The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals and families affected by eating disorders. NEDA supports individuals and families affected by eating disorders, and serves as a catalyst for prevention, cures and access to quality care.
In the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men will suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their lives. Eating disorders are serious, life-threatening illnesses that affect all kinds of people, regardless of gender, ethnicity, size, age, or background. In fact, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental health concern.
Eating disorders are widely misunderstood illnesses and support options are often inaccessible. As a result, too many people are left feeling helpless, hopeless, and frightened. Through NEDA programs and services, NEDA raises awareness, builds communities of healing, funds research, and puts life-saving resources into the hands of those in need.
Links to Resources:
- National Eating Disorders Awareness Week – This year’s theme is Let’s Get Real with the goal to expand the conversation and highlight stories we don’t often hear. Culture has complicated relationships with food, exercise, and appearance.
- Get Screened for an Eating Disorder
- Contact the Helpline, you can call, text or chat with trained volunteers.
- Find Treatment according to population, occurring disorders, level of care, insurance options, and treatments offered.
- Find Support Groups & Research Studies in your state.
- Watch the Marginalized Voices video which confronts the prevailing myths about who struggles with eating disorders, underscoring that everyone’s experience is valid and deserving of care and recovery.
- The Body Project – Backed by two decades of research and evaluation data, the Body Project is a group-based intervention that provides a forum for women and girls to confront unrealistic beauty ideals and engages them in the development of healthy body image. through verbal, written, and behavioral exercises. The conceptual basis for the Body Project is that if girls and young women voluntarily argue against the societal appearance-ideal, this will result in a reduced subscription to this ideal and to consequent decreases in eating disorder risk factors and eating disordered behaviors.
- NEDA Walks educate affected individuals and their families, while raising funds in the fight against eating disorders.
- Legislative Advocacy efforts center on awareness, education, early intervention and prevention programs, funding for research, and improved access for the treatment of eating disorders.
Date: 2018