Eating Disorder Myths, Misconceptions, Facts, and Answers
Facts about Eating Disorders:
- Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that involve extreme disturbances in eating behaviour, including severe restriction of food, food binges, and purging behaviours like vomiting or overexercising.
- Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, with at least one person dying in the US every hour as a direct result from an eating disorder.
- Eating disorders affect people of any age and gender, although they are more common in women and adolescents. - Eating disorders involve an extreme focus on issues related to food and eating, and may also involve an extreme focus on weight. Genetics, personality traits, perceived pressures to be thin, and exposure to media promoting certain ideals may all contribute to the development of an eating disorder.
- Common symptoms of eating disorders include severe restriction of food, food binges, and purging behaviors. The most common types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, night eating syndrome, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder.
- Eating disorders can have serious health consequences and may even result in death if left untreated.
Eating Disorders Facts: Eating Disorders are a group of psychiatric illnesses caused by disturbances and discrepancies in eating behaviours that are considered nonnormative and may result in a negative impact on physical attributes and may induce bodily harm¹
Approximately 440,000 to 990,000 Canadians fit the criteria of having an eating-related disorder in Canada²; that number rose to approximately 1,000,000 in 2016³ and is now at an estimated 3,000,000 Canadians in 2022⁴
Of any mental illness, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate, with 10-20% of diagnosed people eventually dying from complications⁵
Out of all AN and BN cases, men represent approximately 10-20%⁶Eating Disorders are diagnosed using the DSM-5 (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) system created by the APA (American Psychiatric Association). It is important to understand the difference between an eating problem and an eating disorder.
Some common misconceptions regarding eating disorders include:
The number of people diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa and Pica.
Although these two specific disorders are the most well-known eating disorders, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating are the most common eating disorders.
Does crash dieting or fad diets translate to Eating Disorders?
While many people tend to do fasts, diets, or extreme exercise for numerous amount of reasons, it is crucial to differentiate disordered eating from actual eating disorders. To learn more, view specific Eating Disorder definitions.
If a doctor says to eat less or eat more, just eat less or eat more.
Unfortunately, Eating Disorders fall into the category where diagnosed individuals cannot follow such blatant phrases given such as 'eat less' or 'eat more'. An Eating Disorder is a psychiatric illness, which means that individuals may have a shifted perception of how they view the world, and specifically how they view their eating and their body.
Myths:
Myth #1: “Only women and girls struggle with eating disorders”
- Fact: People of all genders can experience an eating disorder or disordered eating. Studies have found that the prevalence of eating disorders for women is 19.4% and 13.8% for men. In other words, 1 in 4 people with AN or BN and 1 in 3 people with BED are boys and men.³
Myth #2: “Anorexia and bulimia are the only eating disorders”
- Fact: Binge Eating Disorder is 3x more common than anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) combined.⁴ Other lesser-known eating disorders also exist and may manifest in an individual differently than AN and BN do. Much of psychological and health research has focused on anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, and the literature lacks a discussion on lesser-known eating disorders. Please see the page Types of Eating Disorders to learn more about other forms of eating disorders and disordered eating behaviours.
Myth #3: “Being extremely skinny is indicative of an eating disorder” -
Fact: The “lifetime” prevalence of anorexia nervosa shows a significant positive correlation with low weight.⁵ However, being “skinny” does not always mean that someone has an eating disorder. In fact, anyone of any size can be affected by any eating disorder. Using thinness as an indicator of an eating disorder is a stigmatized assumption, and many individuals with eating disorders who do not meet medically “underweight” criteria may go undiagnosed and thus without treatment.
Myth #4: “If someone with an eating disorder gains weight, they are recovered.”
