Mental Health Toolkit

Eating Disorders

Jill Jones
Nicole Kingsley
Lisha Nay
Melissa Rempel
“Don’t ask me to take that test and eat breakfast too”

Dr. Laura Hill

https://www.youtubetrimmer.com/view/?v=UEysO
ExcwrE&start=164&end=339&loop=0
Eating Disorders Defined
Eating disorders are characterized by “persistent
eating behaviors that negatively impact health,
emotions, and the ability to function in important
areas of life.” (Mayo Clinic)
Anorexia Nervosa

A life-threatening mental illness - Weight loss

characterised by behaviours that
- Irritability
interfere with maintaining an adequate
- Feeling cold
weight.
- Fainting
- Social withdrawal
- Perfectionism
- Denies feeling hungry

nedic.ca
Why is anorexia so dangerous?

- Sudden death
- Suicide
Anorexia carries the highest death rate of - Electrolyte disturbances
any mental health disorder. - Hypoglycemia
- Dehydration
- Refeeding syndrome
Canadian Statistics on Eating Disorders (2020)
nied.ca

1 million The approximate number of Canadians with

an Eating Disorder diagnosis

10-15% The percentage of people with a

diagnosis who die from their illness 10-14 Year-Olds
Reporting Dieting
Behaviour
The percentage of people diagnosed
20-35% with AN or BN who attempt suicide in
their lifetime

12-30% of 9-25% of
Girls Boys
Aspects to Consider

- Eating Disorders extend far beyond a lack of food consumption and

cannot be corrected simply by eating
- It is a manifestation of seeking control and power over one’s own body
and situation when there are few other options
- A reasonable response to a perceived unreasonable situation
- Reluctancy to improve is normal
Fear of Losing Control

Perhaps the most salient perpetuator of eating disorder pathology is one’s

fear of losing control. Although the other factors appear to effectively explain
what may place a person at risk for developing an eating disorder, it appears
that one’s fear that they may no longer employ their chosen coping skill in
the face of life’s difficulties is what keeps them stuck in their pathology. Some
might describe this fear as the part of them that doesn’t actually want to
recover, centered upon the belief that “if they do, they will be fat” and
perhaps even lose their identity.

-Eating Disorder Hope

Bodily Control

Losing control over one’s body: “If I put on weight, I will have failed in the
one area I thought I could control.”

● What if I actually start to enjoy food?

● What if I relax and then can’t stop putting on weight?
● What if I have to buy bigger clothes?
Identity Control

Losing control of one’s identity: “This will change how other people see me.”

● What if others comment on my weight? (Whether good or bad, I’ll lose their
support, and they’ll change the way they look at me.)
● Who will I be without my eating disorder? (It will be difficult facing the world
with my new identity as a recovered person.)
● How will I be able to face the world? (I’ll be left defenseless with nothing to
hide behind.)
Emotional Control

Losing control of one’s emotions: “I will lose my safety net.”

● How else will I feel special?

● How else will I cope with my feelings?
● How else will I punish myself?
Supports Within and - Guidance Counsellor
- Dietician
Beyond the School - Communication with family
- Trusted staff member
- Therapist for both individual and
family
 - Increased time to do assignments
Adaptations in the - Chunking the assignments into
smaller parts
Classroom
- Frequent check-ins
- Seated near peers
- Responsible for essential
outcomes only
- Breaks
- Reduced stimulus in the
classroom
- Control over where she does
assessments
- Choice to present to small group
of peers instead of full class
Conditions for Safety - Finding an area in the school where she feels
safe to eat
and Comfort - Knowing how and where to find a trusted
adult, especially during mealtimes
- Ensure she continues to be supported in
extra-curricular activities with her peers
- Ensuring staff awareness in regards to
attitudes towards food
- Ensuring zero-tolerance for body-shaming or
food-shaming (“I’m so bad, I ate a bag of
chips”)
- Avoid commenting on food consumption,
even positive comments
- Use of checklist by teachers to monitor
behaviours that could indicate an increase in
severity (see handout)
Conditions for - Providing a judgement free safe adult to go
to during the school day
Belonging and Optimal - Ensuring she has opportunities to feel as
though she has power and control over
Learning other areas of her life that are not food
related
- Ensuring she is still able to participate
in student council and/or sports if she
wants, even if in another capacity
- Sitting with supportive peers in classroom
settings
- Allowing breaks for emotional fatigue
- Reconnecting or maintaining connections
with activities of choice
 ● Ensuring that a wide variety of healthy

Environmental options for food are available at school

○ Allowing choice and ensuring that
Considerations food is always available removes a
barrier to eating regularly
● Ensuring that time is booked for mechanical
eating of snacks in both the morning and
the afternoon
○ Student will require a certain amount
of focused specific time to consume
food per her doctor’s
recommendations
● Creating a healthy school environment with
regards to visuals (posters) and zero-
tolerance appearance based bullying.
○ Ensures all students feel safe and
creates a positive, inclusive
environment
Relational ● Emphasis on cooperation over competition in
the classroom and school

Considerations ○ Reduces comparison, limits the concept of

‘otherness’
● Implement a trauma-informed practice
(language, leading with curiosity)
○ Allows for open, non-judgemental
communication
● Supporting friends to become more
knowledgeable about Eating Disorders to build
a culture of body positivity in their social circle
○ Builds a sense of belonging and feeling of
support
● Growing the circle of trusted adults that support
the student
○ Build a community of people who are also able to
support the student and one another
Practical Considerations ● Incorporate mindful exercise
○ To develop a positive relationship with body
● Develop mindfulness strategies around feelings
to alleviate the underlying anxiety, pain or
discomfort in a positive way
○ To learn new coping skills to deal with difficult
emotions
● Develop positive self-image through preferred
activities
○ Build self-esteem through mastery
● Curate a portfolio highlighting student
achievement
○ Allows student to focus on strengths, building
self-esteem
● Normalise social events with food, and provide
options for smaller group gatherings
○ Focuses on the social aspect of school events
rather than the food itself
References
Eating disorder strategies. Eating Disorder Strategies | Teach Special Education. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://www.teachspeced.ca/eating-disorder-strategies

Ekern, B. (2020, September 4). The illusion of control in the development of eating disorders. Eating Disorder Hope. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from
https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/blog/illusion-control-development-eating-disorders

GoodRx. (n.d.). The top 10 side effects of anorexia. GoodRx. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://www.goodrx.com/conditions/eating-disorders/side-effects-of-anorexia

Mogensen, D., & Yiu, L. (n.d.). Understanding Eating Disorders in BC Schools: A Guide of Trauma Informed Practices for School Professionals. Kelty Mental Health Resource
Centre. Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://keltyeatingdisorders.ca/

NEDA Educator Toolkit. National Eating Disorders Association. (2022). Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

Warin, M. (2010). Abject relations: everyday worlds of anorexia (Ser. Studies in medical anthropology). Rutgers University Press. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from
https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.uwinnipeg.idm.oclc.org/lib/uwinnipeg/reader.action?docID=870918

Why are people with an eating disorder reluctant to give up on it? Proyecto ART. (2022, July 14). Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://proyectoart.com/en/blog/why-are-
people-with-an-eating-disorder-reluctant-to-give-up-on-it/

YouTube. (2012). Eating Disorders from the Inside Out. YouTube. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEysOExcwrE.

YouTube. (2019). An Eating Disorder Specialist Explains How Trauma Creates Food Disorders. YouTube. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=7VZNGgDjsMo.