Self-esteem and eating disorders are linked. How? Our self-esteem, how much we like or approve of ourselves, plays a major role in prevention and treatment of eating disorders. As part of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, I thought we talk about this important relationship between ED and self-esteem.

Up to 24 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder). In the U.S., ED has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. My clinical work in eating disorder facilities, providing therapy and creating treatment plans, has allowed me to work with hundreds of clients who suffer from eating disorders. The one commonality they all suffered from is low self-esteem prior to its development.

The role self-esteem plays in the development and treatment of ED cannot go unnoticed. With the development of healthy self-esteem in childhood for both boys and girls and teaching self-esteem through treatment, one can help to prevent the onset and relapse.

Did Low Self-Esteem or Eating Disorders Come First?

This article is adapted from my blog on HealthyPlace.com

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Emily Roberts MA, LPC is The Guidance Girl. Her goal is to help YOU become the most confident person you know! Emily is an award-winning author Express Yourself: A Teen Girls Guide to Speaking Up and Becoming Who You Are, Psychotherapist, TV & Media Contributor, Educational Speaker, and parenting consultant. She travels around the country educating girls, women, and parents. Express Yourself is available at bookstores nationwide and on Amazon. To learn more about Emily click here.