As an eating disorder therapist in Utah, I have heard many opinions, thoughts, and beliefs about what people think eating disorders are and are not, and are filled with many many misconceptions.
Most of the myths and misconceptions are from stereotypes in the media or from comments made from well-intended, but undereducated beliefs of others. I say this because I was one of those ill-informed individuals who didn’t know what I didn’t know. And then 5 years into my career, I had the good fortune of being hired to work at an eating disorder treatment center in Orem, UT and I began to see through the myths I had learned. I’m sharing these because for people to get the help they need, we all need to understand the truths about eating disorders.
An Eating Disorder Is Not That Serious
When people find out that I am an eating disorder & anxiety therapist, they often make a joke about food or their bodies. It repeatedly reminds me that as a culture, eating disorders are widely misunderstood, minimized, and hard for people to know how to talk about them. This makes sense because it’s hard to talk about big topics when we don’t understand the complexity or basic truths. The truth about eating disorders is that they are more prevalent and more serious than most people think.
At a minimum, someone who has an eating disorder is in a constant battle with themselves and their bodies.
They are always hearing a critical voice in their head that they should or shouldn’t do x, y, and z with food & exercise. At worst, they will suffer significant physical complications in the here and now, even if they seem to be engaging in life normally. I think we can all agree that we lose far too many people to drugs and suicide, but most are shocked to learn that eating disorders have the second highest mortality rate of all mental health conditions only preceded by opioid abuse. And if this is new information to you, you are not alone. We do not talk about eating disorders enough or with adequate understanding to have this data point as commonplace knowledge, sobering as it may be.
Eating Disorders Have “A Look”
This is probably the most common misconception that I have heard over the years. In general, we tend to categorize all things through the lens of our experiences or something we learned one time. So if you learned that eating disorders only apply to significantly underweight individuals, you are not alone. I was also surprised when I learned that even in an inpatient treatment facility, the vast majority of my clients did not fit into the false paradigm. Most of my clients “looked normal” as people often say. And yet these individuals were severely compromised both physically and emotionally due to their eating disorders.
We see this in other areas of mental health as well.
Most people think that depression is when someone is unable to get out of bed or shower. And while this certainly can be a symptom of depression, it can also be true that lots of people have significant depression that attend school or work. In both cases, these stereotypes or lack of a broader picture of mental health leads to fewer people seeking treatment. Reaching out for help can be very hard for many people and if the only mental picture we have is speaking to a narrow demographic then we may feel like we “shouldn't” need help or people often feel guilty seeking help because they believe they aren’t “bad enough” to be in therapy. I do feel like this tide is turning with anxiety, and other life challenges and I’m hoping that with more education we will see this happen with all mental health struggles.
Eating Disorders Must Have Extreme Behaviors
While it is true that some individuals with eating disorders are engaging in time-consuming and objectively extreme behaviors, most individuals are covertly engaging in their eating disorders and go unnoticed. In part, this is because as a culture we have shifted into a widely accepted pattern of disordered eating. We talk, judge, and change our eating patterns to adhere to the latest trends that are praised or perceived as normal and good. It is a culture where talking about certain foods in a moralist way or attaching guilt, shame, or praise to the presence or absence of food is so common that we don’t notice when others or even ourselves have internalized the data points. We become trapped in thought & behavioral patterns that can lead us right into a full-blown eating disorder.
Dieting is often the gateway to an eating disorder, and yet dieting is seen as low risk, high reward, and “normal”. People also assume that if someone is eating then they do not have an eating disorder. Most of my clients can often eat a meal with others in a way that does not raise major red flags, but they cannot eat normally day in & day out without feeling compelled to compensate with over-exercising, restricting, binging & purging.
Eating Disorders Are a Choice
This one can seem tricky to both individuals struggling with an eating disorder and to those who love them. Because we all come hardwired to respond to our internal signals to seek out water, food, shelter, and connection it can seem plausible to think that once someone realizes they have an eating disorder if they can just stop worrying about food & their body that they will be able to resume an innate skill to feed themselves. And trust me, if it was that simple, I’d happily find another career path because that would alleviate so much emotional distress & physical complications that those who suffer from an eating disorder face.
So many times people who are struggling with an eating disorder have said that to themselves or a loved one in moments of desperation, frustration, or undereducation. They will say “Just eat” or something akin to that……...and like in all other areas of life, if the Nike slogan of “just do it” worked when spoken aloud, we’d be investing in Nike:) Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Once an eating disorder is ignited or activated for an individual, it sets off a chain reaction of thought patterns, beliefs, and behaviors that are very hard to combat. And while I firmly believe that recovery is possible, it is a process filled with many ups & downs, twists, and turns, and a lot of hard-fought battles.
Individuals With Eating Disorders Know They Have an Eating Disorder
Many times individuals who are struggling with an eating disorder do not realize that this is what they are experiencing. And to me, this makes a lot of sense because many of the behaviors that happen during an eating disorder are things that they have been praised for, or that a medical professional has reinforced due to lack of education.
I hope that this article expands the narrative for you and that if you are struggling with your relationship with your body or food, you will reach out and meet with an eating disorder therapist near you. You may have disordered eating, you may have an eating disorder, or you may have a struggle with how you experience your body. All of these things can improve with the support of an eating disorder specialist.
Begin Eating Disorder Treatment in Provo, UT
This is not the full list of misconceptions about eating disorders, but I hope that it expands your viewpoint. Help is available, and everyone deserves to find relief from the pain that comes with an eating disorder. Change is possible, and our team of caring therapists would be happy to offer support. Healing is within reach. Please contact Inside Wellness if you or a loved one needs help by following these simple steps:
Reach out and give us a call at 801-699-6161.
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We understand that you may experience other concerns in addition to eating disorders. This is why Inside Wellness offers support with a variety of mental health services. Other services offered include body image counseling, anxiety treatment, and online Therapy in Utah. Feel free to visit our blog for more helpful information today!