4 Myths About Eating Disorders & The Facts That Bust Them
Do you have preconceived notions about eating disorders? At LEL Therapy we have Eating Disorder Experts who have worked with eating and exercise disorders for years and know the ins and outs of how to treat them. Below Caroline Kirby LMFT tackles the 4 biggest Myths about Eating Disorders and gets to the truth about treatment:
Myth: Eating disorders are a straight, white women’s issue
Facts:
Statistically, eating disorders may affect women more significantly than males BUT 25% of those diagnosed are males
Due to this myth and stigma, men are less likely to seek help or receive treatment which prevents accurate diagnoses — so this % may even be higher!
LGBTQIA+ individuals have higher rates of eating disorder diagnoses compared to heterosexual/cisgender people
Trans and nonbinary people are at even greater risk for developing EDs (Nagata et al., 2020)
According to NEDA, eating disorders “affect people from all demographics of all ethnicities at similar rates”
Research from ANAD has shown that black teenagers are 50% more likely than white teens to present “bulimic behavior” such as binging and purging
BIPOC individuals are less likely than white people to be asked by a doctor about an eating disorder and are half as likely to be diagnosed or receive treatment
Bottom line - Eating Disorders do not Discriminate, but our broken healthcare system does!
Myth: Eating disorders are a choice and usually about vanity/appearance
Facts:
EDs are complex, biopsychosocial diagnoses and therefore typically require a combination of medical, psychiatric, therapeutic and dietary intervention
While EDs may have a biological component, environmental and social elements also play a large role
EDs often coincide with other mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, OCD, trauma, etc.
We have worked with many clients who express that their supporter systems struggle with this and will make comments such as “just eat” or “just stop ____ behavior” which again invalidates how difficult it is to challenge the disorder
Other potential factors that contribute to eating disorders can include low self-esteem/poor self-worth, lack of identity, belief in myths (i.e., I’ll be happier if I lose weight), high-achievement oriented/drive for perfectionism, desire to be in control, difficulty expressing feelings, filling a void, feeling the need to be distracted/need a “safe place” to go, etc.
Bottom Line— To label EDs as a “choice” is incredibly invalidating and can create significant shame among the individual who is struggling
Myth: You can tell if someone has an ED by looking at them
Facts:
This myth is largely driven by the societal stigma around eating disorders and how eating disorders are typically presented in media
Biases in the medical field often contribute to misdiagnosis or lack of diagnosis if a person struggling is not technically underweight
Important to find healthcare experts who are ED, HAES (Health At Every Size) informed to ensure appropriate, effective intervention/treatment
Focus on weight prevents equal access to treatment, especially at higher levels of care, as insurance companies more often than not focus on “medical necessity” meaning that if a client’s weight is sufficient, they no longer meet medical necessity for that level of care. This is incredibly problematic as it places focus on weight restoration (which may be part of care but is not the cure) for those who need it but more importantly, it discriminates against the majority of eating disorder diagnoses where being underweight is not a criteria.
To that point, when an insurance company denies coverage and creates a financial barrier to seeking treatment, patients can feel invalidated in their diagnosis/feel like they are “not sick enough” to treat their disorder, and this perpetuates shame
It is important to focus on health and not weight as eating disorders can affect individuals at any size
About 65% of people with bulimia nervosa have a weight considered “normal” or overweight
Since there is a higher prevalence of bulimia and BED among black individuals who are diagnosed with an ED, the weight stigma can pose as another barrier for black individuals as it relates to receiving medical care as individuals with these diagnoses are not typically characterized as medically underweight
Bottom line - if you have a body, you can have an eating disorder!
Myth: Full recovery isn’t possible, a person with an eating disorder will have it for their whole life
Facts:
Full recovery is absolutely possible (We’ve had the privilege of seeing it with many clients!) - You can treat eating disorders at any age or stage in a person’s life
While there are better outcomes for individuals who receive early intervention, this is not a requirement for being able to recover
Relapse is often a part of the process so as challenging as it feels, do not be discouraged that all hope is lost
Recovery takes a lot of hard work and milestones may look “smaller” than you think (i.e., taking a bite of a fear food or purging 1x less in a week are both as important as abstaining from purging) - you can’t get to recovery without all the little steps along the way so give yourself the grace and compassion as you go!
Bottom line— don’t give up on recovery, hope is still possible even if it feels like it has been/will continue to be a long road.
If you or someone you love is struggling with their relationship to food, exercise, body image, or all of the above, please reach out to us to schedule a free consultation with one of our clinicians today. Caroline is accepting new clients!