With the premiere ofMiss Americana on Netflix, Taylor Swift has become a major contributor to the dialogue around eating disorders. As one of the most well known celebrities of the past decade, Swift’s platform is powerful. While the documentary covers wide ranging aspects of her career and life, her personal reflections on how both personal and professional elements contributed to her eating disorder is particularly powerful. Her openness around a subject as personal and private as this, makes strides in encouraging continued dialogue around eating disorders.

Eating Disorders Do Not Discriminate

Eating disordersdo not discriminate — no one is immune — money and fame do not protect someone from struggling with an eating disorder, depression, anxiety, or any mental illness. In fact, being in the public eye and facing constant scrutiny creates a unique experience of stress. Facing judgement for everything you do, say, wear, or who you are — especially from a young age — is a large contributing factor of stress.

Fame’s unique impact on mental health

Oftentimes, the outside trappings of the “good life” can get in the way of accessing the help one needs. Fortunately, with increased awareness and more people in the public eye speaking out, the de-stigmatization of mental illness is possible. With people like Taylor Swift speaking out about her eating disorder and struggling with the impact of negative feedback, an increase in awareness is possible, likely increasing the number of people reaching out for help.

Warning Signs of an Eating Disorder

While we can’t necessarily protect our favorite celebrities from mental illness, we can help those around us. Being well educated about mental health and knowing warning signs, is the best way to make an impact. While signs and symptoms of many illnesses can be found on the Talkspace blog, let’s explore the signs and symptoms of an eating disorder.

There are common warning signs and symptoms to look out for with eating disorders, these signs can be emotional, behavioral, and physical.

Emotional and behavioral signs

Physical signs

Keep in mind, only a professional can diagnose an eating disorder, but watching for the early warning signs will assist your loved one in seeking professional help. For further information on eating disorders, check out these resources:

Our goal at Talkspace is to provide the most up-to-date, valuable, and objective information on mental health-related topics in order to help readers make informed decisions.

Articles contain trusted third-party sources that are either directly linked to in the text or listed at the bottom to take readers directly to the source.

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