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By Kaela Scott
Knowing someone who struggles with an eating disorder can often leave us feeling unsure of how to help and afraid of making it worse. While the responsibility to get well ultimately lies with the individual there are a few things you can do to support them in their journey to wellness.
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Kaela Scott is a Registered Clinical Counsellor who specializes in Eating Disorders. She runs her own private practice and works with the Looking Glass Foundation in both their summer camp and their Hand In Hand Program. She has been passionate about working with eating disorders since freeing herself from her own struggle and realizing what it is like to be happy and well. When she isn’t working, you can find Kaela either cozying up with a cup of tea and her friends or up in the mountains going for a hike.
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By Nikhita Singhal
When I woke up in the hospital that morning, I was still partially in shock. I was a chronic case; I’d resigned myself to living with an eating disorder for the rest of my (purportedly numbered) days. After a decade in the child and adolescent treatment system, I had given up on external help. I understood why the doctors were concerned about patients’ weight, but I could not fathom the lack of focus on our mental states. So I really never thought I’d find myself in this setting again.
It wasn’t so much the fact that I was in another hospital ward, awaiting treatment. To be honest, I had anticipated landing in another treatment program eventually. I knew I was sick, and I knew everyone around me believed it to be a serious problem. Being forced into the hospital for a few days so they could ‘stabilize’ me was inevitable.
I’d just never imagined I would be the one signing myself in.
I thought they’d drag me in, kicking and screaming –threatening me with the all-powerful ‘Form 1.’ But that’s not what had happened.
I had picked up the phone and booked an assessment a couple of months ago.
I had come in to see the doctor, nodded while they told me their inpatient program would be a good fit, and clarified that I wouldn’t be able to come in until the semester was over.
I had answered their call on April 25th, the day after my final exam, and thanked them for letting me know that a spot had opened up.
I had packed my meagre suitcase and strolled in through the sliding doors yesterday.
This time, the only one responsible for my predicament was myself. And while that was terrifying, it also felt so incredibly good.
After fighting so hard for so many years to keep myself out of places like this, I was still having trouble wrapping my head around my current situation. It had taken a substantial amount of cajoling to persuade myself to try this out, and I was reassured by the fact that this time, I could simply leave if it became too much. I could stand up in the middle of a meal, declare my independence, and breeze out the doors without a backward glance.
It almost happened during the very first meal. After weighing me and sending me for blood tests when I’d arrived, the nurses had gathered the other inpatients so I could be introduced. They gazed dully at me, an air of resignation stifling the room.
My eyes had flickered from face to face, simultaneously scanning their bodies in what I’d hoped was an imperceptible manner. Despair threatened to burst through the dam I’d built up inside when I realized I didn’t belong here. They were all so frail –while I knew in the logical part of my mind that I was probably thin, I was definitely not as gaunt as they were.
Then I recognized her. Two years later, and if it was possible, she was even tinier than she’d been back then.
I delved into my memories, thinking back to my time imprisoned in another hospital –an activity I’d made a habit of avoiding at all costs, if I could help it. On the day they’d finally deemed me well enough to graduate to the outpatient program, there had been a few goodbyes. She had been one of them. I hadn’t thought it would be difficult, but it was.
None of us had been allowed to talk much about anything but the most superficial of topics, but the bonds we’d forged in there stemmed from unspoken mutual understanding and hatred for our surroundings. A group of children and teenagers, trapped and force-fed until the tears no longer came. The treatment team undoubtedly had good intentions; unfortunately, though, the approach was simply not working for many of the patients.
As I’d watched her waving at me from down the hallway years ago, I’d hoped she’d make it out soon.
Now, as our eyes met and hers widened in recognition, I could feel the scars on my heart threatening to tear afresh. They may have forced her to eat back then, but they clearly hadn’t driven out the anorexia. She was back, just like me. Just like so many others. How could they purge us of this illness –this parasite– that we clung to as tightly as it clung to us? We were simply driven closer to our eating disorders when they attempted to wrench them away.
