Why Attend a Support Group?
Eating disorders can be isolating illnesses. They interfere with your ability to eat with others, making it hard to socialize. Many people with eating disorders experience shame. Support groups consist of individuals with a similar issue, usually led by a leader with either clinical or lived experience. Support groups can help break the isolation and connect you with others with similar life experiences. In addition, they can reduce stigma and isolation. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, most support groups were held in person. Since then, many more support groups have taken place primarily online. So even though the world is opening up a little, it appears that support groups will continue to have a solid online presence.
Finding a Support Group
It is important to start by considering what type of support group you are seeking. If you are a family member of a person with an eating disorder you might be interested in a support group specifically for loved ones. Some support groups are for the person with the eating disorder only, and some are exclusively for their caregivers. Yet others include both. Some support groups gather people with specific eating disorders, such as Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). Some support groups address specific populations such as:
Teens with eating disorders Adults with eating disorders Males with eating disorders LGBTQ+ people with eating disorders BIPOC people with eating disorders People in larger bodies with eating disorders
A great way to start your search is to look to the large nonprofits that provide multiple eating disorder support groups:
The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) runs several virtual support groups. ANAD also sponsors many other affiliate support groups throughout the country. You can search their affiliate directory. The National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) also has a directory of support groups organized by state. The Alliance for Eating Disorder Awareness also has support groups in various locations as well as online. The Eating Disorder Foundation runs many support groups. The FEDUp Collective, an organization that addresses eating disorders in trans and gender diverse individuals through radical community healing, also offers support groups.
To find an in-person eating disorder support group or a support group near you, you can always try a search engine. Many treatment centers offer free support groups as part of their marketing and outreach. If you find local treatment centers in your area you can call or look online to see if they have a support group.
What You Should Know Before You Join
An eating disorder support group is not a substitute for individual therapy—it should usually be used in addition to individual therapy and dietary counseling. You should research any support group you’re considering to make sure it makes clear any commercial relationship it has and is not just marketing for other services you may not be seeking. You should also be aware that any support group is only as good as the leader of that group. Leaders may be professionals (people with advanced training in mental health) or peers (often volunteers with lived experience in the issue). The format will vary from group to group. For example, some may be more structured and educational, and others may be less directed with no actual structure. Still, others are somewhere in the middle, with some education and some unstructured time. You might want to try out a group and see if you like the format that is offered. Group leaders must provide a safe space for participants to be vulnerable. They should clarify any group rules ahead of time and discuss rules around confidentiality and contact outside the group. They should be able to facilitate a discussion that allows for diverse viewpoints to be expressed and validated. Support groups for mental health issues have been shown to improve self-efficacy, coping skills, self-esteem, social support, and the reduction of psychiatric symptoms. Research on eating disorder support groups show they can reduce stigma and isolation and increase motivation and engagement in recovery.
Risks to Consider
Eating disorders are one of the few mental health disorders for which our culture perversely praises the symptoms (e.g., dietary restriction, excessive exercise, and emaciated bodies). In her memoir, “How to Disappear Completely,” Kelsey Osgood details how competitive she was with peers in her treatment groups to be the sickest. You are advised to consult with your treatment team and approach support groups with caution. For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database.
