As I’ve settled into my new role as Executive Director of Silver Linings over the past few months, I’ve been learning about eating disorders (EDs) and the significant impact they have on individuals, families, and our broader community. Mental health and well-being advocacy has been a dominant theme in my career and yet, my exposure and understanding of the complexity of eating disorders was incomplete. An apt description would be that I saw a limited view of who, how, and what happens when a person struggles with an eating disorder. My guess is that many of us share this picture of eating disorders. I am committed to seeing a fuller picture of eating disorders and to sharing what I’m learning so we can make the invisible, visible, the incomplete, more fulsome.

Mental health is worthy of our attention and focus and it could be observed that certain critical areas of mental health, such as depression and anxiety, are becoming more openly discussed in different arenas. While valuable progress, the attention on eating disorders in the mental health realm is still limited. Perhaps it’s because we think eating disorders aren’t all that common. One of my first learnings about eating disorders is that they are more common than most of us know. A recent report from Mental Health Research Canada reveals that “nearly one-third (30%) of Canadians report thoughts and behaviours consistent with, or at high risk of developing, an eating disorder.” This statistic increases to 45% among those under 35 and rises to 48% in the 2SLGBTQ+ community (you can read the full report here. In all likelihood, we all interact with people every day in different realms of life that struggle with or are at risk of developing an eating disorder. They need us to pay attention.

If you’re not familiar with eating disorders, you are not alone. We can learn together. I’ll be sharing a series of weekly "learn-with-me" updates called ‘Corinne in Community’. Throughout this series, I’ll explore the complexities of these illnesses, drawing on the expertise of our team at Silver Linings Foundation, our partner organizations and individuals and families with lived experience. As someone new to this space, I hope my perspective offers an entry point for understanding. and that you’ll follow along to learn with me. I encourage you to share what resonates—you never know who might benefit from understanding this important issue.

Warmly,
Corinne