A Journey Through Eating Disorders Support & Recovery

28.8 million Americans will have an eating disorder in their lifetime. 28.8 million. A number so large, it’s hard to comprehend. Like other facts and figures missing context, it risks washing over us, the gust too big and too abstract to grasp. To put it into perspective, if we were to call each person by name, assuming we could name…

Diagnosing an eating disorder comes with an intense, complicated, and often tragic history. (We touch on it a bit in our history of diet culture if you’re curious.) In the last couple of centuries, modern medicine has necessitated a structured approach to medical diagnoses so treatment can have a scientific approach. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)…

Recovery from eating disorders (EDs) requires compassion, understanding, and a comprehensive approach. These mental health conditions can have serious consequences on one’s mental and physical health. As such, effective treatment of EDs delves into the intricate interplay of physical and psychological well-being. Eating disorder therapists are a type of mental health professional who are a part of this recovery team.…

Eating disorders are serious but treatable conditions that can impact anyone in various ways. Sometimes eating disorders co-occur with other mental health conditions, such as body dysmorphia, which is also known as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). When conditions like this are coupled with the struggles of an eating disorder, it can be challenging to identify the conditions at play and…

Eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder are serious health conditions that can have huge impacts on your physical, mental, and emotional health. An eating disorder can look a lot of different ways and can affect anyone, regardless of gender, body type, race, age, or demographic background. "Bigorexia", also known as muscle dysmorphia, is form of body dysmorphic disorder, commonly found…

The beginning of a new year often stirs a range of emotions. While many embark on setting resolutions, it's crucial to recognize that resolutions come in various forms. Losing weight by changing eating habits and increasing exercise is a common goal for the new year, but it doesn’t have to be yours. For individuals navigating eating disorders, seeing others focus…

Katherine Hill, MD, knows exactly when she first became interested in understanding the complexities of eating disorders: during her career as an athlete. Long before she joined Equip as VP of Medical Affairs, Hill was an NCAA Division I swimmer and pre-med college student. When the creator of a popular diet came to speak to her swim team about nutrition,…

"You don't have to learn how to love yourself. You just have to remember there was nothing wrong with you to begin with. You just have to come home." - Nayyirah Waheed   With the New Year quickly approaching, more promotions of “self-improvement” through dieting and weight loss are going to be popping up. Losing weight has been the most…

It’s no secret that the holidays can be an emotionally challenging time for anyone, and are often especially tough for families navigating eating disorder recovery. “The holidays are like a marathon of dealing with these culturally loaded interactions with food and bodies,” says licensed psychologist and gender therapist Sand Chang, PhD. “And they are also a time where a lot…

Traditionally, the consensus in the eating disorder (ED) field had been to avoid trauma work during intensive treatment, opting to address it later in outpatient settings. This approach may arise from concerns about exacerbating eating disorder symptoms or a lack of expertise in trauma assessment and treatment. However, recent research published in the Journal of Eating Disorders suggests that concurrent,…