When most people think of eating disorders, they picture someone who is radically underweight - perhaps a woman, perhaps white, Carly writes. Dyer on the pages of The Mighty . Her article "Yes, you can be overweight and have anorexia nervosa " instantly went viral, receiving thousands of likes and reposts.
The problem with eating disorders, like any mental health condition, is that they don't discriminate. Eating disorders don't care how old you are, where you come from, or what you look like. That's why writing off overweight or "normal" weight people as having anorexia nervosa is such a dangerous prospect.
"It was my stereotype that kept me from getting treatment," Carly writes. "It was impossible for me to have an eating disorder, let alone anorexia. I didn't deserve treatment unless I was a certain size. People who develop anorexia at a healthy weight are referred to treatment, and people who develop the disorder at a higher weight are complimented on their weight loss. I was praised by health care providers for my weight loss, no matter how it was achieved.
I am overweight and I have been fed through feeding tubes. I am overweight and I have destroyed my bone density. I have been hooked up to IVs, I have been given IV sugar to bring me back up from rock bottom, and despite all of this, I am still overweight. We may be a subset of a larger disease, but we are still here and we deserve treatment.
My own recovery from anorexia was hampered by these stereotypes, not just from others but from me. How could I tell family members that I was struggling when one look at my body would dismiss their concerns? It was an impossible shame, and that shame kept me silent. It's a belief I still struggle with today.
Eating disorders don't care who you are; if you have any symptoms, you deserve help and support, regardless of the stigma associated with these disorders.
Translation by Marina Fateeva, especially for the Association of Doctors and Psychologists "Eating Disorders: Therapy and Prevention".
The site materials are protected by copyright. Copying and use of content is permitted only with reference to the source. © Marina Fateeva, 2019.
Source:
https://themighty.com/2019/04/anorexia-overweight-eating-disorder/