Recognizing Eating Disorders Awareness Week

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Ms. SALINAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise on Mental Health Monday to recognize Eating Disorders Awareness Week. This year's theme is ``It's Time for Change,'' and indeed, it is.

After opioid use disorder, eating disorders are the second deadliest psychiatric illness, yet they remain widely misunderstood, so I would like to address some myths around them.

Myth number one: Eating disorders are a choice. An eating disorder is an illness often diagnosed with other mental illnesses. No one chooses to have an eating disorder.

Myth number two: Only females have eating disorders. Eating disorders actually hurt people of all genders, ages, races, religions, sexual orientations, and body shapes.

Myth number three: You can't recover from an eating disorder. This, perhaps, is the most important myth to dispel. Recovery and treatment are possible. The National Eating Disorders Association offers free helplines and more information on their website, nationaleatingdisorders.org.

Every 52 minutes, someone dies because of an eating disorder. It is time for change. Let's break the stigma. Let's invest in care. Let's send a message to all those struggling: You are not alone.

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