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If a friend or relative has an eating disorder, such as anorexia, bulimia or binge eating disorder, you will probably want to do everything you can to help them recover.

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Who is on social media?
What is the connection between social media and eating disorders?
Using Social Media Positively
Magnolia Creek Renews your Health

You're already doing a great job by finding out more about eating disorders and how to try to support them – it shows you care and helps you understand how they might be feeling.

Getting professional help from a doctor, practice nurse, or a school or college nurse will give your friend or relative the best chance of getting better. But this can be one of the most difficult steps for someone living with an eating disorder, so try to encourage them to seek help or offer to go along with them.

You can support them in other ways, too:

Keep trying to include them – they may not want to go out or join in with activities, but keep trying to talk to them and ask them along, just like before. Even if they do not join in, they will still like to be asked. It will make them feel valued as a person.
Try to build up their self-esteem – perhaps by telling them what a great person they are and how much you appreciate having them in your life.
Give your time, listen to them and try not to give advice or criticise – this can be tough when you do not agree with what they say about themselves and what they eat. Remember, you do not have to know all the answers. Just making sure they know you're there for them is what's important. This is especially true when it feels like your friend or relative is rejecting your friendship, help and support.

Treatment will be different depending on the type of eating disorder your friend or relative has.

It will usually involve some kind of talking therapy because help with eating and putting on weight alone is usually not enough.

Your friend or relative will talk to a therapist about the emotional difficulties that led to their eating disorder, and they will learn healthier ways to cope with these feelings. Their treatment may also involve them working through a guided self-help programme.

During their treatment, they will also have regular health checks to look after their physical health.

Treatment will take place over a number of weeks so your friend or relative can get used to the changes slowly. The earlier they start, the better their chances of making a good recovery.

Find eating disorders services in your area

Read more about how eating disorders are treated

Most people with eating disorders will not have to stay in hospital. They are seen as outpatients, which means they visit the hospital, for example, 1 day a week.

Some people who have a more advanced or serious eating disorder might need to visit the hospital more often or be admitted to hospital for more intensive support and treatment (known as inpatient care).

This depends on what your friend or relative wants, how you feel and what the treatment centre allows.

Let them know you're thinking of them and would like to visit. If this is not possible, you can always call, text or email them to let them know you're still there to support them.

If your friend or relative has lost an extreme amount of weight, they may be in danger of starving themselves and developing serious complications. They may not be able to think clearly because of the lack of food and may have to be forced into life-saving treatment.

In these circumstances, their doctor may decide to admit them to hospital for specialist treatment. This can only be done after the doctor has consulted with colleagues and they all agree with the doctor's decision. This is called being sectioned and is done under the rules of the Mental Health Act.

Your friend or relative will still need your support. Most people with an eating disorder do recover and learn to use more positive ways of coping.

But recovery from an eating disorder can be very difficult and take a long time. Your friend or relative may even relapse into old behaviours, or have periods of living with their illness again during their recovery.

Part of them may want to get better, while the other part might be very scared about giving up the eating disorder. They might think: "I want to get better but just do not want to gain weight."

They will probably have good days and bad days. During times of stress, the eating difficulties may be more likely to return. Changing the way people with eating disorders think and feel is never easy, and it takes time.

The eating disorders charity Beat has lots more information and support services for people affected by eating disorders, as well as their friends and family.

Social media is one of the greatest communication tools and has changed the way we engage with one another. The social media platform allows us to connect and communicate with anyone, anywhere – whether we post a picture, send a tweet, or update our status. Our lives can be on full display as little or as much as we choose. It also has the power to wreak havoc for someone suffering from an eating disorder and be even more detrimental to those in recovery. While social media alone is typically not the sole cause of developing an eating disorder, it can play a significant role for those susceptible to eating disordered behaviors, anxiety and depression.

You may not even realize the impact social media has on our society, the numbers according to Pew Research Center, shows that social media is more influential than we realize:

69% of US adults use Facebook
73% of US adults use YouTube
75% of 18-24 year olds use Instagram
73% of of 18-24 year olds use Snapchat

While we see that majority of American’s use social media, what is even more surprising is how often.

