What if we could talk about our challenges and diagnosis with a mental disorder publicly like we do with breast cancer, and lung cancer, and leukemia, and ovarian cancer? Everybody knows somebody that has struggled with their mental health; they just don’t know it yet.

I’m writing this because my close friend has had to be strong in the face of adversity. I’ve watched as the people around us talk about looking fat, talk about dieting when they are already at a healthy weight and make heinous comments about how other women look – beautifully flawed women like many of us.

I’ll admit I was taken aback when I learned what it means to have an eating disorder. I want to educate people. No one struggling with an eating disorder or any mental health issue should have to struggle alone or in silence.

It’s important to know that there is a road to recovery, and I’m opening this discussion so those who need professional assistance can learn how to get it, and the rest of us can learn how to support them.

What we don’t enough hear about is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which runs from February 23 to March 1. The NEDA website will tell you eating disorders are serious and life-threatening illnesses.

Despite unprecedented growth of eating disorders in the past two decades, research on eating disorders continues to be under-funded, insurance coverage for treatment is inadequate and societal pressures to be thin remain rampant.

According to NEDA, about 30 million men and women in the U.S. are suffering from an eating disorder. That’s 30 million men, women and children ­— right now.

For you to understand the sheer volume of individuals struggling with eating disorders, let me show you some other numbers.

There are almost 10 million people in Michigan. That’s three states of Michigan’s population suffering from eating disorders. About 13 million men and women have currently been diagnosed with some form of cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. That’s a little more than two times the amount of individuals suffering from cancer who will be diagnosed with an eating disorder.

Because the American Cancer Society has spent around $974 million annually in the fight against cancer, 1.2 million lives have been saved. That’s about $75 per patient in spending. Talk isn’t cheap when it raises you the funds to make a difference.

Comparatively only $28 million in National Institute of Health research funds were spent in the effort to combat eating disorders. Research dollars spent on Alzheimer’s disease averaged $88 per affected individual in 2011. For Schizophrenia the amount was $81. For Autism $44. For eating disorders, the average amount of research dollars per affected individual was just $0.93.
Think of what we could do if we could increase spending per patient to $10 or $20. Think of the treatment programs we could develop. Imagine the lives that could be saved. It all starts with talking about the problem. We need to start talking soon.

For females between 15 and 24 years old who suffer from anorexia nervosa, the mortality rate associated with the illness is 12 times higher than the death rate of all other causes of death.
We congratulate unhealthy forms of weight-loss and fat-shaming in reality shows such as The Biggest Loser and are so obsessed with the increase in obesity that schools in some states are weighing our children and sending home “Fat Letters.” Extreme obesity can be a health risk, too; but we need to discuss the risks of our pro-thinning society.

The real epidemic here is the stigma that surrounds eating disorders and other mental disorders. Those affected are suffering in silence.

The public at-large is uneducated about the prevalence of a disease that is taking the lives of beautiful and intelligent men, women and children. The lack of education is allowing the perpetuation of unhealthy body images.

If we don’t talk about it and name it and put a human face to it – we will never propel a nationwide effort toward combating eating disorders.

For more information, call the free NEDA helpline at 1-800-931-2237.

Samantha Artley is an MSU alumnus. Reach her at samantha.artley@gmail.com.