- Fact: Similarly to Myth #3, weight and perceived thinness do not indicate a person’s recovery status or health. Many individuals with eating disorders may not reach an emaciated figure. There is a common misconception that being emaciated or severely underweight is the only risky part about having an eating disorder, but that is not the case. Because an individual with an eating disorder may purge, use laxatives or other diet pills, over-exercise, or under-nourish themselves (to name just a few behavioural symptoms), these behaviours have a severely negative effect on one’s health. For example, the practice of purging via vomiting can erode teeth, resulting in poor dental hygiene and can lead to physiological disease or fatality due to losing electrolytes and putting the body through rigorous and unnatural functioning.⁶
Myth #5: “Eating disorders aren’t actually that serious”
- Fact: Eating Disorders are serious and potentially fatal. Due to the serious complications associated with restriction, malnutrition, purging, binge-eating, and the comorbid psychiatric disorders that may accompany an eating disorder (e.g. depression and anxiety, for example), eating disorders and disordered eating is extremely serious and potentially fatal.
Resources utilized:
#3: Galmiche, M., Déchelotte, P., Lambert, G., & Tavolacci, M. P. (2019). Prevalence of eating disorders over the 2000-2018 period: A systematic literature review. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1095), 1402-1413 https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqy342
#4: Hudson Jl, Hiripi E, Pope HG Jr, and Kessler RC. (2007). The prevalence and correlates of eating disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Biological Psychiatry, 61(3):348-58. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.03.040
#5: Ibid
#6: Westmoreland, P., Krantz, M. J., & Mehler, P. S. (2016) Medical complications of anorexia nervosa and bulimia. The American Journal of Medicine. 129(1):30-37. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed 2015.08.031
Resources utilized: Walsh, B. Timothy, et al. Eating Disorders Wenk C: What Everyone Needs to Know®
Committee Report No. 4 - FEWO (41-2) - House of Commons of Canada
Statistics Canada, 2016
UHN/UofT ED Statistics https://www.uhn.ca/corporate/News/Pages/Expanding_support_for_eating_disorders_across_Canada.aspx
CMHA Eating Disorders Brochure
Walsh, B. Timothy, et al. Eating Disorders Wenk C: What Everyone Needs to Know®
Go To Homepage- Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that involve extreme disturbances in eating behaviour, including severe restriction of food, food binges, and purging behaviours like vomiting or overexercising.
- Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, with at least one person dying in the US every hour as a direct result from an eating disorder.
- Eating disorders affect people of any age and gender, although they are more common in women and adolescents. - Eating disorders involve an extreme focus on issues related to food and eating, and may also involve an extreme focus on weight. Genetics, personality traits, perceived pressures to be thin, and exposure to media promoting certain ideals may all contribute to the development of an eating disorder.
- Common symptoms of eating disorders include severe restriction of food, food binges, and purging behaviors. The most common types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, night eating syndrome, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder.
- Eating disorders can have serious health consequences and may even result in death if left untreated.
Eating Disorders Facts: Eating Disorders are a group of psychiatric illnesses caused by disturbances and discrepancies in eating behaviours that are considered nonnormative and may result in a negative impact on physical attributes and may induce bodily harm¹
Approximately 440,000 to 990,000 Canadians fit the criteria of having an eating-related disorder in Canada²; that number rose to approximately 1,000,000 in 2016³ and is now at an estimated 3,000,000 Canadians in 2022⁴
Of any mental illness, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate, with 10-20% of diagnosed people eventually dying from complications⁵
Out of all AN and BN cases, men represent approximately 10-20%⁶Eating Disorders are diagnosed using the DSM-5 (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) system created by the APA (American Psychiatric Association). It is important to understand the difference between an eating problem and an eating disorder.
Some common misconceptions regarding eating disorders include:
The number of people diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa and Pica.
Although these two specific disorders are the most well-known eating disorders, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating are the most common eating disorders.
Does crash dieting or fad diets translate to Eating Disorders?
While many people tend to do fasts, diets, or extreme exercise for numerous amount of reasons, it is crucial to differentiate disordered eating from actual eating disorders. To learn more, view specific Eating Disorder definitions.