Treating an eating disorder is difficult on so many levels, and the fact that the illness digs its claws in as soon as you begin to fight it certainly doesn’t help. However, as an adult, I’m finally beginning to realize that the doctors who forced me into treatment were not my enemies. My parents, who were told to have no mercy when it came to battling the eating disorder, were not my enemies. The eating disorder itself was my enemy, no matter how hard it tried to convince me otherwise.
The eating disorder had hissed at me as I dragged it into the hospital this time. It told me that nothing would be different; they’d force food down my throat until I was at a satisfactory BMI, and then I’d be unleashed upon the world. Unleashed upon myself… and it would all be undone in a matter of weeks.
So while I was surprised to find myself back in a hospital of my own volition, I stayed. I made it through the first night, listening to the familiar sounds of the heart monitor as I stared at the ceiling and thought about how different my life could be.
And then, in the morning, I committed. I committed to separating myself from the illness, and to one day reclaiming the identity I lost so many years ago. I accepted that my real enemy was the anorexia, and that was the first true step in my journey toward recovery.
Nikhita is a student at McMaster University, where she is studying health sciences. She hopes to use her experience with an eating disorder to make positive contributions to the field and empower others to seek recovery.
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By Kaela Scott
Q: I have just started my recovery journey and it is so uncomfortable. What are some things I can do to help me get past the uncomfortable feelings so I don’t give in to my symptoms?
A: First off, take a moment to acknowledge how strong you are for wanting to keep working on your recovery; I know the discomfort makes that difficult. There are a few things you can do, and a few things that need to be acknowledged about recovery so that you can know what to expect and, hopefully, remind yourself to be gentle with yourself as you go through this process.
To start with the latter, here is what you need to know:
In terms of what will make this easier, here are a few ideas:
I hope this gives you a few things to focus on while you are on this journey. Again, don’t forget to stop and acknowledge how strong you are and to celebrate each and every thing that you do along the way.
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Kaela Scott is a Registered Clinical Counsellor who specializes in Eating Disorders. She runs her own private practice and works with the Looking Glass Foundation in both their summer camp and their Hand In Hand Program. She has been passionate about working with eating disorders since freeing herself from her own struggle and realizing what it is like to be happy and well. When she isn’t working, you can find Kaela either cozying up with a cup of tea and her friends or up in the mountains going for a hike.
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By Kylie Brind
A big challenge that I faced in my recovery was that I had no idea who I was without my eating disorder. My eating disorder had become my life. My every decision was motivated by whether or not it would allow me to lose weight. This is a common issue in recovery, as my therapist told me, because an eating disorder is so consuming that it takes over everything else in your life. I felt like whoever it was that I used to be was gone, and I had no idea where or how to start rebuilding myself. Because it isn't as easy as just getting rid of the eating disorder and keeping what is left. Because the eating disorder has worked its way so far into every part of your life that you no longer know what is the eating disorder and what is the real, authentic you.
I thought of an analogy though, which was really helpful in giving me motivation during my recovery. If you take a white shirt and dye it pink, you wouldn't be able to recognize that it had ever been a white shirt. But if you find a way to get the pink paint off, there is still that white shirt underneath.
This was where I was making a mistake. My plan had originally been to first figure out who I was, and then get rid off all the leftovers because that must be my eating disorder. And the problem with this was, that I had to find parts of me that hadn't been touched by my eating disorder. But those parts didn't exist. This led to me to feeling like I had no identity other than my eating disorder.
Really, what I had to do was just start by picking away at the things I knew were my eating disorder, and eventually, I would find myself underneath. It's like picking away at the pink paint on the shirt. And eventually, I did start to find myself. I learned new things about myself. I loved tea (or any warm sweet drink for that matter), I discovered faith in God, I learnt that I loved photography (and was actually pretty good at it too). I also rediscovered old parts of myself I had forgotten. I rediscovered my love for animals, the solace I found in music, and reformed old relationships which had been lost.
Figuring out who you are is just part of the process my friend. Yes, it is a scary part. But I believe in you. Keep chipping away at that pink paint, one day you will find the white shirt underneath.
