Eating disorders, Stigma, Myths & Experiences (Feel free to share yours!) #StopTheStigma
Okay well, hello! *awkward waves* Some of you may have seen me posting around the forums recently (Yay, look at me being all productive!), however if you have not... Hello again, Shwmae, Ola, Bonjiour and all those other shizzles. I'm Shannon, I'm 17 and am an Intern & Active Listener here on 7Cups.
Disclaimer: You may be subjected to an appallingly bad sense of humor, awkwardness and the occasional rant... SO BE WARNED!
*Ehem* Anyway!
I in myself have been dealing with a range of mental health issues roughly since the age of 9 (;you can find out more on my listener profile but some examples include an Anorexia Nervosa w/ Bulimic tendencies, Self harm, Anxiety etc.) and something that I am constantly battling and finding myself involved with is the Stigma of mental health. Take eating disorders for example, these are some of the 'myths' I have come across time and time again:
"Anorexia Nervosa is the most dangerous of Ed's" - No. All eating disorders whether it be Anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder or any of the others.. are dangerous. All eating disorders propose various threats, complications and symptoms... Yes I admit, AN definitely has more exposure than many other ED's but this should Not be the case! #Eatingdisorderawareness
"You have to be stick-thin to have an eating disorder" - This is something that I definitely think the media is partly responsible for, but also the lack of consistency in our Mental Health systems. I was actually diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa when I was considered a 'Normal, healthy weight' which DEFINITELY shocked me because I had always been told by doctor's that I didn't completely fit the criteria and therefore I had the impression that I wasn't 'sick enough'. I still have issues with this now even after battling this for over 8+ years.
"Binge-eating Disorder is just an excuse for eating too much" - There has been so much debate over this, just as everything else and as someone who has personal experiences with this (went from BED, to AN to AN/BN), I KNOW that it is more than just eating too much. It is the relationship and reasoning for such WITH the food, it is the voice inside your head that tells you you're not good enough, it IS a SERIOUS Mental Health Issue.
"People with eating disorders only eat _____ / People with eating disorders don't eat at all" - Everyone is different, everyone is unique and everyone deals with things differently. When it comes to mental health, it is no laughing matter (unless you tend to laugh psychotically in embarrassing situations... Totally not guilty of that). No one with the same mental health issue is the same and the manifestation of an ED depends entirely on the person and the reasons for such. People who happen to have ED's Still eat, otherwise 1/10 of us would not be here today... It's like 'You ate an apple today even though you 'claim' to have an ED? DISPICABLE! YOU MUST PUT YOURSELF THROUGH ENDLESS TORMENT, STRAIN, WORRY AND PHYSICAL ABUSE WITHOUT EATING A MORSEL" okay well you get the idea...
Now those were only four of the (unfortunately) variety of different myths, misinterpretations and generalizations I have come across when it comes to eating disorders. If you don't mind me asking, are there any that you have come across/heard that I haven't mentioned here?
I grew up being told that I could never have an eating disorder, that the day I had one would be the day pigs could fly. All because I was an overweight child with an unhealthy relationship with food and my emotions... To them, it simply looked like I ate and 'enjoyed' food too much, they didn't know I ate so much because of the bullying due to the fact I was a high achiever even at the age 9.. Or the fact that I ate the more I was bullied for my weight..So I ate more. Then there was gymnastics; I still remember something my coach said back to me all those years ago "I don't care if it's your best, you Have to be perfect!". There would be the girls who used to bully me even when I was older... They came up to me awkwardly and asked me 'How I did 'it'. I didn't know what they were referring to.
I will shut up now... But the point is. We can do this and we NEED to fight the stigma. Stigma in itself is so influential in many aspects of our development and lives in general... So if you can do anything, anything at all. It's to fight this. If not for yourself but for those who will grow up being told how they are meant to be, what they're meant to do and how they're supposed to act and react.
#StopTheStigma #MentalHealthAwareness #EatingDisorders
~ Shannon
The dumbest things I've heard from my Persian grandma: "You're too smart to have anorexia" and "Fat people don't wear size small" (in response to me being upset over an argument with her). There are plenty of intelligent people with eating disorders. Stupid doesn't get you through AP/Honors classes. Also, feeling "fat" is not the same as making a general observation about weight. It also includes feelings like disappointment, failure, heartbreak, and frustration.
Another one I hate is the statement, "Only dogs like bones." Thanks for saying a whole demographic of men and women are invalid, America. Nice to know that personality, intelligence, and personal tastes of the person don't matter.
A wonderful post! I'd like to add a few particularly ridiculous gems that I've heard through the years:
"LUCKY YOU. Anorexic people hate food." - Umm, no. I actually love food but I'm too afraid to eat it. Try again.
"You're just doing it for attention. You were always naturally thin." - Again, no. I don't want the attention.
