Eating disorders affect 9% of the population worldwide, and the average person has some previous knowledge of what eating disorders are. However, there are still several stigmas, and misconceptions surrounding this topic that should be addressed.
To address these concerns, every third week of February is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. This year the event has already taken off on Monday February 22 and will extend through February 28.
National Eating Disorders Awareness Week comes with the purpose of educating, understanding and helping those who might be going through an eating disorder and as well those around them.
Dr. Loree Schrager is a Psychologist at the Miami Counseling and Resource Center. She graduated from Nova Southeastern University with a PhD in clinical psychology.
“Eating disorders are a range of conditions that cause unhealthy eating habits; usually a lot of thinking about food or obsession for body weight or shape and the way you look from the outside that cause all sorts of unhealthy behaviors that are quite harmful,” states Dr Schrager.
Dr. Schrager has treated several patients affected by eating disorders, and she is a specialist on mindfulness based eating, which can be used to help patients with eating disorders through the use of meditation.
“It’s a way of thinking about food and eating that is sort of the opposite of a diet, instead of looking for external cues… you learn to listen more internally,” Schrager adds. “So it’s not the kind of thing you undertake to gain weight or lose weight, it’s to help you find your set point. Sort of where you’re naturally supposed to be at, what feels good and healthiest for you.”
When it comes to teenagers, 2.7% of people who are ages 13-18 have an eating disorder. However, 50% of females and 30% of male teenagers use unhealthy eating habits to control their weight.
Melanie Fernandez is a sophomore in the Cambridge academy, Engineering strand at MLEC. Fernandez had an eating disorder once, and after she recovered and helped others recover she decided to use her knowledge and resources to help spread awareness and bring help to people facing eating disorders.
Fernnandez then partnered with Kayla Cheung, another sophomore at MLEC to create a non-profit organization called The Reclaim Movement.
“So [The Reclaim Movement] originally started in mid november and it was something I had been working on for a couple of months. I just created it to spread awareness about eating disorders, inform my community and kinda move forwards towards this idea that eating disorders can affect anyone,” said Fernandez.
The Reclaim Movement provides and links different types of free or low-cost resources. Among other things, they provide a mentorship program where they pair people who have recovered from eating disorders with those struggling to create a friendship and a bond to help those in need.
This non-profit organization works to also bring awareness and to dismantle myths and stigmas surrounding eating disorders.
“It’s typically associated that only thin white women struggle with eating disorders and you have to be extremely thin to have an eating disorders when, in reality, there’s eight different types of eating disorders that can affect everyone: males, females, non-binary individuals. So we work to overcome those stigmas… by taking a different approach to common misconception,” expresses Fernandez
As Fernandez stated, anyone can experience an eating disorder. Although in lower numbers, men also fall victims of eating disorders; yet, they are far less likely to reach out for help due to the sexist views instilled in the community.
“Men, maybe, are less susceptible — but definitely it isn’t just women; and also classes, race, religion, even attractiveness, intelligence, have nothing to do with it,” explains Dr. Schrager.
“Although there is a real cultural difference. I have a good friend who is a specialist in eating disorders, and she travels sometimes to Africa on missions and she tells them that she’s a specialist on eating disorders. They just can’t understand what an eating disorder is, it just ‘doesn’t exist’ over there.”
Stereotypes surrounding eating disorders can stop people affected by them from reaching out for help, leading to the worsening of the symptoms. These same ideals can lead to the eating disorder in the first place too.
“There’s the idea that thinness, being thin or skinny equates to health or being your happiest self. That all your problems will go away when you’re skinny. I mean you’ve seen this through commercials, fat diets, all of that to approach this ideal state standard of health when really it costs a lot of people their mental health and their physical health,” says Fernandez
Overall the most important is to reach out, and to support each other. And for those fighting an eating disorder during these harsh times:
“Remember that things are always in flux and always changing, that there’s always hope and to remember that sometimes when you’re in a position like the pandemic it feels like we’re gonna be here forever — we’re not. And, to reach out, support is so important. To reach out to your friends, reach out to family, reach out to people you trust that often, you’ll be surprised that other people are going through the same thing,” said Dr. Loree Scrhager.
“You can think about everything that an eating disorder takes away from you and that’s really you have so much to gain through recovery and getting better and changing your mindset around things it can be so freeing. That opportunity is there, and it’s possible for you and it’s possible for anyone who is struggling to get out of there,” echoes Fernandez.
“Your life’s purpose is not to have an eating disorder and count every calorie that you eat, or over exercise to the point of exhaustion, you are on this earth for a much greater purpose than that.”