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Throughout her high school years, Kylie has been battling and recovering from anorexia, and now spends her free time helping others struggling with eating disorders. She hopes to pursue veterinary medicine in the future as well as continuing her contributions to the fight against eating disorders.
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By Stacey Huget
With Something’s Gotta Give, we’re trying to do more than raise awareness about the realities of eating disorders; we’re seeking to change up the way we – as individuals, as institutions, as a society – actually go about beating this disease.
If our approach to battling eating disorders thus far were enough, we would have wrestled the disease down by now. Its current trajectory wouldn’t be as scary as it is: quietly escalating, indiscriminant, deadly.
The SGG campaign calls on all of us to organize ourselves differently, urgently, around deliberate strategies to catch up with the pace of this disease. Slow it down. Beat it.
The stimulus for change must begin with us
The first six months of this campaign is necessarily about capturing the opinions and perspectives and experiences of people who already know and care about this disease. Who else is going to name and fight for the things that need to change? Think about it:
Given the blizzard of daily events, the traditional news media only addresses eating disorders in periodic bursts of cursory interviews, usually sliced and diced without proper context into the over-simplified clips and text they must then cram into the tiny airspace or column width available to them. While individual journalists may be sympathetic, crusading for our cause doesn’t rise to the surface of their many other priorities.
Based on their track record and their motivations, we cannot expect industry – be it in advertising, fitness, fashion, food, beauty, and so on – to be champions for change around eating disorders anymore than we look to polluters to become environmentalists. While many smaller business owners are beginning to adopt more progressive stances around the issue, their voices are but whispers among the cacophony of large-scale “perfection-for-profit” marketing campaigns.
Meanwhile, our elected officials are not only overwhelmed with a staggering number of issues competing for their attention, but also fettered by cumbersome bureaucracies discouraging bold action at every turn. Courageous politicians like former Quebec MP Lauren Liu, who in May 2015 called for a national strategy around eating disorders, are but brief shooting stars that pass through a dark electoral sky.
We must break our own silence
So, it must be us who lights the spark of change. Ironically, though, engaging the people close to this disease – who know and care passionately about the need for change – is a challenge on at least two fronts:
First, those who are or were at one time suffering or who have watched a loved one suffer are the very people who have been silenced through the stigma and shame and marginalization that accompanies this disease. (Not to mention the fact that many of them are in various states of distress, despair, or trauma.)
Second, many of those who provide care for eating disorder sufferers – the advocacy groups, the clinicians, the therapists – are disinclined to speak up. Some are too under-funded and poorly staffed to have time to participate in a campaign such as this. Others see only the people they are able to help – and don’t have a sense of the numbers they don't. Others still may be hesitant to speak out for fear of criticizing a “system of care” of which they are a part.
These are all very real, seemingly rationale reasons for staying mum. But we must all break our silence if we are to beat this disease.
What does “beating this disease” really mean?
Over and over again since launching Something’s Gotta Give, we encounter people wanting to tell their stories of struggle and recovery. We so embrace that. But we are asking for more. We are asking people to reflect on those stories, to draw conclusions from those experiences, to describe how we could better prevent, treat, recover from, and eliminate eating disorders. Because, that is what is instructive and actionable, that is what will make a broader and more lasting difference to the course of this disease and our response to it as individuals and as a society.
It isn’t like there aren’t things we could be doing, or doing more of, or doing differently. There are. SGG campaign participants have already identified scads of them:
That is what we’re hearing from people so far: many ways in which the fight against this disease could be ramped up, must be ramped up if we are to catch it up, overtake it, beat it down.
More than a laundry list, we need a plan
Raising awareness about EDs, without a focus on change, is not enough. Simply articulating the change we know needs to happen is not enough either. We need to compel the public and the decision-makers within it to act with us to collate and coordinate these strategies in an unprecedented attack on eating disorders, society-wide.
That is where our Something’s Gotta Give documentary comes in – because a lot of people will watch a good film. A picture is worth a thousand words. And the narrative is ours.
