What you need to know about life-threatening eating disorders

Some people believe that an eating disorder is a lifestyle choice. That someone’s desire to change how he/she looks is what motivates them to drastically restrict what they eat, to binge and purge or to binge and be overcome with guilt.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “Researchers are finding that eating disorders are caused by a complex interaction of genetic, biological, behavioral, psychological, and social factors.”

Dr. Patrice Lockhart is a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in helping people — women and men — who struggle with eating disorders. She is the Medical Director of NEED, which is the New England Eating Disorders program at Sweetser in Saco, Maine.

June 2 is World Eating Disorders Action Day. People from around the world who are affected by an eating disorder came together to form the first action day in 2016. On the website, it states that “the aim is to expand global awareness of eating disorders as genetically linked, treatable illnesses that can affect anyone.”

In this podcast with Dr. Lockhart, we try to do our part in expanding awareness about eating disorders. In doing so we hope that we can prevent someone from developing one or get someone who is suffering the resources he/she needs to start the road to recovery.