Eating disorders aren’t taken seriously by government according to Halifax non-profit

A local non-profit says the Nova Scotia government isn't appropriately responding to the seriousness of eating disorders. 

According to Eating Disorders Nova Scotia, almost one in 10 people will experience an eating disorder during their lifetime and among girls under 20, that statistic increases to one in six.

Executive director of the non-profit Shaleen Jones says the lack of resources for Nova Scotians struggling with an eating disorder baffles her. 

“I've been working in the field since the 90s and not much has changed,” she says. “We are becoming so much more aware of mental illness and yet there is still so much secrecy and a lack of attention paid to eating disorders.”

She says in Nova Scotia there are a limited number of health professionals and programs to support people with eating disorders – with nearly all of them being located in Halifax. 

The best way to combat the illness, according to Jones, is to have easily accessible, immediate treatment and right now, she says that simply doesn't exist in the province. 

“Many folks with support and treatment can fully recover and do what they want with their lives but for too many, as a result of their eating disorder, they do die,” she says. “Anorexia has a 10 per cent mortality rate and bulimia is about the same. We are losing a lot of folks to an illness that is highly treatable if we resourced it appropriately.”

Jones says it's now recognized that between 50 and 80 per cent of a person's risk for an eating disorder is a result of genetic and biological factors. 

“We see it as girls wanting to be thin for Instagram and we tend to normalize the behaviours and ignore some of the biological underpinnings of this illness,” she says. 

Jones says the rate of obesity in adolescent girls in Canada is 9 per cent according to Statistics Canada while the rate of eating disorders is estimated to be around 18 per cent. 

“We tend to focus on anti-obesity messaging instead of more health-related messaging,” she says. 

Eating Disorders Nova Scotia (EDNS) is a community based organization that offers peer support for individuals with eating disorders, and for their families, friends and partners.

Visit the EDNS website to learn more about its programs, including its new online peer support which is anonymous and accessible from anywhere in Nova Scotia with Internet.