A Journey Through Eating Disorders Support & Recovery

At the end of a patient’s journey, I will end our last visit by asking, “tell me something you want me to know as I continue to do this work?” That question started a conversation where a patient, who I had the pleasure of taking care of, took the time to describe why her treatment episode at this juncture in…

Eating is an important factor in maintaining physical and mental well-being. However, a focus on “healthy eating” and nutrition can lead to a fixation on food choices, potentially developing into an eating disorder. Orthorexia nervosa is an eating disorder involving an obsession with “healthy eating.” Orthorexia nervosa is complex and can seem counterintuitive, but is a manageable and treatable condition.…

For the past sixteen years, I have worked with eating disorder patients in residential and inpatient settings. These are some of the things I have seen and never want to see again: A teenager who had to attend their brother’s wedding via zoom because they were in residential treatment for their eating disorder. A woman who would only sit on…

Not one more family without hope. This message is for you: the mother, father, spouse, partner, brother, or sister…The loved one walking every day alongside someone who is struggling to recover from an eating disorder. You are not alone when at various stages on this journey you have felt it difficult to hold on to hope, and felt the tug…

Eating Disorder Awareness is very important to us at Galen Hope. The intersection of mental health and eating disorder treatment is central to what we do, and we both applaud and stand with our colleagues across the eating disorder community to help ensure that we go all that we can to help meet the goal of “Not One More.” Our…

Diabulimia is a serious eating disorder that is often overlooked. It is defined as the deliberate misuse of insulin among individuals with type 1 diabetes in order to lose weight and control their blood sugar levels. Unfortunately, this behavior can lead to serious health risks and even death. It's important to be aware of this disorder and know the signs…

As the Collaborative of Eating Disorders Organizations (CEDO), we strongly oppose the new clinical guidelines introduced by the American Academy of Pediatrics. We do not support intentional weight loss in children via the methods included in the guidelines, especially the recommendation of bariatric surgery and pharmaceutical products for children. The eating disorders community is on the frontline responding to the…

Many people struggle with eating disorders. Commonly understood diagnoses like anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa account for many cases of eating disorders that impact daily life and well-being of affected individuals. But, what if you have symptoms that don’t quite fit the full criteria of those conditions? It’s time to learn more about OSFED, or Other Specified Feeding and Eating…

Nutrition and dieting are often confused in our culture, each reduced to an “eat this, not that” mentality that sees “healthy” eating as food restriction and deprivation. Think “clean eating” and fasting. Calorie counting and detoxes. Setting certain foods off-limits and strict times for when and when not to eat. Mainstream ideas about nutrition are rigid, often extreme, and heavily…

The holidays are a time of celebration and joy for many, but for a person who’s in eating disorder recovery, the season can be challenging. In the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, as people get together with their families, stressful situations arise; even though we’re with the ones we love, our closest relationship can put a strain on any…