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At least 30 million Americans have an eating disorder, but only 1 in 10 people gets the treatment they need. Why?

Kylee and Zoë debunk common myths about eating disorders, from who they affect to how they’re treated. We dive into the history of eating disorders and how common misbeliefs about mental illness shape their treatment today. We examine how weight stigma impacts treatment and why so many EDs are considered “atypical.” Then, we offer some practical solutions for fixing a f*cked-up system by debunking common misconceptions.

REFERENCES:

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Niedzielski A, Kaźmierczak N, Grzybowski A. Sir William Withey Gull (1816-1890). J Neurol. 2017 Feb;264(2):419-420. doi: 10.1007/s00415-016-8250-9. Epub 2016 Aug 8. PMID: 27502084; PMCID: PMC5306080.

Harrop EN, Hutcheson R, Harner V, Mensinger JL, Lindhorst T. "You Don't Look Anorexic": Atypical anorexia patient experiences of weight stigma in medical care. Body Image. 2023 Sep;46:48-61. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.04.008. Epub 2023 May 24. PMID: 37236121; PMCID: PMC10524894.

Beaumont, P. J. V. (1994). Diagnoses of Eating Disorder or Dieting Disorders: What may We Learn from Past Mistakes? International Journal of Eating Disorders, 16(4).

Beres, D. (2024, February 27). Eating disorders in men and boys aren’t rare, but they may be harder to diagnose. Teen Vogue. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/eating-disorders-in-men

Eating disorder statistics. National Eating Disorders Association. (2024, April 30). https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/statistics/

Guest, Lawson, N., Burak, E. W., Kaneb, N., & Mondestin, T. (2023, November 2). New federal rules seek to strengthen mental health parity. Center For Children and Families. https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2023/11/02/new-federal-rules-seek-to-strengthen-mental-health-parity/

Heiden-Rootes, K., Linsenmeyer, W., Levine, S., Oliveras, M., & Joseph, M. (2023). A scoping review of research literature on eating and body image for transgender and nonbinary youth. Journal of Eating Disorders, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-023-00853-5

The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). CMS.gov. (n.d.). https://www.cms.gov/marketplace/private-health-insurance/mental-health-parity-addiction-equity

Ramaswamy, N., & Ramaswamy, N. (2023, July 1). Overreliance on BMI and delayed care for patients with higher BMI and disordered eating. Journal of Ethics | American Medical Association. https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/overreliance-bmi-and-delayed-care-patients-higher-bmi-and-disordered-eating/2023-07

Why BMI is a flawed health standard, especially for people of color. (n.d.). https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/healthy-bmi-obesity-race-/2021/05/04/655390f0-ad0d-11eb-acd3-24b44a57093a_story.html