By Sam Bennison

To Your Health

How to support someone with an Eating Disorder

Jan 30, 2024 | 6:54 PM

PRINCE GEORGE—Eating Disorder Awareness weak begins on February first and goes till the seventh. Eating Disorders can affect anyone at any age but how do you support a loved one with the condition?

Annorexia Nervosa is the deadliest mental illness with an estimate of five to twenty percent of patients dying from complication. People with an eating disorder will often view themselves as fat or overweight while being other wise malnourished.

“A really common stereotype is that eating disorders largely affect women, or maybe that people with eating disorders are small or thin. And so that’s really not true,” explains Rilla Lodge, Youth and Family Counselor with the Eating Disorders Program. “We know that eating disorders don’t distinguish gender, age, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, size. It really can happen to anybody.”

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Bullemia Nervosa can be more difficult to notice as it’s characterized by binge eating large quantities of food. As Lodge explains, afterwards the person may feel guilt or shame and perform a compensatory behaviour such as vomiting, exercise, or taking laxatives to negate the effects of the binge.

This can affect someones health in other ways such as tooth decay, electrolyte imbalances, and drastic weight changes.

If you are concerned about yourself or a loved one, speak with a family doctor about treatment opportunities when supporting someone with an eating disorder, the best thing you can do is listen.

“Often our inclination is to jump in with a lot of advice or, you know, telling them what to do or explaining that it’s bad,” says Lodge. “Typically people living with eating disorders know this, and they’re probably living with a lot of shame and struggling already.”

Instead of offering advice Lodge recommends just being a caring compassionate presence.

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Email: sam.bennison@pattisonmedia.com