Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW) 2024
Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW) is an annual campaign to educate the public about eating disorders and to provide hope and support for individuals and families affected.
Who can Eating Disorders affect? People of all genders, ages, races, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, body shapes, and weights. It is estimated that 9% of the U.S. population, or 28.8 million Americans, will have an eating disorder in their lifetime.
What are Eating Disorders? They are real, life-threatening mental and physical illnesses with potentially fatal consequences. There is no known single cause, but rather a combination of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors that converge and set off an individual’s predisposed genetic vulnerability. They involve emotions, attitudes and behaviors surrounding weight, food, and size that severely impair functioning in all major areas of life. Eating Disorders are considered a biopsychosocial disorder.
Biological Factors- family history of eating disorder and other mental health conditions, history of dieting, Diabetes Mellitus, and genetic predisposition.
Psychological Factors- perfectionism, body image dissatisfaction, history of mental health conditions, and inflexibility or rigidity in thinking and behaviors.
Social Factors- weight stigma, bullying or teasing, cultural norms that over focus on appearance, drive for perceived body type, historical trauma, and sports that overly focus on weight or physical appearance.
Common warning signs
Emotional/Behavioral- preoccupied with weight, shape or appearance. Weight loss, dieting and control of food/restrictions; food rituals, social withdrawal, frequent dieting or body checking and extreme mood swings.
Physical- Noticeable weight fluctuations, gastrointestinal complaints, dizziness upon sitting or standing (orthostasis), difficulty concentrating or sleeping, dental/skin/hair/nail issues.
Eating Disorder Diagnoses: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), and Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder.
Possible Health Consequences: Eating Disorders can cause harm to the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neurological, and endocrine systems and even lead to premature death.
Resources
If you or someone you know or care about is impacted by symptoms of an eating disorder, find an eating disorder treatment provider near you: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/find-treatment/
To find free and low-cost support options including support groups go to: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/free-low-cost-support
Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website to take a free screening tool and find support, educational resources and treatment options.
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/screening-tool/
Information from the National Eating Disorders Awareness website: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
About The Author: Dr. Andrea Graves is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with a strong background working with individuals from adolescence through geriatric populations with varied presentations and goals. Dr. Graves has an extensive background in Clinical Psychology, Health and Rehabilitation Psychology, and psychological and neuropsychological assessments. Dr. Graves commonly utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure-based therapies, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, and Internal Family Systems, Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapies and are employed based on her clients’ individual needs. Dr. Graves is a Certified Mental Health Integrative Medicine Provider (CMHIMP) and is passionate about treating individuals from a biopsychosocial perspective, with a strong focus on the mind-body connection.