Not A Myth
When confronted with the topic of eating disorders, people who have not had experiences with the disorder tend to wonder why promoting awareness is so important. The simple answer is that eating disorders kill people of all backgrounds and ages on a daily basis. Some responses to this may be: Kill? You're exaggerating. Just rich, white girls have that. Does it really affect that many people? Is it really that big of an issue? Despite the fact that it is likely that every person knows someone or is someone with an eating disorder, eating disorders are commonly misunderstood. Part of the reason for this deals with the mental health stigma: people are afraid of being judged for speaking about their illnesses. As for those who do speak, it is still difficult to communicate the tumult of emotions the disorder presents. Luckily, new research is being conducted and eating disorder awareness is becoming less of a rarity and more of a necessity. At this moment, we'll fo