Content Note: today we’re talking about eating disorders. There will not be any detailed descriptions of disordered eating.

Between the ages of thirteen and twenty, I watched my close friend deal with an eating disorder. In many ways, she was lucky – she’s alive and healthy, for one. She was never hospitalized at 90lbs, because she never got there. Luckier still, given what put her in danger – she had what is known as Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. Not quite anorexia, not quite bulimia, but rather an intermittent mix of the two. Unless she told you, you’d have no idea.

I can count the number of people I care about who have had eating disorders on more than one hand – and those are just the diagnosed cases. There are a few more friends that I’ve suspected of disordered eating, and still more who deal with the legacies of their mothers’ eating disorders. Two of those friends required hospitalization, but – thank goodness – all of them are alive.

Thanks NEDA!

This week is Eating Disorder Awareness Week, and the theme this year is #ihadnoidea. In keeping with this theme that so powerfully resonates with my personal experiences, I want take the opportunity to highlight 4 common misconceptions of eating disorders and outline a few ways you can seek help for yourself or someone you love. Continue reading →