Ed came along like a boyfriend you hoped your daughter would never bring home. I had been waiting for the day I would have to deal with this guy—I just hadn't realized he would come in the form of vapor, a cloud, something I couldn't reach out and injure. I expected flesh and blood.
It’s a social media phenomenon. It’s in our faces every day. But for those of us with body image struggles, does it help or hinder? “Love your body!” So cries social media, preaching a shiny gospel of body positivity to all of us. At first glance, this seems a welcome oasis amid the onslaught of shaming advertisements and fitness and diet posts.
The “body-posi” movement can be beneficial in so many ways, but we need to have a bigger conversation about it—which aspects of the movement are actually beneficial, and which parts can, themselves, be triggering and harmful?
It was very difficult for our family to lose our daughter Karyn to an eating disorder in the prime of her life at the age of 46. We and she did everything in our power to save her, and in the end, by telling her story we would like the story to be one of hope and miracles.
Happy December, everyone! Many celebrities have stepped forward this week to talk about the importance of mental health, body positivity, and self-care. Also, new legislation has been passed by Congress, which includes some much-needed mental health reforms. Check out our headlines below!
As a composer, my purpose always seemed (keyword, seemed) straightforward. Even before I dealt with anorexia nervosa, I thought my sole reason for existence was to make music and have it heard. While that is a major goal of mine — as it is for any composer or artist out there — it’s by no means my reason to live.
Binge eating disorder (BED), the most common eating disorder no one talks about, affects 1- 5% of the general population. Despite the fact that more people are struggling with BED than with anorexia and bulimia combined, it is widely stigmatized, misunderstood, and overlooked.
Even the name—binge eating disorder—can inspire eye rolls from people who aren’t familiar with the devastating effects of BED. To get to the heart of this loaded term, we’ll walk you through it, one word at a time.
The journey through my daughter’s ten-year battle with anorexia was long and difficult. There were many twists and turns, detours and crashes along the way - almost to the point that we thought it would end in her death.
Eating disorders research often focuses on social aspects of the disorder, treatment, and mortality rates. However, new research has started to explore the psychological factors that contribute to eating disorders.
When my daughter became sick with a serious eating disorder eight years ago, I found few local resources and limited treatment options. Insurance denied my daughter treatment randomly and often. When we were denied coverage for treatment, I became outraged and she became sicker. I remember thinking, “Is this legal?” Sadly, I learned that while not exactly legal, enough loopholes existed in the system to make denial of treatment possible. Here we were dealing with the most serious, complex, and fatal of all mental illnesses, yet we were unable to get our daughter care.
‘Tis the season to purchase awesome gifts for your loved ones! NEDA would like to thank our wonderful partners this holiday season for all that they do to support our vision of a world without eating disorders. Want to do your holiday shopping while helping NEDA and the companies we’ve partnered with? Check out these stellar gift ideas below!