The Silent Struggle: Stigma, Secrecy and Eating Disorders

Earlier this month Dr. David Herzog, Director of the Harris Center for Education and Advocacy in Eating Disorders, wrote a compelling yet heartbreaking article for the Huffington Post (Herzog, 2012 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-david-herzog/anorexia_b_1424487.html) about the public perception of anorexia nervosa. This important blog highlights the stigma commonly associated with anorexia, a disease often viewed as self-inflicted and ‘acquired’; a way of seeking attention and becoming thin. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The negativity that individuals who struggle with anorexia, and their families and friends are forced to endure is, as Dr. Herzog argues, unjustified. Sadly, as I’ve noted in my own research and work as a counsellor, such stigma does not end with anorexia: all eating disorders are viewed in much the same fashion. Many of us have a skewed perception of what eating disorders are, how they develop, and the impact they have. We think of the glamorous model, who we assume chooses to control her food or compensate for eating to be thin and attain the image of beauty we wish to attain. Many of us are unaware that eating disorders are more than just restriction, and overlook the pain and damaging long-term effects eating disorders cause. With the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric condition, and maintaining the third highest chronic illness rate among adolescents (www.nedic.ca, 2001), eating disorders are not a lifestyle choice. They are a group of illnesses that subject the sufferer and those most important to them to both social and personal hardships.

Regrettably, it is this lack of awareness and misunderstanding that leads to the stigmatization of eating disorders within the public. However, what is most concerning is the dangerous outcome stigma has: it often results in many choosing to keep their eating disorder secret, leading to isolation from support systems - which may include family, friends, and health professionals. Early intervention is key to fighting eating disorders (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org, 2012) yet many choose to remain isolated, fearful of the blame and lack of understanding they may receive. Simply stated, eating disorders are a secret struggle with hazardous outcomes. The physical, psychological, and social effects of eating disorders are widespread and potentially life-threatening: it is a battle no one would choose to fight, and certainly not alone.

Shame and blame will not lead to positive changes, and negativity will cause those challenged by eating disorders to become even more isolated and secretive. While rates of eating disorders are on the rise and the battle to fight against them seems impossible, there is something all of us can do to help. We can start talking. We can combat stigma by speaking against it, creating awareness and promoting education to reduce shame and blame. While much more needs to be done, beginning the conversation is a start in the right direction. If anything, it may encourage one person to end their silent struggle, in the hopes that one day no one will have to fight the battle alone.