The term “eating disorder” carries stigma and many stereotypes in society. When someone hears the term, they often think of a white adolescent girl, bone thin, with ribs sticking out of her sides and a feeding tube up her nose. This extreme example represents an immensely small population of a large group of people struggling every day with something so many take for granted: eating.

The general public vastly misunderstands eating disorders. When thinking of eating disorders, most think of two types, the one where extremely underweight people do not eat, and the one where people make themselves vomit after every meal. Some may think in both scenarios people choose to engage in those behaviors which means they should simply stop when they want to. However, people with anorexia cannot “just eat,” people with bulimia cannot “just stop,” and it is not “just a phase.” Many believe in an eating disorder “look” as in a person with anorexia must be underweight and a “normal sized” person cannot possibly struggle with an eating disorder. People with eating disorders do not check boxes and they do not fall neatly into diagnostic looks or criteria. Eating disorders, despite popular belief are not about the food, but rather a complex interplay of many different insecurities and worries all channeled into food.

Eating disorders do not only affect models, they affect a large number of people, yet the public directs so little attention to them which only causes a perpetuation of misconceptions. Despite a general need for a greater understanding about eating disorders, they receive so little time, energy or money. This keeps stigma going which leads to adverse effects such as “more marked eating disorder symptoms, a longer duration of illness, lower self ‐ esteem, and greater self ‐ stigma of seeking psychological help.” (Griffiths para. 34) Eating disorders remain incredibly underfunded for research and other prevention strategies, thus creating ongoing misunderstandings. Government funding for eating disorders remains incredibly low compared to other issues “not as pervasive nor as fatal as eating disorders.” (Ekren para 3) The US government funds only 28 million dollars a year to eating disorder research which works out to about 93 cents for each person diagnosed with an eating disorder in America (Ekern para 3). This is compared to alcoholism which receives 505 million dollars, schizophrenia with 352 million, depression with 328 million and sleep disorders with 187 million (Ekern para 4). The funding statistics beg the question: why is something which needs so many resources continuing to receive so few? Currently, despite their prevalence in American society, people remain ignorant to the problem of eating disorders, spreading distorted ideas and beliefs. Increasing funding for eating disorder research into causes, education and best prevention strategies potentially greatly benefits America. The Pennsylvanian Department of Health should take measures to combat this problem and contribute to research initiatives by creating an eating disorder research grant given to the PA Health Research Office.