Eating disorder resources for families & friends

Every year on October 11, we celebrate National Coming Out Day — a time to honor the courage it takes to live authentically and to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community.

The day serves as both a celebration and a call to action: to raise awareness, promote acceptance, and create environments where everyone feels safe to express who they are.

At Monte Nido, we know that identity and mental health are deeply connected. Our commitment to inclusive, affirming care means meeting every client exactly where they are — honoring their story, respecting their identity, and walking alongside them in recovery.

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What is National Coming Out Day and When Is It?

On October 11th 1987, 750,000 people marched in a political rally in Washington DC aimed to advocate for LGTBTQIA+ rights. The first National Coming Out day was inaugurated in 1988 to commemorate the march and to encourage members of the LGBTQIA+ community to “come out” and live life as an openly queer person.  

The founders of NCOD believed that homophobia thrives in secrecy and that the key to reducing hate was for people to discover that they love someone who is part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Their hope was that if more people “came out,” there would be less oppression and fear toward the LGBTQIA+ community. The founding ideals of this day are beautiful and yet we are still not in a position where coming out is safe for everyone.  

This day is critical for increasing visibility of the LGBTQIA+ community and spreading awareness of the challenges we face as folx in the world today.

Why is National Coming Out Day Significant?

Coming out is more than an act of visibility — it’s a moment that can deeply shape a person’s mental health and sense of belonging. The emotional experience of being seen, accepted, or rejected can influence self-esteem, safety, and overall well-being.

For many LGBTQIA+ individuals, mental health outcomes are closely tied to how their identities are received and supported.

The connection between coming out and mental health:

• Emotional safety matters. Acceptance and affirmation decrease rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidality among LGBTQIA+ individuals.

• Rejection and stigma can cause harm. Experiences of discrimination or invalidation increase vulnerability to isolation, shame, and disordered eating.

• Minority stress takes a toll. Chronic exposure to bias and microaggressions impacts mood, coping, and body image.

• Affirmation supports healing. Safe spaces — both online and in person — help rebuild trust, confidence, and connection.

At Monte Nido, we integrate these understandings into our LGBTQIA+ affirmative therapy approach. Our clinicians provide trauma-informed, identity-affirming care that helps clients:

• Explore the connection between identity, emotion, and behavior

• Heal from experiences of stigma and rejection

• Build resilience through community, compassion, and authenticity

When people are affirmed for who they are, recovery becomes not just possible — but sustainable.  

Eating Disorders in the LGBTQIA+ Community

Eating disorders impact LGBTQIA+ folx at a greater rate than heterosexual and cisgender individuals. In addition to increased prevalence, LGBTQIA+ people with eating disorders tend to experience more severe symptoms than others.

This disparity stems from multiple factors, including:

• Minority stress: Ongoing discrimination and stigma can create chronic stress that affects eating behaviors.

• Body image and dysphoria: For some, eating disorders develop as a way to manage body dysphoria or feel control over one’s body.

• Social pressures: Unrealistic beauty standards and rejection increase vulnerability.

• Lack of affirming care: Many treatment environments fail to understand or address identity-related stressors.

At Monte Nido, we recognize that recovery for LGBTQIA+ individuals requires gender-informed, culturally competent treatment.

Our programs — including our Virtual LGBTQIA+ Eating Disorder Treatment Program and support for transgender and gender-diverse clients — provide safe, affirming spaces where clients can heal as their full selves.

Everyone deserves a path to recovery that honors who they are.  

How Allies Can Support National Coming Out Day

Allies are essential to creating a safe and welcoming world for all and can often be a powerful facilitator of change. Sometimes allyship looks like marching in a parade and other times it is as simple as respecting someone’s pronouns. Here are some tips for being a powerful ally:  

• Always respect someone’s pronouns and chosen name  

• Use affirming language that does not separate LGBTQIA+ persons from others. For example, it is not “Gay Rights” we are after—it's human rights that should be accessible for all.  

• Listen and do not judge  

• Ask questions rather than make assumptions.  

• Never pressure someone to come out—prioritize safety above all else and respect individual circumstances around coming out.

True allyship means showing up — with empathy, openness, and humility. Even small actions, done consistently, help create a world where everyone can thrive authentically.

Monte Nido’s Commitment to LGBTQIA+ Affirming Care

At Monte Nido, we provide inclusive and affirming care for all people. This is why we have a dedicated Virtual LGBTQIA+ Eating Disorder Treatment Program that provides specialized support for those in the community struggling with eating disorder behaviors. Monte Nido created this program because we recognized that there was a gap in eating disorder treatment for the LGBTQIA+ community.  

