//TW Eating Disorder’s//
In just the United States alone, at least 30 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder. This is a shocking number, a number so large that it probably means you know someone who suffers or you personally could suffer from oneThere are several types of eating disorders and they can affect anyone, no matter age, gender, nationality,and so on, because it spares no one and does not discriminate. Eating disorders also have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. This means that if you do know anyone with an eating disorder it’s extremely important to educate yourself on how you can be helpful and supportive towards their recovery.
First, it’s important to know that there are several types of eating disorders and they never look the same. Not everyone who suffers suffers in the same way. You may see someone in a TV show that counts calories and won’t allow themself to exceed a certain number per day however a friend of yours may not even pay attention to calories. This does not mean that your friend is suffering any less from an eating disorder. In fact, sometimes people with eating disorders aren’t even intentionally attempting to lose weight, they can’t help it.
Meal times and eating habits can be a very shameful time for people who struggle with almost any form of eating disorder. It helps if you don’t make a big deal about what they are eating or pay special attention to it. Bringing attention to the issue in a time of distress may offend the person, or make them upset. There’s a fine line however, between being respectful of privacy and enabling an unhealthy eating pattern. Enabling is to allow the person you know to practice their eating disorder habits. There’s no harm in checking in on what the person you care about is eating respectfully, from time to time but asking them what they’re eating or making them feel bad could be harmful or make them uncomfortable. One thing you may be able to do is l to encourage them to eat with you, “I was about to go get myself something to eat, would you like something too?”
The choice of words you use pertaining to weight or food around someone suffering from an eating disorder is incredibly important in all situations. Most people don’t really realize how much food and weight are talked about in a negative way, unless they are affected by the nature of the conversation. For example, it’s not uncommon for people to say “I’m being so bad” when eating dessert or “Have you been working out? You look great!”.
Let’s address ‘being bad’.By saying this, it suggests that eating sweets is wrong and this is a potentially dangerous association to make. Someone with an eating disorder may think back to a recent time when they ate dessert and be in distress over this for some time, and potentially even act on this distress. Again, this specific scenario may not be true for the person you know. Like I said earlier, simply commenting on someone’s appearance by telling them that they look great is potentially dangerous as well. Not all weight gain or weight loss is a good thing. Mentioning this may be encouraging the result of eating disorder behaviors. Like most things, this may take some getting used to, but by simply being more mindful about the things you say, you could spare the person you care about a potentially unhealthy situation .
These are all small ways you can be supportive to someone in your life suffering from an eating disorder. They likely endure times when they struggle more than others, and during those times, people with eating disorders are much more vulnerable to various triggers that they would be normally. Applying these changes will make a world of a difference for the people you care about, and they will appreciate it. Be patient, be respectful and listen.
Sources
“Eating Disorder Statistics • National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.” National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, anad.org/education-and-awareness/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/.