If you or someone you love is struggling with food, eating, or body image, free and confidential help is available. The National Alliance for Eating Disorders helpline, 1.866.662.1235, is answered by licensed therapists. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 any time.
Eating disorders are serious, treatable mental health conditions, and the myths that surround them keep real people from getting help. They affect people of every gender, age, and body size, they are never a choice, and recovery involves much more than food. Here are five of the most common myths, corrected.
Key takeaways
- Eating disorders affect men, women, teens, and adults of every body size.
- You cannot tell whether someone has an eating disorder by looking at them.
- Recovery is about healing your relationship with food and your body, not just weight.
- Eating disorders develop from a mix of factors. No one chooses one.
- They carry serious health consequences, and early treatment matters.
Myth 1: Only Young Women Get Eating Disorders
Eating disorders do not check demographics before they arrive. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), an estimated 0.9 percent of women and 0.3 percent of men experience anorexia nervosa in their lifetime, binge eating disorder affects an estimated 1.6 percent of women and 0.8 percent of men in a given year, and an estimated 2.7 percent of adolescents ages 13 to 18 experience an eating disorder. Men and boys are part of these numbers, and many people are first diagnosed as adults after struggling quietly for years.
Myth 2: You Can Tell by Looking at Someone
Many people living with an eating disorder are at a weight that looks unremarkable to others. Some appear outwardly healthy, exercise regularly, and hold demanding jobs while carrying an exhausting internal struggle. Appearance is not a diagnostic tool, and assuming otherwise leaves a lot of people unseen and unsupported.
Myth 3: Gaining Weight Means Someone Is Recovered
Nutritional stabilization is one piece of recovery, not the whole of it. Lasting healing also addresses the beliefs about food, body image, and self worth that drive the disorder. That is where therapy comes in. Without that deeper work, relapse risk stays high. Comprehensive treatment pairs steady, moderate eating habits with individual therapy and rebuilding a confident, connected life.
Myth 4: People Choose Their Eating Disorder
No one chooses an eating disorder. The Mayo Clinic notes that the exact cause of eating disorders is not known, and that, as with other mental health conditions, different causes may contribute, including genetics and biology. Framing an eating disorder as a willful act is not just wrong, it is one of the stigmas that keeps people from reaching out.
Myth 5: Eating Disorders Are Not That Serious
Eating disorders are among the most dangerous mental health conditions. The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) reports that anorexia has the highest case mortality rate and the second highest crude mortality rate of any mental illness, and the Mayo Clinic is direct that untreated eating disorders can become long term problems and, in some cases, cause death. The complications are medical as well as emotional, which is why treatment teams often include a therapist and a medical provider working together. The most important takeaway is not fear, it is urgency with hope: eating disorders are treatable, and people recover.
How Therapy Helps
Specialized eating disorder therapy gives you a private, supportive place to understand what the disorder has been doing for you, heal your relationship with food and your body, and build coping skills that do not cost you your health. Because eating disorders often travel with anxiety and depression, therapy addresses the whole picture, and your therapist can coordinate with your physician or dietitian.
Watch: five myths about eating disorders, corrected
Prefer to watch? This short video corrects the five myths and shares where to find support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can men and boys have eating disorders?
Yes. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that an estimated 0.3 percent of men experience anorexia nervosa in their lifetime and 0.8 percent of men experience binge eating disorder in a given year. Because of the stereotype that these are young women's illnesses, men often wait longer to seek help.
Are eating disorders a choice?
No. The Mayo Clinic notes that eating disorders, like other mental health conditions, develop from a mix of possible causes, including genetics and biology. Nobody chooses to have one, and recovery is not a matter of willpower. With specialized treatment and support, lasting recovery is absolutely possible.
How serious are eating disorders?
Very. ANAD reports that anorexia has the highest case mortality rate and the second highest crude mortality rate of any mental illness. Serious does not mean hopeless: eating disorders are treatable, and early support from a therapist and a medical provider improves outcomes considerably.
Where can I get help for an eating disorder right now?
The National Alliance for Eating Disorders helpline, 1.866.662.1235, is free, confidential, and answered by licensed therapists on weekdays. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 any time. For ongoing care in Northern Colorado, a specialized eating disorder therapist can help you take the next step.
Clinically reviewed by Chris Berger, M.A., LPC, NCC.
You deserve support from someone who sees past the myths. Our caring therapists provide specialized, compassionate eating disorder therapy in Fort Collins, Loveland, and Windsor, and your first consultation is free. Most new clients have their first appointment within about 48 hours. Schedule your free consultation or call 970.227.2770.
Support is one call away: the National Alliance for Eating Disorders helpline at 1.866.662.1235, or 988 if you are in crisis.