If a doctor says to eat less or eat more, just eat less or eat more.
Unfortunately, Eating Disorders fall into the category where diagnosed individuals cannot follow such blatant phrases given such as 'eat less' or 'eat more'. An Eating Disorder is a psychiatric illness, which means that individuals may have a shifted perception of how they view the world, and specifically how they view their eating and their body.
Myths:
Myth #1: “Only women and girls struggle with eating disorders”
- Fact: People of all genders can experience an eating disorder or disordered eating. Studies have found that the prevalence of eating disorders for women is 19.4% and 13.8% for men. In other words, 1 in 4 people with AN or BN and 1 in 3 people with BED are boys and men.³
Myth #2: “Anorexia and bulimia are the only eating disorders”
- Fact: Binge Eating Disorder is 3x more common than anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) combined.⁴ Other lesser-known eating disorders also exist and may manifest in an individual differently than AN and BN do. Much of psychological and health research has focused on anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, and the literature lacks a discussion on lesser-known eating disorders. Please see the page Types of Eating Disorders to learn more about other forms of eating disorders and disordered eating behaviours.
Myth #3: “Being extremely skinny is indicative of an eating disorder” -
Fact: The “lifetime” prevalence of anorexia nervosa shows a significant positive correlation with low weight.⁵ However, being “skinny” does not always mean that someone has an eating disorder. In fact, anyone of any size can be affected by any eating disorder. Using thinness as an indicator of an eating disorder is a stigmatized assumption, and many individuals with eating disorders who do not meet medically “underweight” criteria may go undiagnosed and thus without treatment.
Myth #4: “If someone with an eating disorder gains weight, they are recovered.”
- Fact: Similarly to Myth #3, weight and perceived thinness do not indicate a person’s recovery status or health. Many individuals with eating disorders may not reach an emaciated figure. There is a common misconception that being emaciated or severely underweight is the only risky part about having an eating disorder, but that is not the case. Because an individual with an eating disorder may purge, use laxatives or other diet pills, over-exercise, or under-nourish themselves (to name just a few behavioural symptoms), these behaviours have a severely negative effect on one’s health. For example, the practice of purging via vomiting can erode teeth, resulting in poor dental hygiene and can lead to physiological disease or fatality due to losing electrolytes and putting the body through rigorous and unnatural functioning.⁶
Myth #5: “Eating disorders aren’t actually that serious”
- Fact: Eating Disorders are serious and potentially fatal. Due to the serious complications associated with restriction, malnutrition, purging, binge-eating, and the comorbid psychiatric disorders that may accompany an eating disorder (e.g. depression and anxiety, for example), eating disorders and disordered eating is extremely serious and potentially fatal.
Resources utilized:
#3: Galmiche, M., Déchelotte, P., Lambert, G., & Tavolacci, M. P. (2019). Prevalence of eating disorders over the 2000-2018 period: A systematic literature review. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1095), 1402-1413 https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqy342
#4: Hudson Jl, Hiripi E, Pope HG Jr, and Kessler RC. (2007). The prevalence and correlates of eating disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Biological Psychiatry, 61(3):348-58. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.03.040
#5: Ibid
#6: Westmoreland, P., Krantz, M. J., & Mehler, P. S. (2016) Medical complications of anorexia nervosa and bulimia. The American Journal of Medicine. 129(1):30-37. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed 2015.08.031
Resources utilized: Walsh, B. Timothy, et al. Eating Disorders Wenk C: What Everyone Needs to Know®
Committee Report No. 4 - FEWO (41-2) - House of Commons of Canada
Statistics Canada, 2016
UHN/UofT ED Statistics https://www.uhn.ca/corporate/News/Pages/Expanding_support_for_eating_disorders_across_Canada.aspx
CMHA Eating Disorders Brochure
Walsh, B. Timothy, et al. Eating Disorders Wenk C: What Everyone Needs to Know®