Fact versus Fiction: Shedding Light on Eating Disorder Myths

Most high-interest topics in the news have a set of myths that continue to confuse the public. Eating disorders are not immune to this trend, especially since many famous faces often are found to be anorexic or bulimic. Myths surrounding eating disorders are numerous, but the facts quickly dispel them.

A typical myth is that females attending college are a very low risk group for eating disorders, because their education protects them from falling victim. An estimated 5 to 20% of college women are inflicted with an eating disorder. This makes them a very high risk group. This is due to the high-pressure situations found in college. Education does not protect graduates either. Many women affected are of high socioeconomic class. The ability to handle successful careers, beautiful physical appearance, or high education has been shown not to protect against an eating disorder. 

 
Another common myth is that only females can fall victim to eating disorders. However, males are also very deeply affected by eating disorders. Rates for males are lower than females, but males are not immune. These rates of eating disorders are harder to measure because men are less likely to admit that they might have a problem then females are. This fact also brings into doubt the ability to measure the rates of males accurately.

 
There is no such thing as discrimination based on body type? This is another untrue myth, one which only people with eating disorders seem to fully realize and having problems accepting. Fattism, or discrimination based on weight or body type, is very prevalent in western cultures. Many in western cultures relate being fat to being lazy, dumb, and disgusting. This fact is most commonly shown by looking at which people are idolized the most. Thin actresses, actors, professional sports stars are all idolized, and the majority of people in these professions are physically fit and thin. A great way to illustrate this in real life is to think of the last verbal fight you heard. One of the most common insults thrown around is "fat."

Dieting as a healthy and successful way to lose weight is the most common myth. Unhealthy dieting is used by a lot of people affected with eating disorders. Dieting does succeed at being a good temporary way to lose weight, but once someone goes off a diet they usually gain the weight back faster. Often times more weight is gained back then was lost. The only truly healthy way to lose weight permanently is to permanently change eating habits. A healthy diet combined with moderate exercise is what the majority of doctors will recommend.

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