These Are the Real Facts About Eating Disorders
They can be fatal, and they come in all shapes, sizes and genders.
By Michelle Lupkin, Contributor | Aug. 1, 2017, at 10:50 a.m.
I am a psychologist specializing in children and teens who have an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, or ARFID. When I tell people what I do for a living, I'm often bombarded by harsh, judgmental comments such as "they could stop if they wanted to" or "there must be something wrong with that mother." When I tell them I work in the Bronx, the comments are often along the lines of: "You must not be that busy – only rich, white kids have eating disorders!" In discussing this with other psychologists and mental health professionals, I am frequently met with "I could never treat them – they are so difficult." The most difficult part of hearing these statements, especially by fellow mental health practitioners, is that they perpetuate the stigma associated with eating disorders that lead many to self-blame and delay or avoid treatment. My mission is to promote the actual facts about eating disorders to mental health professionals, parents, teachers, kids, pediatricians and the public. So here some of the things everyone should know:
http://health.usnews.com/health-care/for-better/articles/2017-08-01/these-are-the-real-facts-about-eating-disorders
