A particular interest of mine is eating disorders and their relation to food insecurity. Every person’s experience with food is as unique as a fingerprint. For some, it means the joining of family for celebration. For others, it can be a constant battle for survival while living in poverty. In a perfect world, there could be a one-size-fits-all treatment for those struggling with an eating disorder, but their nature makes it completely impossible.
Why does examining the relationship between food insecurity and eating disorders matter?
As a social worker, I am tasked with meeting a person right where they are, helping them pick up the pieces, and showing them how I can help to put them back together. For many, eating disorders stem from
- trauma
- body dysmorphia
- struggles with gender identity.
However, for many, the cause may be something systemic, unavoidable, and much harder to combat. So, what do we do if the reason someone is struggling is due to an environmental influence?
Not all eating disorders stem from body image or need for control. Sometimes eating disorders can come from a place of total powerlessness. Social work is unique in that it can dip a toe into every pool of someone’s life in order to support intervention. That is what makes connecting with a social worker during eating disorder struggles so imperative.
NEDA states that nearly 31 million Americans will struggle with an eating disorder in their lifetime, and nearly 36 million people live below the federal poverty line in America. We cannot afford to ignore how these statistics overlap. The Academy for Eating Disorders states that there are “10,200 deaths per year as a direct result of an eating disorder, equating to 1 death every 52 minutes.”
There is a substantial risk when we exclude specialized treatment for a large demographic of individuals who struggle with eating disorders. When you are in a constant battle from a young age to find even one meal each day, you develop a scarcity mindset around food. This then raises the question…where does that fit into typical eating disorder treatment?
Challenging the narrative
- “What if I do not get another opportunity to eat today? I need to eat as much as I can just in case.”
- “What if this food goes bad quickly? I have to eat it all now.”
- “I got this box of food from the food bank. I can’t go again until next week. I will have to even out all the calories in this box so I can eat enough every day.”
- “I got my SNAP check today. I need to go get all of my favorite foods before I run out of money.”
These are some common thoughts that individuals facing food scarcity can be faced with. So how do we combat an eating disorder that stems from the way someone must live to survive? Research shows that typical methods of eating disorder treatment may not be as aligned with this “feast or famine” mindset.
These questions are not disordered thinking in a traditional mindset; they are real reactions to real scarcity. Vivienne Hazzard explores this exact issue in a 2020 study discussing the correlation between food insecurity and eating disorders. Hazzard emphasizes the effect that systemic methods of aid have on this population, specifically those receiving SNAP, or food stamp, benefits. When aid is released once per month, often this money is spent heavily at the beginning of the month, with a fall-off as the days progress.
What do we do?
We can combat this head-on by expanding eating disorder treatment models to include not only body image distress, but also food insecurity distress. During initial screening for eating disorder treatment, clinicians ask questions regarding symptoms, behaviors, history with body image, and other relevant information. But, how often do we focus on social determinants of health?
What can treatment look like if we address more than just the surface of eating disorder behavior? NewCircle stands out from typical treatment models for this exact reason. Discharge planning starts on day one of treatment. We address social determinants of health that are individualized to each client.
Those who are experiencing food insecurity and diagnosed with an eating disorder may not fit the colloquial “skinny, white, affluent, girl” or “SWAG” stereotype. This can be incredibly isolating for individuals who need treatment and present in different bodies, with different socioeconomic statuses, and different triggers for eating disorder symptoms.
Treatment is for everyone. That is what treatment looks like at NewCircle: Inclusive, trauma-informed, and unafraid of “different.”
Author:
Taylor Brown, LMSW
Clinical Discharge Coordinator
