0:12 Our society holds women to a beauty standard that is simply unattainable. Magazines and social media show how beautiful women should look using retouched images of extremely thin women. That has led people to develop unhealthy mindsets on how a person should look for decades. Three to 5% of women aged 18 to 45 will experience a serious eating disorder in their lifetime and the numbers are rising according to the Ontario government. At just 20 years old Stephanie Lynn Ross says she has struggled with an eating disorder for as long as she can remember. She tried to obtain a certain type of body that wasn't healthy and it led her down a dangerous path. 0:54 I can at least say for sure that like the first time I remember probably noticing signs of it would be when I was when I first started school, so probably when I was four years old. Which is kind of insane. when you really think about it, four year old having issues with her body image that's kind of insane. When you go into school, it's kind of your first time being surrounded by other children your age. Who are supposed to be the same height as you and the same weight as you. Everyone else is the same height and weight as each other, but I was taller and I was chubbier than every single kid there. It was clear to see that I was different. And it was clear for me to see and it was clear for the other kids to see. And it was easy for them to make small comments here and there that definitely would eventually get to my head. By the time I was in grade seven, I was eating an apple a day and a carton of chocolate milk and that was my diet for the whole week. Pretty much skin and bone at that point and my doctor said to my mom, if she she doesn't stop going down this road, like I don't know what we're gonna do, like we're gonna lose her. You have to make sure she's eating. But that was kind of a turning point was when I kind of started to gain weight back because I felt like I was actually skinny and I was like, okay, I can eat again, stuff like that. But the weight came back on and it came back on quickly. I eventually just developed what's called a binge disorder. I felt felt very powerless at that time in my life and I felt very disappointed in myself very guilty all the time. 2:20 Dr. Blake Woodside has been treating patients with eating disorders since 1986. He says that women with anorexia are actively discriminated against in our society, 2:31 They're told that they don't have a real illness, that it's just a lifestyle choice despite the 20% mortality rate. That they're just silly little girls who should just like smarten up and eat. Their families are told that they caused it. Which would be totally unacceptable if it was cancer, for example, nobody would say this one's mother cause cancer. It's silly notion that people's parents cause anorexia nervosa. If they get past those hurdles, they get to their family doctor who has had zero hours of training in eating disorders in medical school or in their family practice training and is unable to diagnose or identify the eating disorder. If they actually find somebody a family doctor who is able to diagnose the disorder, then they discovered that the nearest treatment center is three hours away and there's a six month waiting list to be assessed, let alone get into treatment. So These are multiple levels of discrimination that people with eating disorders experience. 3:19 Woodside says that there is an urgent need to develop new treatment for anorexia in Canada. 3:26 I've been to far too many funerals over the last 30 years of women ranging in age from 25 to 55, who died as a consequence of their eating disorder. These are very serious medical conditions. Anorexia nervosa is probably the most lethal psychiatric condition and it kills young women dead and I think it's a worthwhile endeavor to try and help people get better from such a serious medical condition. 3:45 The three main eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder. For people who have an eating disorder, it's a constant battle to get the right treatment and support. There are very few facilities accessible to the public. The waiting list to enter are very long. Sheena's place is a charity located in Toronto that offers support for anyone with an eating disorder. It was one of the first resources for eating disorders in Canada. Debbie Berlin is the executive director. She has been a part of the community since the doors opened in 1997. 4:19 At Sheena's Place we are a completely non medical model so we don't call people patients. Our people, our service users or community members. All of our services are free. You do not need a diagnosis. You do not need a doctor's referral. You will get a call back within 48 hours of contacting Sheena's place. We have many groups that are open so that on an ongoing basis, people can come for support at any time. We have people attending our groups who are young adults, and then we have people here who are in their 50s and 60s. 4:50 In the late 1990s pro-anorexia websites surfaced encouraging girls to starve themselves. The websites consist of tips on dieting, quizzes, music and poetry on anorexia, competitions on dieting and photos of thin models known as thinspiration. Debbie says that she in his place works with other organizations to educate young girls on these dangerous websites. 5:15 I don't think it's the cause, I think it's a huge media and social media influence. I think that there are just like bullying, that's exactly what it's a form of, and it's filled with misinformation. People who are perpetuating really bad information and myths and destructive messaging around how to hurt yourself. And so we do a lot of education and outreach here at Sheena's place about the risks with people, young women especially visiting those sites. 5:45 Even though there are obstacles to recovering, Debbie says it's possible even when there are misconceptions surrounding the disease. 5:52 No one asks for an eating disorder. It is not a diet gone bad. It is not an exercise in vanity. It usually is a developed coping mechanism or strategy to manage difficult emotions like depression and anxiety. At Sheena's place when I'm talking to people, I talk about how an eating disorder can go into remission. Risks of relapse are high during periods of stress and significant transition, but I've worked with many people who no longer exhibit symptoms and haven't for many years. 6:27 It's clear that there isn't an easy answer to know how people get eating disorders. Studies suggest it's from psychological issues, perfectionist personality traits, learned behavior, and some could have a biochemical imbalance. But recovery is possible. Stephanie never thought she would not struggle with her eating, but it took time and healthy coping mechanisms. 6:49 Now here I am at 20 years old, not really struggling with all the issues that I had in the past when it came to my eating. Eat a solid three meals a day, never pass out from not eating. Don't really pay attention to calories at all. Which is honestly something I never ever thought that I was going to be able to say because I had been struggling with it for over a decade. It just seemed like it was going to be something that was permanent. It wasn't ever going to go away. I felt like I was chasing after something that I would never be able to catch. I would never have the body I wanted. I would never be able to eat freely. But here I am. Throughout the entire time that I was struggling with these eating disorders. There was one thing that I always fall back on which was my running. It just felt like when everything was crowding in on me and I felt suffocated and like I couldn't breathe, I just burst out of it all and just go for a run. Anytime I'm facing any old issues from my eating disorder, I can go for a run, and it won't solve all my problems. But in that moment, everything will be okay and I'm just free. 7:57 It's clear we live in a culture where people are encouraged to base their self worth on how they look. People can see themselves as a less valuable person if they don't fit cultural norms. It's important to remember that it's impossible to reach perfection. So celebrate who you are. For RSJ Radio, I'm Nikki Hashemian.