National Eating Disorders Awareness Week: Creating Access for All
National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is February 22nd - February 28th. This is a national event that is dedicated to raising awareness, educating the public, supporting individuals and their loved ones in need of access to life-saving care, and honoring the millions of people whose lives are affected by disordered eating.
All week long, Rock Recovery will be sharing articles, resources and inspiring stories of healing to help those who struggle find the support they need to overcome their battle with an eating disorder, because ALL people deserve access to affordable eating disorder treatment.
Our goal at Rock Recovery is to spread the message that true and LASTING FREEDOM from an eating disorder is possible!
Why Eating Disorders?
My own experience and recovery from an eating disorder in college led me into this field. I was pretty naive when it came to having any knowledge about eating disorders before I struggled with one, and it was through my recovery process that I grew extremely passionate about educating myself and others on eating disorders and disordered eating and the harm of the diet-saturated and thin-obsessed culture we live in. I wanted to be a part of other people’s healing journeys in such a way to help show them that true freedom is possible and it is so worth it.
Over the past six years, my understanding of eating disorders and mental health has greatly expanded as I have done my own research through reading and listening to educational podcasts and through what I have learned in my current graduate program. I could probably list a hundred ways my understanding has deepened, but for now I’ll share a few of the main ones.
The diet-saturated and thin-obsessed culture we live in is incredibly harmful and dangerous
Did you know that diets and the sociocultural idealization of thinness are two of the biggest risk factors for developing an eating disorder? (Stice & Van Ryzin, 2019) The messages we, especially as women, receive from society and the media are overwhelmingly clear - thinner is better. Thinner is more beautiful, more worthy and more desirable than any other body type. And therefore, we must eat a certain way to maintain this certain type of body. Diet culture teaches us that our bodies are bad, shameful and cannot be trusted. It leaves us feeling unsatisfied and often hateful towards our bodies.
I believe one of the most important ways we can increase access to care and ensure all people get treatment is first by being educated and informed about what eating disorders are and debunking the myths that exist about what eating disorders are not.
Diet culture also perpetuates weight stigma and fat-phobia. We live in a culture where fat equals bad. There are deeply entrenched systems in place that discriminate against and create stereotypes about people who live in larger bodies. They face consistent systemic oppression in all areas of society - through healthcare, employment, clothing sizes, and even seats on airplanes.
Eating disorders and disordered eating are incredibly complex and multi-faceted
As with most mental health struggles, there isn’t just “one thing” that causes eating disorders. We are complex human beings who are composed of numerous different facets. Every single one of us is the product of our childhood and upbringing, our biological and genetic makeup, our unique psychological makeup and personality, our social relationships and our spirituality.
There are so many reasons why a person may develop an eating disorder based on what we know from research. Based on what we know from research, some of the more common contributions to the onset of an eating disorder are:
A coping mechanism for emotional regulation (Ty & Francis, 2013)
Unresolved trauma (Tagay et al., 2014)
An insecure attachment style with a primary caregiver (Ty & Francis, 2013)
Many people who present with an eating disorder also often have other underlying mental health issues as well. Depression, anxiety, mood disorders, substance abuse, and OCD are some of the more common ones.
As you can see, eating disorders have no single cause and the majority of the time there are several overlapping factors at play.
One of the biggest lies about eating disorders and what keeps people from gaining access to help is the belief that they aren’t “sick enough.” You cannot judge if another person (or yourself) doesn’t fit the typical “look” for a certain type of eating disorder.
Eating disorders are not biased towards a certain body type or size, gender, race, age, disability or socioeconomic status.
Furthermore, just because a person may not fully meet the criteria in the DSM for a specific eating disorder, it does not mean their struggle is not real, not serious, or not worthy of getting help.
If you are struggling at all with disordered eating thoughts and/or behaviors, you are worthy of seeking help.
I believe one of the most important ways we can increase access to care for eating disorders and obtain treatment is to educate and inform ourselves and others about what eating disorders are and debunking the myths that exist about what eating disorders are not.
Learn more about you can find support in Rock's programs today. Click here to view our clinical programs or email us at freedom@rockrecoveryed.org.
Kayla Phillips was a clinical intern at Rock Recovery who is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Kayla is passionate about helping others find true freedom from eating disorders as she is fully recovered herself. She is also interested in trauma, the brain-body connection, and holistic treatment. Her training is informed by Intuitive Eating principles, Health at Every Size, and the Polyvagal theory.