Experts share knowledge for Eating Disorders Awareness Week

By KENDALL KING, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on February 5, 2022.

The first week of February marks Eating Disorders Awareness Week in Canada.

“Over the course of the week, organizations across the country will come together to create some kind of cohesive language to talk about eating disorders and disordered eating,” Laura Berlinguette, executive director of the Eating Disorder Support Network of Alberta, told the News. “The theme for this year is ‘everyone has a role to play.’ It’s really focusing on how (to) either find support for yourself or how you can support somebody you care about.”

It’s estimated more than 55,000 Albertans are living with eating disorders, and approximately 1 million Canadians.

“There’s sort of a range for eating disorders. You’ll hear about anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa as eating disorders, but binge-eating disorder is the most common eating disorder and affects men and women almost equally,” said Berlinguette.

While eating disorders are a central focus of the week, disordered eating is another topic organizations like EDSNA hope to raise awareness of.

“Eating disorders and disordered eating can be a little different,” said Berlinguette. “If we think of eating as a spectrum where you have, quote-unquote, healthy eating at one end of the spectrum – you have that mind-body connection and you, generally, eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full – all the way to eating disorders at the other end.

“Disordered eating can be where you have an individual who maybe doesn’t quite have that clinically diagnosed eating disorder but still has a fair amount of life interference and still struggles a lot with food or body image concerns. So, eating disorders are always disordered eating, but not all disordered eating is an eating disorder.”

While the cause of eating disorders and disordered eating can vary, both involve feelings of shame and guilt and can often be hard to detect, Berlinguette says.

Dr. Linda Hancock, registered psychologist, registered social worker and former Hatter, agrees.

“Eating disorders are about feeling out of control,” Hancock told the News. “Sometimes if people are emotionally stressed, they really don’t know what to do with that, so they try to control their eating instead of trying to face the issues that are actually stressing them.”

Hancock and Berlinguette hope Eating Disorders Awareness Week will generate greater knowledge about eating disorders and disordered eating and encourage those who may be impacted to seek help.

“There’s research to support that early intervention leads to better outcomes, so… we really encourage people to ask those questions earlier and not to leave the concerning behaviours or symptoms to grow and entrench themselves in somebody who’s struggling,” Berlinguette said.

A statement from Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Mike Ellis also encouraged those impacted to seek assistance.

“Left unrecognized, undiagnosed and untreated, eating disorders can cause serious mental and physical harm. For many, particularly youth, the isolation and anxiety caused by the pandemic and related restrictions has only added to the challenges and emotional struggles felt by those living with eating disorders,” the statement read. “As only a small percentage of those who suffer seek medical attention, your awareness, understanding and support may save a life. With early diagnosis and appropriate treatment, a full recovery is possible.”

More resources can be found on EDSNA’s website.

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