 While eating disorders are not commonly talked about, statistics from National Eating Disorder Information Center shows that more than one million people suffer from eating disorders in Canada alone. Eating disorders have some of the highest mortality rates of any mental illness, and the worst part of it is that you often won't know until it's too late. You see, having an eating disorder is much more than just hating food, but rather, it's characterized by someone's unusual relationship with food. Eating disorders can come in many types, such as anorexia, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and pica, each with very different symptoms. This video is not only dedicated to those who want to help a loved one who's struggling, but also everyone who wants to understand the sensitive yet important topic. So, here are five things not to say or do when you know someone has an eating disorder. 1. Talking about your body We know where it's come out naturally, but remember, people with an eating disorder are extra sensitive. Don't compare yourself to us, because it can become a trigger. We're already more insecure and uncomfortable with our bodies, so whether you're giving us a compliment or just saying how you feel about your own body, our eating disorders find ways to interpret it as a criticism. 2. Force-feeding, which is mostly applied to anorexia or bulimia. You know, we don't mean trying to stuff our faces with food. We mean pushing the plate closer to us one step at a time. We know you care about us and attempt little things to help us. But remember, our minds are controlled by our eating disorders. We've lost our sense of a proper serving of food and we depend on you to help us decide what is normal. But when we see you adding more and more, it only makes us more cautious and fearful about the meal in front of us. 3. I understand what you're going through. No, you really don't. Just saying that doesn't change the situation. It triggers us and we feel more frustrated because it seems like you're trivializing what we're going through. When you tell us you understand, it makes it seem like we're an easy fix, but the truth is, it takes two years on average for someone to recover from an eating disorder. 4. Your diet. I'm on a detox tea diet and that's all I'm having today. When you say these things to us, we naturally start to compare ourselves to you. We might think to ourselves, if you're on that diet, maybe I should be on it too. It makes us feel even more guilty about eating. Please consider our feelings too. We don't hate food, but we still care about what's going in. 5. You don't look like you have an eating disorder. Eating disorders can be very insidious. They aren't obvious until it's too late and sometimes we don't even know we're struggling until things get worse. Eating disorders can result in all forms, shapes, and sizes. Whenever we hear this, our disorders would tell us that there's nothing abnormal about our behaviors and this makes recovery even harder for us. We might look normal on the outside, but we're fragile and even broken on the inside. Eating disorders affect everyone differently and can be caused by many different factors. Just like recovering from any other mental illness, all we need is support and love. No, it's not only about the words you say, but you being here for us mentally and physically. Believe in us and remember to tell us that you aren't alone and everybody is beautiful. It's not the body that makes us, it's what's on the inside. We might not believe that now, but maybe with your help and time we will. Do you know anyone with an eating disorder? Have you struggled with it before but never knew you had it? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below. If you enjoyed this video and found it helpful, please do consider subscribing and share this video with someone who might need it. Thanks for watching.