If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating help is available. Follow this link to get screened, find treatment, or contact the helpline:

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support

We are right smack dab in the middle of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (February 25-March 3)!  The National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) has a ton of helpful and fun information on their website to raise awareness for the prevalence and severity of eating disorders. Here are a few statistics that come from them: 

·      The best-known environmental contributor to the development of eating disorders is the sociocultural idealization of thinness.

·      Weight stigma poses a significant threat to psychological and physical health. It has been documented as a significant risk factor for depression, low self-esteem, and body dissatisfaction.

·      Approximately one in four people with an eating disorder has symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

·      Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 with anorexia have 10 times the risk of dying compared to their same-aged peers.

·      Males represent 25% of individuals with anorexia nervosa, and they are at a higher risk of dying, in part because they are often diagnosed later since many people assume males don’t have eating disorders.

·      Subclinical eating disordered behaviors (including binge eating, purging, laxative abuse, and fasting for weight loss) are nearly as common among males as they are among females.

·      A 2007 study asked 9,282 English-speaking Americans about a variety of mental health conditions, including eating disorders. The results, published in Biological Psychiatry, found that 3.5% of women and 2.0% of men had binge eating disorder during their life

• This makes BED more than three times more common than anorexia and bulimia combined.

• BED is also more common than breast cancer, HIV, and schizophrenia.

As you can see eating disorders affect everyone, are highly prevalent in our culture, and need to be taken very seriously. Our work with people with eating disorders at Omni here in Denver is something we are proud to be a part of. One of the things that I feel most passionately about is fighting against the stigma and oppression of diet culture. You can do exactly that and a few other things in order to spread more awareness this week. Here are our top five! 

1.    Follow this link and sign up to REJECT DIET CULTURE!!! This is a fun way to commit to honoring your body and the body autonomy of others. 

2.    Complete the Come As You Are challenge on Instagram - see Corrie’s Post here – and don’t forget to tag us @omnicounselingnutrition so that we see your posts! 

3.    Follow five new social media accounts that promote body acceptance and are in the fight against weight stigma and oppression.

4.    Sign up to walk in your local NEDA walk! This is a fun way to be involved in your local community and to support the work that NEDA is doing all over.

5.    Share this blog on your social media feeds!

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating help is available. Follow this link to get screened, find treatment, or contact the helpline:

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support

Help starts here. We’re a few clicks away, always.