Eating disorders are some of the most deadly psychiatric illnesses in the country, with the second-highest mortality rate after opioid addiction. About 30 million Americans will experience an eating disorder in their lifetime, according to the National Eating Disorder Association.
This week, through March 1, is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, which provides hope and challenges the stigma that comes with the illness. According to the association, this week’s theme is Every BODY Belongs.
“Unfortunately, I’ve seen the severity of my clients getting worse,” said Nicole Hawkins, CEO, Center for Change.
Hawkins leads the Center for Change, which is one of the oldest eating disorder programs in the country.
“When I became a psychologist, I started sharing my story, I started working with individuals with eating disorders, and the ability to connect with them and give them hope is so powerful,” she said.
Hawkings struggled with an eating disorder that began when she went to college. She said it was isolating, but she kept shrinking her body with the belief that she would have more friends and fit in.
“I didn’t want to talk about it, no one really knew, and I was ashamed, and I didn’t have any intent on working with people with eating disorders,” she shared.
Eventually, Hawkins said depression and hopelessness set in.
“For me, that hopelessness — like if this is my life, then it’s not worth it — so I need to do something differently," she said.
That turning point led her to recovery, and now, she’s helping others.
The Center for Change started in 1994, and a few years later, Hawkings joined the team. She said patients have gotten younger over the years, with the center treating clients as young as 13 years old, but Hawkins said there’s a need for treatment for those as young as eight.
“We’re seeing individuals come in with much lower weights and much more acute states where they need significant medical intervention — where we’ve never seen that before,” she said.
Hawkins said social media is accelerating this issue at a much higher rate.
“For example, even during COVID, there was a TikTok trend to come into treatment and film yourself with an NG tube — and that went viral," said Hawkins. "Then everyone wanted to come into treatment and get a feeding tube just so that it could go viral.”
During this week of awareness, Hawkins hopes people learn about treatment resources and the issues surrounding eating disorders.
“An eating disorder is something that people can recover from," she explained. "So giving them those tools, resources and giving them that hope."
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, you can reach out to the NEDA Helpline at 800-931-2237 or its website.