As our documentary describes and investigates what’s most compelling about the fight against this disease, we believe the media will see that it’s newsworthy, will begin covering it in earnest. There are journalists out there who care about this issue, who are just waiting for someone to give them traction on the eating disorder story.
Even if industry isn’t taking responsibility for the havoc caused by the perfection-for-profit world they’re promoting, consumers might. Our documentary will make the connections on their behalf, get them thinking in new ways, encourage them to “consume” differently. And that can have an impact.
And if our politicians aren’t making eating disorders a priority, our documentary will remove some of their traditional “hiding places", give them a template for taking action, and call on electors to hold them to account around issues of legislation, policy, and budget allocations.
For us to get to the other side of eating disorders, the levers of real change need to be pulled, and pulled hard. That is what the Something’s Gotta Give campaign and documentary are all about. Breaking our silence. Articulating the change we know needs to happen. Compelling the larger public – and key decision-makers within it – to lock arms with us, and act.
It begins now, and it begins with us. Because if we don’t make change happen, who will?
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Stacey is The Looking Glass Foundation’s Executive Director. She lives in Vancouver, BC and is an avid jazz and opera buff, enjoys playing bridge and shooting pool, and looks forward to a day when eating disorders are something we sadly remember, as a thing of the past. You can reach Stacey at stacey@lookingglassbc.com.
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By Carolyn Digby
I had an eating disorder in my late teens that has been a secret for a solid chunk of my life. I shared with a few, and very carefully selected people, that I had suffered from anorexia for a number of years. Today, my disordered years feel like a century ago, and I am very proud to say I am fully recovered. What I've accomplished from that time would completely shock my past self.
My eating disorder had developed as a coping mechanism for how unintelligent and unworthy I had felt as a teenager, despite having unlimited support from family and friends, as well as direct evidence through my studies and extracurricular activities that this was far from the truth. I felt I was never perceived or recognized as being intelligent, which was an attribute I valued very highly. I craved external validation that I was "enough", and I truly believed I could never compete with my unbelievably bright family and peer network. To cope with these feelings, my teenage reasoning was that if I wasn't as smart as my peers, at least I could be extremely likeable and "pretty"; this was personally interpreted as becoming exceedingly people pleasing, and super thin.
It wasn’t until I entered intensive treatment for anorexia in my early twenties that I realized my self worth on my own terms. Only when I tapped into my passions through treatment did I recover fully. I now recognize I am talented, and I have a lot to offer the world. I now recognize there are many types of intelligence and actively try not to compare my own strengths to others; everyone is different. By really focusing on what made me happy and what drives me, I accepted myself.
My choice in keeping my eating disorder a secret was mainly a self-serving behaviour. My greatest fear was that I would be treated differently once the cat was out of the bag. I never wanted to admit my disorder to anyone, as if overcoming a debilitating mental illness was something to be ashamed of.
By keeping this a secret, I was hiding a component of what made me who I am today. It didn't allow me to truly be vulnerable and develop authentic relationships. And while my eating disorder isn't who I am today, it played a solid role in building and shaping my character.
By keeping my secret, I didn't foster recovery in others or contribute to the conversation surrounding eating disorders. This is so important in reaching a world where they don't exist; where they are indeed acknowledged as a serious problem. While not everyone has an eating disorder, sadly it isn't a topic that is un-relatable in modern society. I have found myself in conversation with others about important issues surrounding recovery, body image, and mental illness. When we share our personal stories, we bond and true friendships are made. It shows us that we are not alone in our struggles. That real change can happen.
It took me awhile to reach this level of acceptance with initiating the conversation but the true shame would be not using my story as a catalyst to help others suffering, whether it be through professional work or personally. So why not talk about it? If sharing my story helps one person, then that is more important than anything I could have ever asked for.
My dream is for a world in which eating disorders do not exist. A world where people can talk openly with each other about how they are feeling, support one another if they are struggling, and are comfortable with seeking help. I don't want future generations to suffer in the way we have. If sharing our stories helps us get even one step of the way there, then it is worth it. Change doesn't happen with silence.