Many LGBTQIA+ folx don't have access to queer spaces and this program offers a unique opportunity to connect with likeminded folx on a similar journey. Some examples of the topics we cover in our program include the impact of queer culture on body image, gender trauma, healthy gender expression to combat dysphoria, and enhancing queer joy to support the pursuit of a meaningful life.  

Our program supports gender affirming care alongside recovery whether that is the use of HRT or the pursuit of gender affirming surgeries.

Program Overview:

• Who we treat: Adults 18+ of all genders who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community

• Schedule: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (EST)

• Level of care: Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)

• Available in: 25+ states across the U.S.

Clients heal alongside peers who share similar lived experiences, exploring how sexual orientation and gender identity can intersect with eating disorder symptoms and recovery. Each person receives compassionate, evidence-based care from a dedicated treatment team including:

• Licensed therapists

• Registered dietitians

• Recovery coaches

• Clinical and medical providers

Our team participates in ongoing training in LGBTQIA+ cultural competency and trauma-informed care, ensuring every client feels seen, respected, and understood.

Program features include:

• Secure, HIPAA-compliant virtual sessions

• Individual and group therapy (average group size: 12 clients)

• Therapeutic meal coaching and queer body nutrition education

• Case management and aftercare planning

• Optional dietetic consultations

Resources for LGBTQIA+ Individuals and Families

Support is available — and you don’t have to navigate recovery alone.

If you need to seek immediate help or guidance, The Trevor Project has a 24/7 crisis and suicide prevention support hotline and chat option for LGBTQIA+ youth.

If you are looking to seek treatment for an eating disorder, contact us here to learn more about our Virtual LGBTQIA+ Eating Disorder Treatment Program. Seeking help is a courageous act — and an important first step toward healing. ‍

Celebrating Visibility and Affirmation

National Coming Out Day reminds us that visibility and belonging can change lives. Every person deserves to be seen for who they are — and to receive care that honors their full identity.

The Virtual LGBTQIA+ Eating Disorder Treatment Program at Monte Nido provides a safe space for individuals to talk about the nuances of their eating disorder with other people who understand what it’s like to be part of this community. This program offers connection and community at a deeper level that if these individuals joined a program not specialized for LGBTQIA+ individuals.

At Monte Nido, we’re proud to stand alongside LGBTQIA+ clients, families, and allies in creating safe, affirming spaces for healing and growth.

Today and every day, we celebrate courage, compassion, and authenticity — and the belief that recovery is possible for every body and every identity.

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World Mental Health Day is a reminder that mental health deserves our attention every single day. It’s a time to come together, to listen, to show compassion, and to take care of ourselves and each other. Like most awareness days, it puts a spotlight on a topic of great importance. Everyone has mental health – it matters every day of the year, but the 10^th of October is a chance for us to share the common humanity of mental health struggles. On this day, Monte Nido encourages everyone to value their own mental health and that of others through greater understanding and empathy.

The 2025 theme, Access to Services: Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies, highlights how disasters, conflicts, and crises amplify the need for accessible, compassionate mental health care. During such times, individuals often experience heightened anxiety, trauma, or disordered coping behaviors — including eating disorders.

At Monte Nido, we believe that no one should face mental health challenges alone. This year’s theme reminds us that mental well-being must remain a priority, even — and especially — in times of crisis. By expanding access to evidence-based, trauma-informed care, we can ensure recovery and resilience remain within reach for all.

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What is World Mental Health Day and When Is It?

World Mental Health Day is observed globally every year on October 10, led by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) and recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO). The first observance took place in 1992, with the goal of promoting open dialogue about mental health and improving access to services worldwide.

Since then, WMHD has evolved into a global movement. Governments, mental health organizations, and advocacy groups use this day to spark conversations, share education, and highlight both progress and ongoing barriers to care.

Every year, a new theme addresses a critical mental health issue — from stigma reduction to workplace wellness, from youth mental health to post-pandemic recovery. In 2025, the focus turns toward mental health during catastrophes and emergencies, calling attention to how natural disasters, conflict, and instability disrupt access to essential care.

For individuals with eating disorders, these challenges can make recovery even more difficult — underscoring the importance of specialized, integrated support.

WMHD 2025 Theme: Access to Services - Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies

When disasters occur — whether environmental, political, or public health–related — mental health often takes a back seat to physical survival. Yet these moments can have profound psychological effects, from acute stress to long-term trauma.

Why this year’s theme matters:

• Crisis amplifies vulnerability. Displacement, grief, and loss can trigger or worsen mental health conditions.

• Access to care is disrupted. Many people lose contact with providers or struggle to find support during emergencies.

• Ongoing treatment is vital. For those managing eating disorders or other chronic mental illnesses, consistent care is essential to stability and recovery.