"You are trying to punish me" ~my mother - It has nothing to do with anyone but my head.
"So, when you look at yourself in the mirror you see a really fat person?" - I don't. I don't have body dysmorphia. I see a person whose BMI is 16 and that's not satisfactory.
I'm vegan and have come across many people who say vegans are just hiding an eating disorder. Once I was refused treatment because I said I would only eat vegan food and the professionals said that the veganism was just part of my eating disorder! Actually going vegan helped me start the road to recovery and it's based on my strong moral and ethical values so being told that it's a 'disorder' is very hurtful.
@LittleLotte I'm glad being vegan helped you recover!
I think I do see the other side, though. There's always the possibility of someone using it to hide their issue from others. I used vegetarianism as an excuse to hide my issue from family and friends; heck, I even considered being Jewish to hide it (didn't make that jump, though).
@ErwineRommel I do understand there is another negative side, but I feel people (especially professionals) shouldn't just totally dismiss a persons personal beliefs and say it's "an excuse".
I had also been on the same boat like you people. Mine started when I felt like I cant stop myself from eating, even if I want to. I was in a condition where I had to rely on food for emotional support. I then thought to seek help from a professional or an eating disorder service. I took the binge eating disorder treatment from a nearby clinic in Waterstone( https://edgewoodhealthnetwork.com/locations/waterstone/programs/binge-eating-disorder/ ). With their help, I managed to get my eating back on track. Any eating problem can be difficult to deal with, and it can seriously impact on your life. So, it will be better for anyone with eating disorder to meet a therapist and discuss about your eating problem before the condition gets worse.
@ShanChan09
Myth Only females and only the young suffer from EDs.
Statistically anorexia and ednos/osfed are the most dangerous mental illnesses - it has the highest percentage of fatalities from the illness or associated complications. This isn't to invalidate other illness but to bring attention to the danger. Those with an ED, especially anorexia and osfed, are likely to deny that they have a problem and if you add the stigma they face if they ever do try to get help - this is how so many ED sufferers die. Too many people telling them they're not sick enough, there's nothing wrong with them, they're just dieting, they need to "just eat", and so much more. All of it feeding that little voice telling us we're not good enough. Even worse for OSFED who are made to feel like they don't have a "real" problem like anorexia, they don't "fit in", their struggles are "less serious".
For me I've been trying to get diagnosed and my doctor flat out ignored me. I told him my struggles and he just said "stop purging and eat chicken". Yup. So I'm getting a new doctor and I hope to get the help I need but this is just another example of how stigma stops people with ED from accessing help to recover.
Hello! Youve found a clue for the Pen Pals event for Mental Health Awareness Month. This is a clue for ED support, the clue was ‘debunking some myths to do with Eating Disorders' and the term is stigma! Thank you for participating.
@ShanChan09 Hi, I am QuirkyGirl. My battle with eating disorders began when I was 11. Can I first say that you never feel faults about yourself until someone points them out. At 11, I was a little on the pudgy side but not overweight. My Grandparents were taking me clothes shopping for my birthday and I wanted a two piece spandex biking short set (I was an 80s Chick!). My Mimaw said, "Carmen, you don't have the figure to wear that." As a young tween, I did not understand what a "figure" meant but I knew she meant I was too chunky to sport the outfit. I fought the tears back and said I would choose something different even though my Bampaw said I could have whatever I wanted. Throughout my teens I obsessed over food and staying painfully thin (Looking back at pictures are horrific, I looked sickly.) Even though I maintained a weight of 115 lbs throughout my teens and young adulthood, my Mimaw would find ways to point out some love handles, a jiggle on the back of my arms, a slight pooch. When I looked in the mirror, I hated who stared back at me. I got pregant at 23, you think I would have been estatic. I was...but all I could focus on was the fact my weight would go up. At 7 months, I had not put on weight and my doctor threatened to put me on a feeding tube if I did not eat. I put on the weight that was necessary. My Mimaw commented how fat my face was getting at my baby shower (8 months pregnant.) After having my son, I could lose the weight like i used to. I resorted to bulemia. I ate what I wanted and then I purged it out. My coworkers began to realize what I was doing and tried to help me. I needed help but was mortified they they knew my secret. I am 37 now and I have not purged in almost 2 years. I try to eat healthy and I stay active. I still have to tell myself when I eat, "It is ok to have this food. You are beautiful, enjoy it." To wrap this up, I confronted my Mimaw 2 years ago about my eating disorder and the negative impact her words had on my well-being. She cried because it hurt her to hear the things I have done to myself through the years. Mimaw told me that in her youth, someone made fun of her because my Greatgrandmother was overweight. I told Mimaw it gave her no right to body shame me. If anyone is experiencing body shaming, or eating disorders. I would love to talk to you.
