Eating Disorders. Many of us know someone who has one. Or maybe we don’t. Or maybe someone close to us has one, but they don’t realize they have one, they don’t know how to ask for help, or they don’t want the help. Regardless of any of the questions that may enter our mind when we think about eating disorders, we need to raise awareness, and we need to expand our understanding.
Am I an expert on this mental disease? Nope, but I definitely know what it is like to go through it. As a senior in high school, I suffered from Anorexia Nervosa. Of course I’ve heard the usual, “Why don’t you just eat?” or the worst of them all, “I wish I had the self restraint to have an eating disorder,”….That’s insane, right? But sadly, that is what many people think when confronted with the fact that someone they know has an eating disorder. No, I don’t blame them for thinking this; I just don’t think they are properly educated about what an eating disorder actually is. There is something vital you must understand first, no one chooses to have an eating disorder, but rather, it chooses them. It is a disease. And no one should wish this terrible ailment upon anyone, trust me. It paralyzes your life, and all who are involved in it. I don’t expect everyone to fully understand eating disorders, but what I expect is the desire to learn more and work to develop an understanding of eating disorders.
We live in a society where many suffer from mental diseases, and they usually don’t get the treatment they so desperately need. Want to know what you can do? You can lend a helping hand. Tell someone. Maybe it isn’t you; maybe it’s a friend or family member. If you suspect that there is a problem, let someone know. An eating disorder is too heavy for you to handle all by yourself. Do not be embarrassed, but instead feel extremely proud. Proud because you are recognizing the problem and are ready to take the steps to become healthy.
If you are interested in being a part of raising awareness for eating disorders, please sign up for the National Eating Disorders Association NEDA walk in Cleveland, Ohio this year. I am the coordinator of this walk which will be held at The Holden Arboretum on October 18th from 9:30am-12pm. Please, feel free to contact me at OArmand14@jcu.edu and visit the website at http://neda.nationaleatingdisorders.org/site/TR/NEDAWalk/General?fr_id=3420&pg=entry.