• Community-based care saves lives. Connecting individuals to telehealth, online therapy, and local resources can maintain continuity of care.

At Monte Nido, we believe that mental health services must remain accessible — even when life feels unpredictable. Our virtual programs extend specialized eating disorder treatment to clients nationwide, helping them maintain support and connection during times of change.

Eating Disorders and Mental Health

Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions, not lifestyle choices. They affect emotions, behaviors, and physical health — often developing as ways to manage pain, anxiety, or trauma.

These illnesses thrive in silence, which is why continued education and awareness are critical. Like other mental health challenges, eating disorders require specialized, compassionate care to address both the psychological and physical components of recovery.

Why eating disorders are mental health issues:

• They stem from emotional distress, not vanity or willpower.

• They’re often linked to perfectionism, low self-esteem, or control needs.

• They coexist with other disorders, such as depression or anxiety.

• They respond best to integrated, evidence-based mental health treatment.

At Monte Nido, our multidisciplinary teams focus on the whole person — exploring underlying emotions and teaching new ways to cope, connect, and care for oneself. Healing begins when we treat the mind, body, and spirit together.

Are Eating Disorders a Mental Illness?

Yes — eating disorders are classified as mental health disorders by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR). They are not choices or phases, but serious conditions that can affect physical and emotional well-being.

Common misconceptions — such as the belief that eating disorders are “only about food” or “only affect a certain body type” — can delay diagnosis and treatment. In reality, these disorders are rooted in complex psychological, social, and biological factors.

Recognizing eating disorders as mental illnesses helps reduce stigma and reinforces the importance of professional treatment. Recovery requires addressing both the emotional and behavioral dimensions — and with the right support, full healing is possible.

Conditions Often Co-occurring with Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are just one form of mental health illness. It is common for the people we help to experience other psychiatric illnesses on top of their eating disorder    

On WMHD, we notice and appreciate how poor mental health negatively impact life functioning and goals. The longer that people struggle in silence, the more severe and impairing symptoms can become, and the farther that people move away from the lives they want to lead.  

Common co-occurring conditions include:

• Depression: Persistent sadness, guilt, or hopelessness

• Anxiety disorders: Worry, panic, or obsessive thoughts related to food or body image

• Bipolar disorder: Mood fluctuations that affect appetite and self-regulation

• Substance use disorders: Using drugs or alcohol as a form of coping

Research shows that over 85% of individuals with eating disorders have at least one additional mental health diagnosis.

Monte Nido utilizes several evidence-based treatment approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy(CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to address these overlapping concerns. By treating the root causes alongside symptoms, clients develop healthier relationships with themselves — and with recovery.

Eating Disorders and PTSD

How trauma influences disordered eating:

• Eating behaviors may become coping mechanisms to manage distress or regain control.

• Body image can become distorted as a result of trauma or dissociation.

• Triggers can reignite symptoms long after the event has passed.

At Monte Nido, we know from our own research (link) that clients with trauma and PTSD come to treatment with more severe eating disorders than those clients who do not have PTSD. We work hard to provide trauma-informed care across all programs.  

Healing from trauma takes time — but with safety, understanding, and skilled support, recovery is not only possible, it’s sustainable.

How to Support Mental Health Awareness on WMHD

World Mental Health Day is an opportunity for everyone — individuals, families, and organizations — to help normalize conversations about mental health and advocate for better access to care.

On this World Mental Health Day, we fight against the eating disorder’s tendency to push people toward isolation and disconnection. Through an emphasis on self-awareness and communication we support our clients and alumni to acknowledge their mental health struggles. Communicating one’s needs in the midst of mental health struggles is difficult, requiring courage and vulnerability. Some important skills that align with the values of WMHD (increased awareness, decreased stigma, and mobilizing efforts) include:

• Taking the time and space for mindful self-reflection to identify your own needs in the moment,  

• Communicating specifically what would be helpful from the supportive people in your life who care for you

• Practice being kind, compassionate, and non-judgmental in your reactions toward yourself and others.

Here are a few ways to get involved:

• Educate yourself and others: Share facts and resources about mental health and eating disorders.

• Start conversations: Ask loved ones how they’re doing — and listen without judgment.

• Advocate for access: Support policies and organizations working to make treatment affordable and inclusive.

• Show support: Small gestures of empathy can help someone feel less alone.

At Monte Nido, we see awareness as the first step toward change. Every conversation helps dismantle stigma and creates space for compassion and understanding — two of the most powerful tools for healing.

Resources for Eating Disorders & Mental Health Support

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or an eating disorder, help is available.

National and Global Resources:

• The Trevor Project – Crisis and suicide prevention support for LGBTQIA+ youth

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline – Free, 24/7 mental health support in the U.S.

