According to the Mayo Clinic, eating disorders are serious conditions related to persistent eating behaviors that negatively impact your health, your emotions, and your ability to function in important areas of life. The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. Most eating disorders involve focusing too much on your weight, body shape, and food, leading to dangerous eating behaviors. These behaviors can significantly impact your body's ability to get adequate nutrition. Eating disorders can lead to a variety of diseases and harm the heart, digestive system, bones, teeth, and mouth. Eating disorders often develop in the teen and young adult years, although they can develop at any age. With treatment, you can return to healthier eating habits and sometimes reverse complications caused by the eating disorder. (For more information, please see this website.)

There are a variety of treatment options for an eating disorder. Some options include individual therapy, group therapy, outpatient treatment, inpatient treatment, and residential treatment. Speaking to a therapist or completing an online assessment regarding your current habits can help you determine what treatment option is best for you. For more information on treatment options and other aspects of eating disorders, visit the website of the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA). (As well as this website.)

If you think your friend has an eating disorder, express your concerns in a forthright, caring manner. Gently but firmly encourage the person to seek trained professional help. If they refuse to seek help and you feel that your friend is in danger of serious self- harm, it may be helpful to contact an eating disorder clinic for suggestions or call the National Eating Disorder Helpline at 1-800-931-2237.

We can all be advocates for the prevention of eating disorders. Taking steps to educate ourselves and others, challenging the notion that there's a "right' way to look, and spreading the word about eating disorders can be powerful actions with far-reaching effects. Here are a few steps suggested by NEDA, the National Eating Disorder Association:

1. Educate yourself

Learn all you can about anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating, and other eating disorders. Awareness will help you avoid judgmental or mistaken attitudes concerning food, weight, body shape and eating disorders. Avoid categorizing foods as "good/safe" vs. "bad/dangerous." Remember, we all need to eat a balanced variety of foods.

2. Challenge the "thin ideal"

Choose to challenge the false belief that thinness, weight loss, and/or muscularity are desirable, while body fat and weight gain are shameful and indicate laziness, worthlessness, and/or immorality. Avoid attitudes or actions that communicate "I will like you better if you lose weight," "don't eat so much," or "change your body shape." Discourage the idea that a particular diet, weight, or body size will automatically lead to happiness and fulfillment. Decide to avoid judging others and yourself on the basis of body weight or shape. Turn off the voices in your head that tell you that a person's body says anything about their character, personality, or value as a person.

3. Talk About It

4. Be a model of healthy self-esteem and body image. Recognize that others pay attention and learn from the way you talk about yourself and your body. Choose to talk about yourself with respect and appreciation, and value yourself based on your goals, accomplishments, talents, and character. Refrain from letting the way you feel about your body weight and shape determine the course of your day. Embrace the natural diversity of human bodies and celebrate your body's unique shape and size.

If you think someone has an eating disorder, express your concerns in a forthright, caring manner. Gently but firmly encourage the person to seek trained professional help.