Stacey just isn’t convinced that what she’s going through would be considered a “real issue.”

She thinks she knows the eating disorder facts.

She remembers friends from college eating a ton of food and then purging in the bathroom, but that’s not her.

Sure, she bounces from diet to diet: keto, check; whole 30, been there; paleo, tried it.

She knows she doesn’t starve herself. She spends a lot of time at the gym, but doesn’t everyone? She just lacks self-control around sugar, she tells herself.

But, she’s embarrassed about her compulsive check-ins on her calorie counting app. And she definitely doesn’t want her boyfriend to know how much time she spends planning and measuring her meals.

The reality is, eating disorders don’t always appear the way we think they should.

Struggling from an eating disorder can be really lonely

If you’ve struggled with an eating disorder, you likely know the painful and isolating feeling of just wanting the people around you to really understand what you’re going through. If you’ve watched someone you care about struggling with anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder, you might really want to know and to help, but feel eternally stuck.

After all, there is so much conflicting information out there online, in the media, and in TV and movies. We all know how these depictions of eating disorders might have confused the facts, or even glamorized them. Stories about celebrities muddy the water even more.  It’s hard to know the eating disorder facts.

Some myths about eating disorders, and the facts

Misconceptions about eating disorders are all around us. Here are some of the eating disorder facts.

Myth #1: Eating disorders are about the food.

Fact #1: No, you can’t “just eat” to get better and recovery isn’t that simple. For some, eating is a terrifying experience. Yes, a lot of times the eating disorder has developed from dieting. However, disordered behaviors come to serve an important coping function for the person struggling. In order to recover, one must learn new skills and develop a new mindset around food.

Myth #2: People with eating disorders look “sick” or “unhealthy.”

Fact #2: You can’t tell if someone has an eating disorder just by looking at the size of his or her body. People with eating disorders come in all different shapes and sizes and someone doesn’t have to look “sick” or “underweight” to be struggling with an eating disorder.

Myth #3: There is no such thing as “too much” exercise.

In a culture that celebrates enthusiastic pursuits with physical fitness, it can be hard to acknowledge that someone’s activity level is actually damaging to their physical and mental health. One’s relationship with exercise can absolutely be disordered especially if someone is using it to compensate for what they eat, or it feels compulsive in any way (check out my post here for more on this).

Myth #4: Only young, white women, can develop eating disorders.

Fact #4: Both men and women, young and old, and people of all races and ethnicities can struggle with eating disorders. To date, certain groups of people have been largely underrepresented in studies and in treatment settings, but this is definitely starting to shift through efforts at education and outreach. Anyone can struggle with an eating disorder.

Myth #5: Eating disorders are about vanity and aren’t so serious.

Fact #5: Eating disorders are not a choice and they definitely aren’t about vanity. Eating disorders are real, serious, life-threatening illnesses. They arise due to a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors and can’t be pegged as some sort of “lifestyle choice.” Moreover, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.

Myth #6: Eating disorders develop because of bad parenting.

Fact #6: Individuals develop eating disorders due to a mix of complex biological and environmental risk factors. To blame the parents is really unfair and a vast oversimplification of what someone is going through and is generally unhelpful.

Myth #7: If you’ve gone to treatment, you are “cured.”

Fact #7: Yes, full recovery is entirely possible, but for many, the path to get there can be long and arduous. For some, attending a treatment program or therapy for a short time can provide enough support to get a handle on symptoms that are interfering with everyday life. However, for the vast majority, it can take time and a lot of patience to replace ingrained behaviors. Moreover, for a lot of people, it really takes breaking down the deep and underlying issues in order to sustain a recovered life. Without completing this part, symptoms can tend to resurface repeatedly without warning.

The good news is that eating disorders are treatable and recovery is 100% possible. Those who are struggling deserve the right treatment and supporters who are well-informed about what they are really going through. If someone you know is struggling or at risk, take the time to really learn the eating disorder facts.

As an eating disorder and body image therapist, I work with clients in my office in Westlake Village, CA and online in California and New York. I’ve helped many people on their journeys to make peace with food and their bodies.  To learn how I can help you, give me a call now or click on the button below to get in touch to schedule your free 15-minute phone consultation.