I had a relatively severe eating disorder when I was in high school. I was officially diagnosed with Anorexia and Binge eating disorder once I began my recovery, and I recognize now that I also had Orthorexia, however, the term had not yet been coined when I was ill.
I have lost count of how many times people have approached me, inquiring about my own experience with an eating disorder because they, too, have one, or suspect they do, only to learn that for a couple of months two years ago, they counted calories or dabbled in intermittent fasting.
Without sounding like a complete and utter bitch, because I have no intention of discounting anyone’s experience, but trying a dieting fad or trend does not equate to an eating disorder. There is a stark difference between disordered eating and dieting, and not nearly enough people seem to grasp the dangers of using medical terms loosely.
I have a good friend who has ADHD. I was chatting with them recently and they shared with me how infuriating they find it when they tell other people about their diagnosis, only to have the person they’ve just told this to in confidence respond with “Oh, I have it, too. I have a bad habit of jiggling my leg when I’m nervous.” Perhaps you have anxiety, but a leg bounce does not mean you have ADHD.
As wonderful as the internet is, it’s also proven to be quite destructive when it comes to matters such as these. Within seconds, at your fingertips, you have access to a multitude of information regarding a specific illness or condition, so it makes sense that more and more people are incorrectly self-diagnosing themselves with conditions that are not even relevant to what they’re dealing with.
Medical terms are not intended to be used loosely.
Photo by Alexandr Podvalny on Unsplash
ontheedgeofeverything 