Take a look at a magazine stand and you will see cover after cover dealing with eating disorders. "Kate: Refusing to Eat" (Life & Style) to "80 lbs: Anorexic Again?" (Star) to "I'm not Anorexic" (In Touch)... what is our obsession with this category of mental illness?
There are articles all about their body shapes, weight, proportions- where does it stop? As often as we see eating disorders in the headlines, how much do we really know about them? It turns out that many of the things you think you may know about eating disorders could be just wrong!
Here are 30 common eating disorder myths:
1. You can tell that someone has an eating disorder just by looking at them.
2. Men don't get eating disorders.
3. Eating disorders are simply lifestyle choices and can easily be stopped at any time.
4. Anorexia is the only life-threatening eating disorder.
5. Recovery is rare.
6. These disorders are a result of dysfunctional families, controlling parents, etc.
7. Purging is an effective weight loss technique.
8. People with eating disorders are vain.
9. Eating disorders aren't "serious", but are just a "phase".
10. Anorexic people never eat.
11. Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is not a real condition.
12. People with normal weight or who are overweight cannot have eating disorders.
13. You can never exercise too much.
14. It's all about food.
15. Only people with high socioeconomic status have eating disorders.
16. Men with eating disorders tend to be gay.
17. Achieving normal weight means the eating disorder is cured.
18. Anorexia and bulimia are the only eating disorders.
19. Eating disorders are not dealing with addictive tendencies or behaviors.
20. Someone is either bulimic or anorexic- they cannot have symptoms of both conditions.
21. Overweight people have no willpower... the rigid control that it takes to have an eating disorder is something to be praised.
22. Only white girls get eating disorders.
23. People with eating disorders are trying to punish their parents and/or loved ones through their condition.
24. People are cured after in-patient treatments.
25. To avoid conflict, parents should let their child with an eating disorder eat as little/much as she/he wants, at any cost.
26. Childhood obesity should be the primary concern with eating disorders.
27. People with eating disorders are selfish.
28. It's just like a really strict diet.
29. It's just for attention.
30. It's just about wanting to be attractive.
If you thought that a lot of the statements were true, you are not alone. Do your part by educating yourself on what it means to actually have an eating disorder. Next time you come across a skinny-shaming "anorexic" celeb tabloid, know that things are not always what they seem.
