Eating disorders are common, painful, and even deadly. While the most common perception of EDs is that of a pretty young woman eating only an apple a day because she wants to be skinnier, the truth is even uglier. People of all ages and all genders suffer from disordered eating from anorexia so severe it causes hair loss, dehydration, and heart damage to out-of-control eating stemming from a fear of scarcity to the careful counting of calories, carbs, fats, or proteins to the point of obsession. People of any size and weight can suffer from any type of eating disorder, so check in on your friends and family members even if they don’t look like the stereotypical image of a person with an eating disorder.
If you have an eating disorder, or think you may have an eating disorder, speak with an adult you trust and consider the resources provided and remember that mental illnesses cause your brain to lie to you; you are not valuable because of your size or weight, though you may feel out of control now you can get help and regain control without needing to keep a tight grip on each calorie, fat and skinny are not the worst things to be and are not moral failures, you are loved and lovable. An eating disorder, like any mental health issue, is never the fault of the sick person, it is the product of genetics, brain chemistry, and circumstances.