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Carolyn went to the University of Victoria for psychology, and is currently working towards applying for a Master's degree in the same subject. She hopes to uncover what sociological and personality aspects contribute to the development of eating disorders. Otherwise, Carolyn loves writing, drawing, travelling the world, and of course, her handsome cat.
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By Nikhita Singhal
Eating disorders: the illnesses of pre-pubescent girls and shallow adolescents. At least, that’s how society often perceives them. Yet eating disorders are not solely focused on food, or weight, or even body image; they are not a vain cry for attention. They are mental illnesses, molded and given power by fear, anxiety, a lack of control, and a myriad of other factors dependent on the individual who is suffering.
And eating disorders are certainly not restricted to females, or to adolescents. They pay no heed to gender, age, or race when they poison people’s minds. Dismissing an eating disorder as an illness of teenage girls not only makes it more difficult for others who are suffering to come forward and seek help; it also makes it difficult to comprehend why these diseases are so deadly.
For some struggling with eating disorders, food and weight may very well be at the forefront of their minds. However, many circumstances that trigger conditions like anorexia or bulimia have naught to do with physical appearance. The culmination of a series of stressful life experiences, a drive for perfection, or a perceived lack of control over the events in one’s life, may all spiral into a deadly fixation on food or one’s body as a coping mechanism.
Certainly, this situation can be exacerbated by the ‘thin ideal’ enforced by ubiquitous media messages. Advertisements scream from every screen and page in sight, rattling our self-worth and influencing our values. However, while combating these toxic messages is unquestionably a worthy pursuit, it will not drive eating disorders to extinction. The underlying issues plaguing people of all genders, ages, and cultures with eating disorders may manifest in food-related behaviours, but cannot be shut down by sheer willpower.
To assume an eating disorder shows weakness in someone suffering is to completely underestimate the potency of the human mind. The paralyzing terror someone feels when faced with food or the prospect of gaining weight may be a reflection of deeper demons to be fought, or of tangible differences in neuroanatomy. Our genes are not something we exert much control over, nor are eating disorder something we choose to be afflicted with. An eating disorder is not a diet or a transient phase. It is not something people try out for a while, decide they don’t like, and then give up on. It is a parasite that latches on to sufferers’ minds, and convinces them that abandoning it would make them weak and miserable. It saps life from them steadily, yet does not allow them to perceive its numerous negative effects. Instead, the further they sink into the illness, the more distorted their perception becomes.
Next time you suspect someone may be struggling with an eating disorder, please do not judge them or dismiss their illness as a fad or phase. Nor should you merely pity them for falling prey to the media’s obsession with thinness – because while a drive for weight loss may be involved, it does not define these individuals. Instead, practice compassion. Eating disorders are no simple ‘way of life’ – and they certainly are not a dieting craze, or an insult to hurl at particularly thin individuals. Rather, eating disorders are a dangerous path that may lead straight to death if the silence and stigma are not shattered.
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Nikhita is a student at McMaster University, where she is studying health sciences. She hopes to use her experience with an eating disorder to make positive contributions to the field and empower others to seek recovery.
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By Susanne Carlson
The New Year is an opportunity to reflect on the year gone by and to approach the year ahead with purpose and intention. A lot of emphasis is placed on this being a time to make big changes in our lives and while this can prove to be a useful motivator for many, it is also important to recognize that meaningful transitions and milestones are happening all year round.
Our efforts in forging forward with life, or as the case may be, with recovery, are meaningful and valuable regardless of when they occur. Taking the pressure off of becoming new and improved versions of ourselves as soon as January 1st rolls around allows us space to grow, learn and move forward at our own pace, in our own way, and on our own time line. For some, the distinct marking of a New Year may be an inspiration for positive change. If the energy of a New Year gives them the inner fire needed to make those changes, then I say all the power to them! However, even if we cannot maintain the full steam ahead attitude we began the year with, or if we find ourselves falling back on old habits, we can still be compassionate and kind to ourselves and give ourselves grace by doing the next right thing. This concept has helped me tremendously in my own recovery journey. By doing the next right thing, we are declaring that we hold the power inside ourselves to make changes when it makes sense for us and in the ways that make sense for us.
