The Face Of Eating Disorders
If you asked the average person about eating disorders, many people would point to young girls as the face of these deadly diseases.
Despite the common misconception that eating disorders affect young women only, these diseases do not discriminate by gender or age. In fact, research tells us that eating disorders affect both women and men of every age.
In Recent News
Men suffering from anorexia and women ages 50 and over who have eating disorders are steadily coming to the forefront in recent news. Unfortunately, only 10 percent of men with eating disorders get help, and 13 percent of women age 50 and older have eating disorder symptoms that go unnoticed, according to the International Journal of Eating Disorders. These disorders are less commonly linked to men and older women; therefore, the warning signs and symptoms can go untreated.
An Interview
Matt Wetsel, a Richmond, VA,-based eating disorder writer and activist, joined the Huffington Post this week for a discussion on the public perception of eating disorders. Matt has recovered from anorexia and is now committed to educating people about eating disorders, challenging body image standards, and questioning gender constructs as they relate to mental health and the way we regard our bodies.
Until Eating Disorders are No More
If you want to learn more about Matt and see his latest posts, his eating disorder and body image blog, entitled “Until Eating Disorders are No More,” can be viewed here: http://arenomore.wordpress.com
Eating Disorder Self Test. Take the EAT-26 self test to see if you might have eating disorder symptoms that might require professional evaluation. All answers are confidential.