As not many people know, around this time of year the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) leads their annual "National Eating Disorders Awareness Week," (#NEDAwareness). This year NEDAwareness Week begins on Sunday, February 26th and ends on Saturday, March 4th. As stated by NEDA's official website (www.nedawareness.org), the goal of this week is to "shine the spotlight on eating disorders and put life-saving resources into the hands of those in need." The theme of NEDA week this year is "It's Time to Talk About It!"

What is an eating disorder?
Eating disorders, as defined by the NEDA, are "serious illnesses that involve extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding food, exercise, and body image." This includes, but is not limited to, disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder.

Why is NEDA Week important?
Over 30 million Americans will struggle with an eating disorder at some point in their life. Untreated eating disorders can often lead to health problems such as heart failure, muscle loss, dehydration leading to kidney failure, and reduction of bone density. Eating disorders are often overlooked or go unnoticed, and because of this it may come as a surprise that they have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Not only do these disorders have damaging physical effects, but they are also negatively impactful on one's mental health. Eating disorders often go hand-in-hand with self-injury or suicide.

What can I do to help?
Get in the know! Do your research. There are so many resources online to educate yourself about eating disorders. NEDA's website has fact sheets that can tell you all about the different types of eating disorders, the signs and symptoms, and the stats of who is greatly affected. The website also offers a downloadable social media kit, so you can spread awareness to all of your friends! If you're not into that, there are printable flyers to hang around your workplace, school, or community. They look great this year! If nothing else, simply be thinking of or praying for those who are currently fighting an eating disorder, or who have defeated eating disorders in the past.

It's time to stop letting eating disorders get swept under the carpet. Instead of letting eating disorders go unnoticed in the shadows, let's shed lots of light and awareness on them this year.

For more information, visit: nedawareness.org or nationaleatingdisorders.org