Eating disorders are characterized by the intentional changing of food consumption to the point where physical health or social behaviors are affected.
Eating disorders specialist Andrea Vazzana spoke with NAMI to provide insight into the illnesses that affect one in 20 Americans.
"Eating disorders can cause weight gain, weight loss or they can have no effect on weight at all. And all these eating disorder diagnoses are valid; one does not have to 'look sick' to be struggling."
As I’ve progressed in my eating disorder recovery, I have chosen to be very open with friends, family and others about my struggles. I have dealt with anorexia, and I have several very close friends who have histories of disordered eating, specifically binge eating. Discus...
As the new year begins, people of all ages are making resolutions around losing weight. While getting fit can be fun and keeping one’s weight in check can be a good part of a healthy lifestyle, too much focus on weight loss is not healthy. Teenagers are an age group that ar...
We don’t always eat simply to satisfy hunger. We also sometimes turn to food for comfort, stress relief or as a reward. Unfortunately, emotional eating is only a temporary fix for emotional problems, and the act is often followed by feelings of shame or guilt. Learning t...
For over a decade, I’ve struggled with food and body image. At 8, I started worrying about how my body looked. At 10, I discovered Weight Watchers and my seemingly endless cycle of dieting started. Then, at 15, my eating disorder started. As a dancer, my world has always ...
I spent many years living with an eating disorder. Right now I am recovering and healthy, but it took a long time to get to this point.
Today I am working harder on my recovery than I ever have in the past. I have an amazing treatment team and a support system that I will forever be grateful for.
In recent years, I have come to identify as “somewhere around bisexual or pansexual,” although honoring what I feel is more important to me than the label. Accordingly, I now understand the importance of coming out and the Pride celebration that comes along with it. But fo...
I was in the eating disorders program for eight months. I am so thankful that this program is in place. Without it, I would have never been able to fully recover.
I grew up never quite fitting into this binary world. When we separated into boys and girls, I knew where I was supposed to belong, but it didn’t ever feel right. When my sister told me she thought I might be non-binary — things clicked for me: I was gray in a black-and-whi...
My motivation for staying active has definitely changed. It’s not about losing weight in order to gain self-worth; it’s about being healthy and strong.
This realization impacted me in a fundamental way: I finally accepted I was on the verge of a full-blown eating disorder and could land in the hospital.
In the fall of her freshman year of high school, Michelle made a startling revelation: she was struggling with an eating disorder and needed help. I was overwhelmed by guilt and felt like a failure as a parent.
Over time I have learned more about my mental health conditions. Each day that I struggle, I also learn that I’m beautiful, strong and will persevere.