74% of US adults use Facebook daily, with 51% visiting several times a day
Roughly 77% of Snapchat users and Instagram users ages 18-24 use the apps several times a da

According to the National Eating Disorder Association, a recent study of women between the ages of 18 and 25 showed a link between Instagram and increased self-objectification and body image concerns, especially among those who frequently viewed fitspiration images. Americans spend around two hours a day on social media potentially exposed to unrealistic ideals of beauty, diet talk, body shaming, thinspiration, weight loss posts, and more. Another study of social media users showed that higher Instagram usage was associated with a greater prevalence of orthorexia nervosa symptoms, highlighting the influence social media has on psychological well being.

Social media is used to share everything, and it has become a significant tool for influencing others and placing value on the perfect body and appearance in several key ways.

Body Objectification: Pictures on social media, many of which are altered, play a role in how one seeks validation, often finding our worth by how many “likes” and comments we receive. I have worked with individuals that have used this to decide if they were going to eat that day or not. Selfies on social media can potentially send a message that our beauty determines our worth and our body, a message of which many with an eating disorder struggle.
Comparison: The nature of social media lends itself toward comparison, as we often judge ourselves against others highlight reels of success and happiness. For someone in the depths of an eating disorder, this can be toxic as they compare their body image to those seen on social media. As I stated earlier, these images are often altered and paint an unrealistic picture of how we think we should look.
Triggers: For those in recovery, social media offers triggers to engage in eating disordered behaviors. From personal experience and from women I have treated, I have seen these triggers often come from posts about weight loss, workout routines, dieting, and the images of unrealistic ideals of body sizes. For example, there are many posts of before and after weight loss photos that may trigger the urge to lose weight by any means necessary.

Be mindful and aware of the nature of social media, and view perfect, yet edited images, for what they are. Also, be aware that content you see might be a facade and those posting might be concealing their issues behind smoke and mirrors. Value yourself as you are, and protect yourself from the negativity of social media.

Here are a few tips to minimize your risk of social media leading to an eating disorder:

Be mindful of whom you follow. It can be motivating to follow food and fitness blogs and pages, but make sure you follow the right ones. Follow ones that promote positive information that makes you feel good about who you are.
Don’t be afraid to unfollow. If you find yourself becoming overwhelmed because you can’t live up to the expectations of others on social media, unfollow those people or pages. Don’t be afraid to unfollow those that aren’t good for your physical or mental health.

Social media can be detrimental, but it also gives us a place to be a voice of change and to advocate. We can transform social media from a triggering, toxic space to that of encouragement, learning, and support. Online campaigns and backlashes against sexism and body shaming are becoming more common. Social media can promote a sense of community to those suffering from an eating disorder by simply posting an inspirational message related to body image, a recovery-oriented blog, or an article related to eating disorder education.

Things are changing and we are beginning to see people take the step to help change the conversations on social media. One hashtag that is making the rounds is #NEDAselfie. Individuals are posting unfiltered selfies with a caption about what makes them feel confident in their own skin. Another hashtag that is redefining how women see themselves and their bodies is #WomenEatingFood. This brainchild of a registered dietitian and a body coach came about to help start the conversation around women eating real food without it being labeled as “good” food or “bad food”. Women can eat all sorts of food without criticism or remarks about their bodies.

When it comes to social media it is important to be careful about what we read and see and allow our mind to take in. It is easy to say “feel good about your body,” but for many it’s not so easy to do when social media paints an unrealistic picture. It is important to remember that regardless what a post may be telling you, you are worthy and take the time to appreciate all that you are.

Magnolia Creek Renews your Health

At Magnolia Creek, our holistic approach to treating eating disorders emphasizes self-acceptance, validation, and personal empowerment. Designed to support clients as they explore the contributing factors associated with their eating disorder, our healing environment helps clients challenge their thoughts and behaviors that prevent them from accepting themselves and living fully and freely.

Remember, you are never alone, and we are here to help you if you are struggling with eating disordered behaviors. Magnolia Creek’s comprehensive care plan for treating eating disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders restores health, and our collaborative treatment environment is essential to recovery. Using an evidence-based treatment model, we work with you to help you fully recover. To learn more about our treatment program, please call us at 205-409-4220 or complete our contact form.