With the New Year comes a sense of new beginnings and of looking to the future. It’s a time and space for reflecting back on the previous year. This can be one of the most helpful parts of this time of year, as we can look back to where we were this time last year and note the differences in ourselves. For me, I remember noticing how much laughter came back into my life each year, how much more able I was to take care of my needs, how present I had become in my day to day life. This time of reflection gives us perspective as we embark on the New Year, but it can happen whenever we choose. It can be incredibly rewarding to take time each week, month, or any ordinary day to appreciate where we have been able to take ourselves and to acknowledge the struggles we are still working through. It shows us the grey amidst the black and white. It shows us that while progress may seem slow, we are indeed moving forward, and that each step forward is teaching us along the way.
With reflection and attention to positive change, taking note of what we have learned on our journey up until now, can give us the opportunity to apply it to the future, to take with us what is helpful and to leave behind what is not.
It can be helpful to have specific questions or prompts to use each day that guide us in our journey of reflecting and also in moving forward. Here are some suggestions of questions and prompts that I use myself on a regular basis to ensure that I am staying motivated and attentive to both recovery and the general living of life.
I hope these ideas have been helpful and I hope that everyone who reads this has a healthy and happy New Year.
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Susanne is a Therapeutic Recreation student - soon to be graduate, wife to a patient and loving husband, proud and involved Aunty of two incredible little girls and owner to a beautiful and energetic fluff ball of a cat. She loves all the roles she has in her life and feels fortunate to be very close with her friends and family. She is a passionate advocate of eating disorder awareness, prevention and effective treatment and dedicates herself to learning and developing as a person in her own recovery journey.
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By Ljudmila Petrovic
The holidays are supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but they are often difficult for various reasons. If you currently have an eating disorder or are in recovery, the time of eggnog, gingerbread houses, turkey, and buffets can be more about constant anxiety and triggers than it is a winter wonderland. If your eating disorder has a binging component to it, the normalized gluttony of the holidays can be hugely triggering; if, on the other hand, your eating disorder is restrictive in nature, then a gathering of family and the pressures to eat holiday food can overwhelm you and make you feel scared to take any recovery-based step. Even if you’re well in your recovery, the holidays can be testing for the best of us. Here are some tips for navigating the holidays.
If you need to exercise, do so...
Moderate exercise is always a good idea for feeling healthier. Getting a few runs or yoga classes in during the holidays can be a great way to recharge and get away from the holiday craziness. It's also a good way to cope with the intense feelings that often arise for everyone during the holidays, as well as create some space for you to refocus on your holiday goals.
...but be mindful of why and how much you're doing it.
Exercise is a great way to help navigate the holidays but remember, its alright to skip workouts. It’s also ok to cut down on your exercising. If you're on the treadmill while everyone else is opening presents or building gingerbread houses, you may be slipping into excessive exercise. If you're missing out on festivities and time with your loved ones because you feel like you HAVE to exercise every day or you HAVE to run a certain amount of kilometres in order to grant yourself permission to enjoy Christmas dinner, your exercising might be compulsive.
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Remember what's really important.
Your worth is not defined by the number on the scale. There are things about the holidays and about time with your loved ones that cannot be quantified. Take the time and make the effort to focus on spending time with the people who make you feel safe and who make the holidays feel special.
Be honest with yourself
Be honest with yourself about how much you can handle at this stage of your eating disorder or recovery and, if you feel comfortable, be honest with your family and loved ones. If having dessert just isn’t in the cards for you that day, that’s okay.
