Posts Tagged “Eating Disorders”

When you imagine someone with an eating disorder, you may picture a young, thin, white teenage girl, but individuals affected with eating disorders don’t fit neatly into this narrow box. 

The truth is that these illnesses affect people of all ages, sizes, sexualities, races, genders, abilities, and socioeconomic statuses. While these complex, biologically based disorders are not uncommon (nearly 30 million Americans experience an eating disorder in their lifetime), there are environmental, social, and psychological factors that contribute to the development of eating disorders.

Nine percent of the world’s population will struggle with an eating disorder in their lifetime, with the most common age of onset being between 12–25 (STRIPED/Volpe et. al., 2016). Healthcare providers like you are instrumental in getting young patients the care they need early on. The sooner an eating disorder is caught, the better the treatment outcomes. 

But what happens after you’ve recognized the symptoms and referred your patient for specialized care? In this blog, we will explore the assessment process for eating disorders in children and adolescents, shedding light on the diagnostic criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).

**Content warning: This is one person’s story; everyone will have unique experiences in recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, and symptoms. Please use your discretion when reading and speak with your support system as needed.

Audrey McKinney (she/her) is a rising senior at Purdue University, where she studies Nutrition and Dietetics. Audrey is passionate about helping people find healing from their eating disorders. By sharing her story, Audrey wishes to provide hope that recovery is possible!

At The Emily Program, we are committed to providing exceptional care across a continuum of levels, ensuring every client receives treatment that addresses their unique needs. This personalized approach takes into account the psychological, nutritional, and medical aspects of eating disorders to help clients lay a solid foundation for long-lasting recovery.

Understanding the Levels of Eating Disorder Care

The Emily Program offers a continuum of eating disorder care levels in order to ensure our clients have the support they need throughout their entire treatment experience. We conceptualize these levels of care as a ladder, with each rung representing a different degree of support. The top rung of the ladder is residential treatment, which includes around-the-clock supervised care, and the bottom rung is outpatient, or non-intensive eating disorder treatment. Progressing step-by-step down the ladder is crucial for optimal treatment success, as skipping down levels can weaken treatment outcomes. However, individuals can always go up a level for additional support if needed. 

Eating disorders thrive in secrecy and shame. For those with LGBTQ+ identities who have an eating disorder, the sense of isolation is often compounded by the unique stressors and added layers of stigma and prejudice facing this historically marginalized community. A large population of LGBTQ+ individuals with eating disorders often fail to seek treatment or face having their struggles dismissed, in part, because of a lack of cultural competency and representation in eating disorder media.

June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community and sexual and gender diversity. Members of the community and allies unite in pride and solidarity to recognize, honor, and uplift the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer and/or questioning people.

As we honor the LGBTQIA+ community this month and beyond, we must also commit to better understanding and addressing the issues it faces. One such issue is eating disorders, which affect LGBTQIA+ people at disproportionately high rates.

In this article, we explore eating disorders in the LGBTQIA+ community and offer ways to support affected community members during Pride and throughout the year.