National Eating Disorders Awareness Week: Feb. 23 - Mar. 1

This week is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, or you may have seen it termed NEDAwareness Week. This is a collaboration between NEDA and the community – all ages, sizes, males, or females – to deliver the necessary resources for people to be educated about eating disorders and to receive treatment if needed. The idea is that the more people talk about eating disorders and are knowledgeable about these illnesses, the more people will self-evaluate their behavior and be able to seek someone out for help.

This is the most life-threatening mental illness, and unfortunately it can go undetected until it is almost too late. A part of the NEDA mission is to “increase outreach” of not only eating disorders but body image issues in general. NEDA wants to stress “the need to address eating disorder misconceptions” while providing “resources for treatment and support.”

An eating disorder does not have universal signs and symptoms. They vary depending on the type of eating disorder, which are divided into the following: Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder (BED), and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) is a non-profit, whose goal is to prevent and alleviate eating disorders.

ANAD characterizes anorexia nervosa as “a relentless pursuit of thinness," inadequate energy (food) intake, and an “intense fear of gaining weight.” This can also occur when exercise is taken to the extreme or other measures are taken to burn away the calories. Those with bulimia nervosa, too, want to lose weight. The difference in these individuals is they may still be within their ideal body weight, making it hard to notice just from looking. This is an illness characterized by overeating and immediate compensation for the calories consumed, such as “purging, fasting, or extreme exercise.” Binge eating disorder (BED) differs in that there is no compensation that occurs after binging. The individual is looking for comfort in food and usually indulges in private. This may lead to a large amount of weight gain.

Eating disorders and being significantly underweight has been socially accepted by the media, and this has distorted the public’s idea of a normal body weight. National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is devoted to sharing the facts, statistics, and resources associated with eating disorder illnesses. The statistics are shocking, and according to ANAD only 1 in 10 men and women with eating disorders end up receiving treatment.

It is important to know the seriousness of eating disorders and the impact it may have on someone's life. With early detection, you may be able to save your sister, mother, brother, colleague, peer, etc. before the illness becomes severe.

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