2022 Mental Health Essay Contest Awardee: Honorable Mention

If Only People Knew

Evelyn, Virginia

I was 11 years old, away from home, and in treatment for an eating disorder before I knew what the words ‘eating disorder’ meant. All I knew was that a doctor told me my heart rate was dangerously low, some of my organs had stopped working, and I needed to go straight to the hospital without stopping home. And now I was trapped in a hospital room. Little did I know that for the next five years my life would be dominated by eating disorder treatment, and that I would spend over 24 months in different treatment centers away from home.

Since that first treatment stay, I have learned what society thinks eating disorders are. Society seems to think eating disorders are a choice that some arrogant, white, privileged, adolescent females make when they want more attention, which is not surprising when you consider what is taught in schools. In public schools, eating disorders are often taught by a PE teacher in middle or high school, rather than someone who is educated on the topic. Furthermore, they are typically taught as an afterthought, and as something that only affects those people, despite the fact that 30 million Americans, which is nearly 10% of the United States population, suffer from eating disorders, or nearly.¹ They are taught as though they are simply environmental phenomena, even though they are highly genetic.

One would think, though, that once you get to higher level courses, they would be taught more accurately. However, I can remember how frustrated I was after I read what the AP Psychology textbook said eating disorders are; I dreaded going to class when we would discuss them. It surprised and hurt me to realize that this problem of how eating disorders are taught extended past entry level PE courses. I was so troubled going into the classroom the day we would discuss eating disorders; I was so dismayed and uncomfortable realizing that all of the people sitting in class with me were learning that eating disorders only exist in western cultures, anorexia only affects teenage girls whose mother diets, and all people with eating disorders are underweight. As I sat in class, I felt ashamed for having an eating disorder, even though it is not my fault.

In reality, eating disorders affect people of all ethnicities, genders, sizes, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, ages, backgrounds, and walks of life. Eating disorders are serious, life threatening, illnesses that result in a death every 52 minutes; that’s 10,200 deaths per year². Binge eating disorder is by far the most common eating disorder, yet the last one people tend to think of. Only 6% of people with eating disorders are medically underweight. Eating disorders are highly heritable and 40-60% of the variability in eating disorders are caused by genetics.³

Imagine if this was what youth learned in school. The public would not only be more accurately informed, but those of us who struggle with eating disorders would not feel as scared for people to find out. We would not have to fear that others would think of us differently, because they would know that we had just as little say in whether or not we developed an eating disorder as anyone with any medical health issue. If we have to be in the hospital for it, we would get flowers and cards, the same way people with other illnesses do. Rather than feeling like we are alone, we would feel like there were other people who could look out for us. But this does not have to be imaginary.

We could change the way that eating disorders are taught in schools by having eating disorder professionals develop a curriculum that covers eating disorders in all levels of education. This could be done through a nationwide eating disorder initiative, such as The National Eating Disorders Association, or by hiring local eating disorder experts, including eating disorder therapists, dietitians, and psychiatrists. Each school district tends to have their own process for creating curricula, which allows for each municipality to choose the avenue for incorporating professionals that works best for them. Some school districts may write this off without even looking into it due to budget concerns. However, from my experience, there are many eating disorder professionals who would work to change the school curricula pro bono because they know how much of a change this could make and they feel so passionate about the issue.

In order to effectively implement the curriculum changes, teachers would need to be trained in how to approach the topic and how to ensure that their personal biases do not influence their teaching. While it may not be sustainable long term for eating disorder professionals to do this training, they may be able to train school district employees on how to conduct this training. By changing the way eating disorders are taught in all school levels, it is possible to change the false assumptions the public often has about individuals who struggle with eating disorders.

Imagine if the millions of people with Eating Disorders in the United States’ illness was better understood by the general public. Imagine how much more supported people like me would feel. While this knowledge would not solve the genetics of eating disorders and would not make eating disorders go away, it would make all of us who suffer feel better understood, less ashamed, more willing to share our stories, and more supported in our recovery! I look forward to the day that we don’t have to imagine it; that curricula are accurate; that students throughout the US learn the facts; and that many of the falsehoods and stigma about eating disorders disappear!

References

1. National Eating Disorder Association (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org)
2. ANAD www.anad.org
3. National Eating Disorder Association (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org)

NIH recognizes these talented essay winners for their thoughtfulness and creativity in addressing youth mental health. These essays are written in the students' own words, are unedited, and do not necessarily represent the views of NIH, HHS, or the federal government.

Page updated September 20, 2022