NATIONAL EATING DISORDER WEEK 2/22-2/28 - LEARN HOW TO HELP YOURSELF OR OTHERS

Eating disorders have been clinically recognized for decades; the quest for preventative care and better patient support continues

The federal government has designated  2/22 through 2/28 as National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. This annual event has been observed for over 30 years. It is officially recognized to generate awareness of and promote action towards the need for more eating disorder research and prevention programs plus the development of new and better treatment options for this condition.

Most eating disorder challenges are related to mental health and personal wellness matters 

Eating disorders are largely attributed to behavioral healthcare issues. While no two people are alike when it comes to eating disorder suffering, there are 5 main categories of eating disorder diagnoses:

• Anorexia nervosa
• Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)
• Binge eating disorder 
• Bulimia nervosa
• Other specified feeding or eating disorder

Numerous kinds of individuals experience eating disorders

It is too early to tell what impact the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic has had on individuals in regards to eating disorder trends. These statistics were compiled prior to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States:

• Eating disorders are developed by men and women of all races, nationalities, ethnic groupS and other self-identified, personal socio-cultural characteristics
• Genetics, environmental factors and personality traits all contribute to the risk of a person developing some sort of eating disorder
• 95% percent of people with an eating disorder are between the ages of 12 and 25
• Eating disorders have the leading risk of fatalities among any mental illness
• 30 million people in the United States have an eating disorder