Monte Nido Resources:

• Monte Nido Blog – Articles on eating disorders, trauma, and mental health

• Eating Disorder Treatment Programs – Inclusive, evidence-based treatment options

• Trauma-Informed Care at Monte Nido – Learn more about our approach

If you’re facing challenges accessing treatment, we encourage you to reach out — our team can help you explore care options and discuss what support might be available.  

Monte Nido also partners with organizations like Project HEAL, which offers assistance and advocacy for individuals experiencing barriers to eating disorder care. You don’t have to navigate this alone — help and resources are here for you.

Taking the Next Step: Reach Out for Help

This World Mental Health Day, remember that mental health is health — and everyone deserves access to care that is compassionate, evidence-based, and affirming.

This year’s theme aligns with Monte Nido’s mission to constantly expand our insurance contracts and design financial agreements with other insurance companies when we can. We focus on maintaining or acquiring access to support services at all levels of care through comprehensive discharge and relapse prevention planning.  

Our clients and alumni often describe the challenges they face in identifying and seeking support for mental health struggles; it is such a common experience. At Monte Nido, we prioritize the development of self-advocacy to increase our client’s access to people, organizations, and resources that support ongoing recovery.  

Monte Nido is here for people at every stage of their recovery and mental health journey.  Whether you’re asking for help, waiting for mental health support, supporting someone close to you, or feeling unseen or unheard, you’re not alone.

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This is one of the most frequent questions asked about eating disorder treatment. We hear it from individuals considering treatment, those on their first day of programming, and even those who’ve been in treatment for a while.

The frusterating but true answer is that every individual’s journey to recovery is different. Eating disorder recovery is rarely (if ever) linear. There are peaks and valleys – good days and bad days.

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Three Main Stages of Eating Disorder Recovery

We typically think about three steps that are critical in moving along in eating disorder recovery. It’s worth noting that none of these important components include any mention of pace. Lasting recovery means taking your time to collect the skills, coping techniques and behavioral understanding that will put you in a better position to say goodbye to ED.

1. Medical Stabilization

Medical stabilization is the first step in eating disorder recovery. This will again look different for each individual, but typically includes at least one of the following: 

• weight restoration/maintenance
• stabilization of vital signs such as heart rate and blood pressure
• cessation or reduction in maladaptive coping behaviors
• regulating body temperature and restoring adequate energy levels.

Once someone is medically stabilized, the focus of recovery can then move to skill-building and significant cognitive change.

2. Psychological Work

Once the body and mind are better able to function optimally and process more complex thoughts and emotions (following medical stabilization), the work toward recovery can continue. In lower levels of care, patients are encouraged to explore thought distortions (“eating a bite of mac and cheese will make me gain X pounds”), challenge them and begin to understand the function that their eating disorder has served for them. For the majority of our clients, gaining this insight can be a lengthy process, one that needs to be faced with open-mindedness, self-compassion and transparency.

While the psychological piece to eating disorder recovery is often a life-long endeavor for many individuals, the average length of stay for our lower levels of care can vary from about four weeks (Partial Hospitalization Program) to eight weeks (Intensive Outpatient Program). 

Following that, individuals are encouraged to continue the important work with an outpatient eating disorder specialist. Interventions like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and motivational interviewing are great skills that can help reduce eating disorder thoughts and urges as well as increase cognitive awareness and self-esteem.

3. Addressing Environmental Component

One of the biggest goals that we discuss with our patients during treatment is the ability to function freely in their environment. This means students returning to school, professionals to their jobs and wanderlusts looking to book their next big trip. The environment that an individual returns to can have a major impact on recovery and is an important consideration as you move through treatment. 

Who do you live with? What do you enjoy socially? What about your environment is a trigger or potentially risky situation?

Evaluating these factors and creating a lapse/relapse prevention plan isn’t a set up for failure – it’s a highly effective method to cope ahead for the inevitable challenges that will arise outside the walls of treatment. Having the ability to understand how an environment can impact recovery success is a helpful way to gauge how you are progressing in your recovery. How are you dealing with everyday environmental stressors? Are you setting boundaries with your roommate? Are you removing yourself from situations that might feel triggering? If so, you are well on your way to living your life ED-free.

Eating Disorder Recovery Can Be Accomplished with Help

So while there isn’t a straightforward or definitive answer to the question “how long does recovery take,” medical stabilization, psychological interventions and a strong, supportive environment are important components that can help us to forecast recovery success.

Remember, no matter where you are in your recovery journey, support is always just a phone call or email away. Whether you’re seeking eating disorder treatment or continued support following treatment, we can help. Reach out to us today.

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