Eating disorder specialist spreads hopeful message about recovery

This Tuesday, April 3, 2018 file photo shows a closeup of a beam scale. (Patrick Sison / AP Photo, File)

New guidelines from the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) are advising doctors and family members to ask basic questions that highlight eating disorder signs in young people.

According to the CPS, since COVID-19, there has been a doubling of eating disorder diagnosis and a tripling of eating disorder-related hospitalizations.

Social worker and eating disorder specialist Kyla Fox is keeping her focus on positive outcomes. As teens and their families learn about medical treatment available, she also wants to educate young people about the reality of recovery from eating disorders.

"If you have or are struggling with an eating disorder, there is absolutely a possibility," said Fox. "You can live without an eating disorder."

Fox lived with an eating disorder in her teens. As she told the story of her own recovery, she looked back on what her family went through.

"When you are suffering, you go to the doctor and to no fault of any doctor, there is not a lot of education and focus on eating disorders," Fox said. "Eating disorders are often overlooked when patients are going to visit a doctor."

These days, Fox helps young people while relying on the experience of her own recovery.

"When I was really sick as an adolescent, which was 30 years ago, I didn’t have a lot of resources and my parents didn’t have a lot of resources either," said Fox. "The resources that did exist had endlessly long waiting lists and there was just no way I was going to get the care I needed in the time I needed it."

Fox said her parents rallied around her and help create an outlet positive treatment in her home so she could engage with food in the safe way

According to Fox, it was not easy.

"It takes a lot of consistency, I don’t want to sugar-coat it," said Fox. "It is really hard but it’s worth it."