- Truth 1: Many people with eating disorders look healthy, yet may be extremely ill.
- Truth 2: Families are not to blame, and can be the patients’ and providers’ best allies in treatment.
- Truth 3: An eating disorder diagnosis is a health crisis that disrupts personal and family functioning.
- Truth 4: Eating disorders are not choices, but serious biologically influenced illnesses.
- Truth 5: Eating disorders affect people of all genders, ages, races, ethnicities, body shapes and weights, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic statuses.
- Truth 6: Eating disorders carry an increased risk for both suicide and medical complications.
- Truth 7: Genes and environment play an important role in the development of eating disorders.
- Truth 8: Genes alone do not predict who will develop eating disorders. 
- Truth 9: Full recovery from an eating disorder is possible. Early detection and intervention are important. 

List of the Nine Truths About Eating Disorders

The Academy for Eating Disorders created a list of the Nine Truths About Eating Disorders in order to debunk common myths surrounding them.

University of California, Berkeley

This list includes different theories or concepts that are used to explain, define, or otherwise provide further insight into the workings of feeding and eating disorders. These include:
-	Current Scales to Measure Eating Disorder Symptoms
-	Eating Disorder Health Outcomes
-	Eating Disorder Relapse
-	Nine Truths About Eating Disorders


Theories & Concepts Relevant to Feeding and Eating Disorders

Schaumberg, Katherine, et al. “The Science Behind the Academy for Eating Disorders’ Nine Truths About Eating Disorders.” European Eating Disorders Review, vol. 25, no. 6, 2017, pp. 432–50, https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2553.

The Science Behind the Academy for Eating Disorders’ Nine Truths About Eating Disorders

- Assessment Of Eating Disorders: Review And Recommendations For Clinical Use
- Eating Attitudes Test 26 (EAT-26)
- Eating Disorder Examination (EDE)
- ED-15 

Current Scales to Measure Eating Disorder Symptoms

Eating disorders are relatively rare but are associated with a multitude of physiological, psychological, social and economical complications and have the highest mortality of all mental disorders.

Eating Disorder Health Outcomes

There are many risk factors that can cause eating disorder relapse. Relapse in patients with anorexia nervosa is most likely to occur within the first 18 months after treatment, and about 35% of patients relapse. Relapse in patients with bulimia nervosa is most likely to occur within the first 2 years after treatment, and about 41% of patients relapse.

Learn Before

Related

Learn After