When I was in 6th grade, I remember being taught about eating disorders in health class: Anorexia and bulimia. Apparently, those were the only two.
My teacher placed an emphasis on the dangers of anorexia over bulimia. I was told that people with anorexia were underweight. That was it. My teacher spent less than 10 minutes talking about eating disorders. I was given no deeper knowledge of eating disorders besides the fact that people who were diagnosed with them wanted to be thinner.
Not only was the amount of time my teacher spent on this topic unpractical, but the information was also extremely misleading and inaccurate. I didn’t actually learn about what eating disorders really were until I was diagnosed with one myself and went into treatment. The little bits of information that I had been taught in school was false.
Furthermore, not only did I pick up inaccurate information in school, but I was also bombarded by the media’s false information. In many cases, it seemed as though society placed a minimal emphasis on the dangers of eating disorders. Yes, eating disorders involve food and weight, but in reality, the underlying issue really isn’t about a person’s weight or how much food they put into their body.
Eating disorders have to do with feelings that have been avoided through focusing on food and weight. I want to now use what I have learned from treatment and all I have been through to clear up five of the misconceptions that society has on eating disorders:
#1: You can tell if someone has an eating disorder by how they look.
Image, Elijah Henderson
This could not be farther from the truth. How a person appears from the outside does not determine the psychological and physical danger they are in. You can’t tell what is going on inside someone’s body just by looking at them. There are also several different types of eating disorders and people do not necessarily have to fall into the category of anorexia or bulimia. No matter what your diagnosis is, you are deserving of help. Eating disorders affect people of all different shapes, sizes, and forms. A person with an eating disorder does not have a certain “look”.
#2: If someone has an eating disorder, it is their fault. They could have stopped it.
Image, Pixabay
FALSE. This myth is absolutely ridiculous. Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses, not lifestyle choices. People don’t wake up and say “I think I’m going to have an eating disorder.” It isn’t something that can just be turned around overnight. Often times, professional help is needed to uncover the underlying issues behind the eating disorder behaviors. Having an eating disorder is not anyone’s fault.
#3: Boys don’t develop eating disorders.
Image, Brooke Cagle
In most cases, people only think that girls and women suffer from eating disorders. But in reality, both men and women can suffer from an eating disorder. Up to 10% of people with eating disorders are men. It is important that both females and males seek treatment.
#4: Eating disorders are just about weight.
Image, Tobi
“Why can’t they just eat. Why can’t they just stop.” This is something that many people think when they see someone suffering from an eating disorder. There is so much more to an eating disorder than just eating or stopping the behaviors. Recovery involves exploring feelings and emotions that have been kept inside. It is not helpful to tell someone to “just stop.” It is important to support the sufferer by being patient with them and understanding how they are truly feeling.
#5: Once a person who suffers from an eating disorder comes out of treatment, they are all better.
Image, Gabriel Ecraela
Yes, treatment greatly helps people, but it doesn’t mean that someone is going to come out of treatment “cured”. I know for me, this myth was something that I struggled to clear up when I got out of treatment. Some people thought I would be eating disorder free when in reality I knew that I would still have struggles and have to work on conquering my disorder. Everyone is human, and everyone is going to struggle from time to time. Recovery is a constant up keeping process. It takes time to get to a place where the eating disorder thoughts don’t consume the sufferer.
The Final Truth
There are so many things that comprise eating disorders. Every diagnosis is different. I want society to realize that each disorder is just as serious as the other. When you take away the food and weight aspect of an eating disorder, you are left with the emotions and feelings that have been disregarded for such a long time. I hope this piece encourages you and others to learn and to become educated on eating disorders before making assumptions and buying into every kind of eating disorder myth.
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