Eradicate all-or-nothing thinking and instead focus on trying
All-or-nothing thinking among people with disordered eating is common, it’s a world where things are either good or bad, safe or unsafe, allowed or forbidden. Instead of focusing on being “perfect” in your recovery over the holidays, focus on small steps you want to try. Perhaps a big step for you would be to try one new food at Christmas dinner or to not go back for seconds until you have waited for 15 minutes and assessed your hunger. Encouraging yourself to try them all will set you up to feel like you failed. By focusing on the small successes, you get to celebrate along the way.
Be gentle with yourself…and congratulate yourself
If you've never had an eating disorder, having a normal-sized meal isn't a huge deal. But if you’ve been struggling with bingeing, then eating a normal dinner during the holidays is no small feat. Likewise, if you’re prone to restriction, having seconds or having dessert is a big deal. Just as you’ve been your own worst critic throughout your illness, so too can you learn to be your own number one fan.
Don’t forget your self-care!
What do you need to get through the holidays? Do you need to call your therapist, go to a support group, or write in your journal or workbook? Develop a self-care plan and ensure that you prioritize time for doing whatever activity you need to feel well. Take yourself seriously and be sure to schedule in time for you to take care of yourself and to make your needs matter.
Remember that it’s okay to slip up, it’s okay to not feel ready for a certain food, just like it is okay to eat a big meal and not purge of it. Recovery is uncomfortable; just when you’ve incorporated a new healthy habit, it can feel as though another terrifying one is waiting at the next step. Remember how huge it is that you’re even doing this. You are relearning your entire way of life, you are stepping way out of your comfort zones, and you are on a long and difficult journey. The holidays are a triggering time, and often celebrations push us into these very uncomfortable places. It is hard, but knowing your limits and respecting them, and remembering to self-care, can help in overcoming these hurdles and enjoying the holidays.
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Ljudmila graduated from SFU, where she studied psychology and gender studies. She lives in Vancouver, BC and is doing her MA in counselling psychology, with the goal of doing women-centred therapy.
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By Stacey Huget
For decades, people with eating disorders have been living (and dying) in shame and misery all around us – but we don’t seem to be any closer to beating this disease.
It's been 33 years since Karen Carpenter's death from anorexia put eating disorders on the radar screen of a generation. Back in 1983, many of us believed we'd have put this disease behind us by now. But here we are. We’re not only still talking about it, still struggling to prevent and treat it, we're actually falling behind.
It's estimated that as many as one million Canadians are suffering from anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and other eating disorders. More and more, men as well as women are affected – regardless of age, race, or faith. Youth are especially at risk. Even young children are slipping onto the path of this devastating disease.
This is simply not okay. In our view, it’s time for us all to ramp up the effort – in tangible ways, on multiple fronts.
The Looking Glass Foundation's Something's Gotta Give campaign launches today. It's a call for meaningful change, for urgent action – on everyone's part.
This SGG campaign gives voice to people everywhere – and there are legions of them, from all backgrounds and virtually all walks of life – whose lives have been touched by this disease. Whatever their knowledge, or experience, or impressions are of eating disorders – be it first hand, through a loved one, as a practitioner, or at a distance – we are inviting them to give us their answers to this question:
If we’re really going to get to the other side of eating disorders, something’s gotta give … what IS it?
The answers – and there are many of them – are out there. This campaign is about bringing them together into one conversation, translating them into constructive action, and fueling our sense of urgency and resolve.
Something's Gotta Give has 3 parts:
At the Looking Glass Foundation, when we talk about getting to the other side of eating disorders, we aren't just talking about the individuals who fight so hard for their recovery, who fight so hard to put the disease behind them. We're talking about society as a whole putting this disease behind it, about really getting to the other side of this thing.
Surely, together, we can fight as hard as the individuals among us to get past this disease. To make it a sad memory, a dark period in our history, something we triumphed over.
We’re not there yet. But many thousands of us still believe it’s possible. Before another 33 years elapses.
Join with us. Let's make real change happen. Let's really get to the other side of eating disorders.
For residential treatment facility
information contact the
Looking Glass Residence:
Phone:
604.829.2585
Fax:
604.829.2586
Toll Free:
1.888.980.5874
