NEDA WEEK 2025
Happy National Eating Disorder Awareness (NEDA) Week.
This week serves as a purpose to bring insight through education on eating disorders and to provide hope for those suffering and/or their loved ones.
Eating disorders are bio-psycho-social meaning they are not caused by one single thing and are treated per the individual - not the condition at hand.
Whether you personally have been diagnosed with an eating disorder, have not been officially diagnosed with an eating disorder, if you love a human with an eating disorder, are a practitioner who treats eating disorders, or if you have recovered from an eating disorder or are in active recovery, this is for you.
We see this population often and it’s so important to us to recognize and advocate for equal access to care for all of those affected.
Here are some facts*:
9% (28.8 million Americans) of the U.S. population will have an eating disorder in their lifetime
Less than 6% of people with eating disorders are medically diagnosed as “underweight.”
84% of college athletes engaged in disordered eating for sport
Eating disorders do not discriminate. We have seen so many different ages, sexual orientations, races and body types in our office.
Did you know that eating disorders have the 2nd highest mortality rate of any mental illness with the risk of death being the highest in anorexia nervosa?
According to the International PCOS Guideline, there are higher rates of eating disorders and disordered eating in PCOS patients compared to controls.
22% of children and adolescents worldwide show disordered eating.
Nearly nine in ten (87%) LGBTQ youth reported being dissatisfied with their body.
A recent study reported that, in a sample of competitive athletes, over 86% met criteria for an eating disorder/subthreshold eating disorder.
62.3% of teenage girls and 28.8% of teenage boys report trying to lose weight. 58.6% of girls and 28.2% of boys are actively dieting. 68.4% of girls and 51% of boys exercise with the goal of losing weight or to avoid gaining weight. *when their bodies are going through so much change!
Rates of eating disorders in males are increasing at a faster rate than for females.
*source and statistics from NEDA - www.nationaleatingdisorders.org and STRIPED, Academy for Eating Disorders and JAMA Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
While numbers and statistics are great to show the prevalence and impact of eating disorders, numbers alone can’t capture the lived-in experience of those affected - emotionally, culturally, physically and those supporting them through the lived-in experience.
We see you.
Warning signs and symptoms of an eating disorder:
Behavioral: changes in eating patterns, withdrawal from friends/community, avoidance of eating in front of others, body checking frequently, eating limited food textures
Emotional: preoccupation with calories or nutrients or ingredients, concern about body shape/size, experiencing shame/guilt after eating, low self esteem
Physical: significant weight fluctuations (in either direction), fatigue, dizziness, feeling cold all the time, GI/gut issues, difficulty sleeping or concentrating
Again, we see you. You are not alone. It takes a village and our hope is that your village holds you tight through affirmations, care, love and support.
See below some of our favorite resources:
Books:
No Weigh: A Teen’s Guide… by Signe Darpinian, Wendy Sterling, Shelley Aggarwal
How to Raise an Intuitive Eater by Sumner Brooks and Amee Severson
Intuitive Eating workbook by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch
Podcasts:
Food Psych
Find your food voice
Sunnyside up Nutritionist
Fed Collective
Local to middle TN
Renewed for free support groups
You can also reach out to the free eating disorder support helpline: 1-888-375-7767
We will be sharing over on our socials other resources and ways to get involved. We are also here so if you have any questions at all, please reach out to us at info@worleynutritiongroup.com with the header of “NEDA Questions.”