Society's view of eating disorders. Because society places shame and guilt on sufferers of eating disorders, more money is allotted for the treatment of other mental disorders. "I think there is some sense...
"I think there is some sense of shame and guilt about it," says Sondra Kronberg, a clinical nutrition therapist specializing in eating disorders. She is on the board of directors of the National Eating Disorders Association and is the executive director of NEDA Long Island.
"It stems from the idea that people have a choice about this, and that you don't have to do this if you don't want to. What we know more and more is that there is a genetic predisposition to it. Everyone is exposed to the same cultural messages, but not everybody develops an eating disorder. That contributes to the eating disorder and ultimately to the physiological consequences that go along with it. There is definitely a stigma within society that you can control this disease, which makes people less likely to seek treatment. Very little money is allotted for the treatment of eating disorders as opposed to other mental issues, yet there are so many more people who suffer from eating disorders."
