eating disorders aware week 2016
when most people think of someone with an eating disorder they think of a deathly thin young woman barely letting a few morsels pass their lips.
but eating disorders do not discriminate. they effect people of all backgrounds, religions, genders, races, shapes, sizes and ages…and you don’t beed to be thin for your eating disorder to be deathly.
eating disorders are mental illness with physical complications. someone with an eating disorder may look “normal” or even overweight. this does not take away from the mental torment they face or the physical risks their body is facing.
just because someone is eating or appears to be healthy, does not mean they are okay.
for example, at a healthy weight, i outwardly appeared ok. in reality i was still very much in the clutches of anorexia, but because i was eating and a healthy weight my struggles were dismissed. now, even though i am not a healthy weight, my eating disorder is not prevalent. i feel better than i ever have in all these years of recovery. weight gain is important but it is a small part of eating disorder recovery.
people with eating disorders will often have body dysmorphia, low self esteem, anxiety, depression and other co-morbid mental health conditions. living with an ED can lead people to isolate themselves, stop doing things they enjoy, have to leave work/school.
physical complications include hair loss, muscle wastage, organ failure, heart problems, constipation, postural hypertension, osteoporosis, anaemia, lowered immune system and even heart attack.
EDs have a lower survival rate than cancer. something needs to change. people are being turned away from treatment because they are not “ill enough”. this needs to stop.
eating disorders are not something you can see. it is a very secretive illness.
in my opinion, EDs mask a deep rooted issue. they are not in fact about weight and eating. sometimes it is easier for the disorder to be the problem instead of the real issues buried deep down inside. once these are tackled, i believe that is when true recovery starts.
with treatment, support and early intervention, THINGS CAN GET BETTER. and they will.
