A Journey Through Eating Disorders Support & Recovery

Almost all types of mental health conditions are more common among people who have an eating disorder. These conditions are often referred to as “co-occurring disorders.” One co-occurring disorder that has drawn a lot of attention from researchers and the public is obsessive-compulsive disorder. The relationship between eating disorders and OCD can be complicated, making it more difficult to treat…

Social media platforms have a wide range of connections to our mental health. At the most simplistic level, apps like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok have a major impact on human behavior. In many ways, it’s in our nature as a social species to yearn for any type of interaction, and the networks formed on social media apps become part of…

It can be overwhelming and isolating to struggle with an eating disorder. Disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder can be difficult to manage on your own. That’s why it’s important to reach out for help if you or a loved one is experiencing signs and symptoms of an eating disorder. Helplines are often the first…

Body weight and body mass index (BMI), while inaccurate and inappropriate for many reasons, are still used to indicate the presence and severity of an eating disorder. (1) This approach is not weight inclusive and can lead to misdiagnosis in those with "atypical" anorexia nervosa (AAN) who often present with “normal” or “above normal” body weight. (2) The Health at…

Many eating disorder symptoms have to do with bodies: being preoccupied with your body, going to great lengths to change it, having a distorted sense of what it looks like. Given that, it would be reasonable to assume that eating disorder treatment would focus on body image issues right upfront—but this isn’t the case. In evidence-based eating disorder treatment, body…

CW: Mentions of Suicide Pretty much anyone who knows me also knows that I've recovered from an eating disorder. As an eating disorder therapist, I’d shout it from the rooftops if I could! Why? Because in the midst of my eating disorder, I felt ashamed of who I was and felt like there was no way out. I thought a…

Eating disorders, like many mental illnesses, can make you feel isolated and alone. It can be difficult to know how to connect with your loved ones or truly let in support. Having trouble relating to others can be a common experience. In fact, there’s an entire theory that helps explain it. Attachment styles describe the different patterns people have when…

The return to school is never seamless for kids. While there’s sure to be excitement about reuniting with friends and getting new clothes, the stress of new classmates, teachers, and changes in routine can actually be very emotionally taxing for young ones. And for students who’ve gone through puberty or experienced weight fluctuations over the course of the summer, the…

Did you know that nearly 30 million people in the United States struggle with an eating disorder? It’s likely that someone you know has experienced one or more eating disorders in their lifetime. There are many preconceived notions about these common and treatable conditions, but it’s important to get the facts so you can better understand eating disorders. This article…

CW: Mentions of "ob*sity" - While we absolutely do not support the use of weight stigmatizing language, the terms "ob*sity" and "ob*se" are used below. Please take care of yourself! If you search for the word “ob*sity” in Google on any given day, the search will return millions of results. At the time of writing this article, 752 million to…