World Eating Disorders Day Reminds Us Patients Need Greater Support

Eating disorders are quite probably among the most misunderstood mental and physical health conditions, yet they are among the most serious conditions out there. On World Eating Disorders Day, celebrities and civilians alike are working to promote awareness of eating disorders for both families with eating disorders in their homes or simply for those who know of someone with an eating disorder.

Its #WorldEatingDisordersDay!! Have you shared the Nine Truths About Eating Disorders yet? https://t.co/vBSTdjTvaT pic.twitter.com/TLB1DT75Mg

— NEDA (@NEDAstaff) June 2, 2016

Eating disorders can take advantage of virtually anyone at any age. According to Huffington Post, eating disorders also don’t discriminate with their demographic.

“There is a tendency to see them as only affecting white teenage girls, when actually eating disorders are prevalent across all cultures and there is currently a grave concern regarding eating disorder treatment in Japan,” writer Rachel Egan writes. “Similarly, at least one in 10 sufferers are male; although this figure could in fact be a lot higher as men are less likely to come forward for help.”

To raise awareness of World Eating Disorders Day, a host of celebrities assembled to create a PSA about the “Nine Truths About Eating Disorders.” According to People, Dr. Lauren Muhlheim, PsyD, CEDS, said she was impressed that celebrities came on board to help promote the conversation about eating disorders.

“Adding celebrity voices to the ‘Nine Truths About Eating Disorders’ will broaden the audience for this important information,” she said.

The “Nine Truths About Eating Disorders” PSA is adapted from Dr. Cynthia Bulik’s 2014 speech about “9 Eating Disorders Myths Busted” at the National Institute of Mental Health in 2014. It seems only appropriate that the cast of To the Bone be the celebrities featured in the PSA; the story is about writer-director Marti Noxon’s own struggles with eating disorders.

The health communities from over 40 different countries are participating in World Eating Disorders Day, and it was created by 200 action groups to raise awareness about the seriousness of eating disorders as a whole.

Newswire reports that the WaterStone Foundation has awarded $170,000 to four different Ontario, Canada, facilities for their efforts in trying to improve understanding and treatment of eating disorders. The funds will be used for the first integrative intensive treatment center for individuals with concurrent eating disorders and substance use issues; filling a gap in services across Ontario by providing transitioning supportive housing for individuals trying to reintegrate into the community after eating disorders treatment; doubling the existing multi-family group therapy program for a one-year cycle; and providing support to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, to help teens with eating disorders as well as their families as they transition to adult eating disorder services.

Deborah Berlin-Romalis joins us to raise awareness on eating disorders. READ MORE: https://t.co/WMmN8LMQKr pic.twitter.com/nQxaZqDbSy

— Breakfast Television (@BTtoronto) June 2, 2016

Eating disorders are among some of the most deadly conditions with which those afflicted can cope, and they often can see multiple body systems affected by whatever eating disorder they might be coping with. The problem with eating disorders tends to be they are not as obvious as some might expect, at least not at first. The media has perpetuated an image of someone coping with an eating disorder looking emaciated and fatigued, when, in reality, they may seem fully functional members of society well before hospitalization might be required.

In addition, there is surprisingly little known about eating disorders. While the search continues for a gene which might be tied to a person’s risk for having an eating disorder, treatment for one individual might work very well while treatment for others may not work at all and management of the condition might actually be the better option. Perhaps two of the most tragic things about eating disorders is that waiting lists for treatment continue to get longer and that eating disorders continue to be very misunderstood. It is not a matter of just sitting down and eating again — it is a matter of a multi-pronged approach for all those involved in the treatment.

[Image via Photographee.eu/Shutterstock]