illness.
Theme No. 3 – People can have an eating disorder and be very sick regardless of body size. It’s a deadly disorder.
It was very clear how much individuals on the healing journey wanted the community to know this based on the many quotes around this theme. One individual shared, “People in larger bodies can be just as sick as someone in a smaller body.” They went on to say, “Just because someone looks fine doesn’t always mean they are.” This is one of the reasons eating disorders often go undetected for a long time, because many people think eating disorders are only present in certain body sizes, races and genders, often assuming it’s a thin, young, white woman problem. But this is not the case at all. They impact all ages, races, body types and genders.
Another individual shared, “They are the second deadliest mental illness,” second to opioid abuse. It’s important that if you suspect a loved one might struggle with disordered eating, to ask in a compassionate, non-blaming way and not assume because they look fine, they are.
Theme No. 4 – Eating Disorders specialists are important in healing.
Unfortunately, many well-meaning professionals can cause a lot of harm to this population when they are not trained in eating disorders. I hear many stories from clients about previous providers either ignoring these problems altogether and never assessing or addressing the eating behaviors, or suggesting diets or weight loss strategies that perpetuate disordered eating behaviors. One person on the healing journey shared, “If a doctor is not trained to work with eating disorders, it can cause more harm than good.”
Theme No. 5 – Treatment takes time and often requires a full team of providers.
This was another theme that was highlighted by several on the recovery journey. One individual shared, “It is a constant battle. We can’t avoid food like we could with other substances. It [food] is needed every day, multiple times per day. Eating disorder recovery is not going sober from food.” Recovery can be challenging, as individuals have to face their fears multiple times a day and continue to try, despite many opportunities each day to ‘mess up.’ For individuals who are often highly perfectionistic, either having to do it perfectly or not try at all because they can’t be perfect, it’s a long, hard battle day after day.
Another individual shared, “Medications can’t fix the problem.” Although medications can be very helpful to manage anxiety, depression and/or obsessive thoughts, the individual still has to learn to heal their relationship to food, their body and movement in this process.
Another person shared, “Sometimes it takes multiple times to try and recover and that’s okay.” This is really important to note. The average length of recovery for an eating disorder is between 4 to 7 years, so normalizing lapses and relapses and seeing them as opportunities to learn is important. For best outcomes, it’s recommended that individuals work with eating disorder specialists, often an individual therapist, dietitian and primary care physician who have specialized training and knowledge in eating disorders. Additional treatment team members may also include a family therapist, group therapist and/or psychiatrist.
Theme No. 6 – Recovery is possible!
The last quote was shared by a loved one of an individual currently in the process of recovery. This person shared, “[It] is a journey and recovery is possible.” I love this reminder because many individuals, friends and family on this journey can lose hope and believe that things will never get better. I have walked alongside many individuals and their loved ones who have worked hard to find themselves in recovery; a place where they feel freedom with food, being able to trust and listen to their body when it’s hungry and when it’s full, treating their body with kindness, moving and resting as their body needs, and learning to manage intense feelings in healthy ways. Although it’s a hard journey, full recovery is possible!
If you or someone you know is struggling with eating concerns or obsessive thoughts about food, body or weight, learn more about the Parkview Behavioral Health Institute Eating Disorder Program online or reach out at 260-481-2700. We can sit down with you or your loved one and develop a specialized treatment plan to support lasting recovery. It’s time for change!
