Today, 30th of November, it's Eating Disorders' Awareness Day.
I'm going to start talking about statistics. You know why? When we see the numbers, it's when we realize how dangerous or important something is.
- At least 30 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an ED (eating disorder) in the U.S.
- Every 62 minutes, at least one person dies as a direct result from an ED.
- Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
- 13% of women over 50 engage in ED behaviors
- In a large national study of college students, 3.5% sexual minority women and 2.3% of sexual minority men reported having an ED.
- 16% of transgender college students reported having an ED.
- In a study following active duty military personnel over time, 5.5% of women and 4% of men had an ED at the beginning of the study, and within just a few years of continued service - 3.3% more women and 2.6% more men developed an ED.
- ED affect all races and ethnic groups.
- Genetics, environmental factors and personality traits all combine to create risk for an ED.
All this information is from ANAD (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Asociated Disorders, Inc.
What does this all mean? It means that ED's are more common than we think, and more dangerous than we can even imagine.
ED's are not only being extremely underweight and binging. It's not only about the food. It's much more than that, and there are many types and symptoms.
Is a person close to you suffering from an ED/you suspect they're suffering from an ED? You don't know what to do to help them?
Never blame them, never threaten them, never blame yourself. Learn about it, so that you know how you can help them. Encourage them to get help, let them know they're not alone.
Are you suffering from an ED/Do you think you might be suffering from an ED? You don't know what to do?
There are many resources, of many different kinds. The best option is to seek for a psychologist, but if you can't for whatever reason, you can call a helpline, search for support groups online, and there are also some email lines to receive support via email.
Here you can find some help resources:
You can get through this, you're not alone.
