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Monday marked the start of Eating Disorders Awareness Week

Monday marked the start of the 39th annual Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Monday marked the start of the 39th Eating Disorders Awareness Week. A licensed dietician said around 28 million Americans have an eating disorder.

"Unfortunately, it's one of the mental illnesses that I think is still kind of taboo to talk about," said Kaitlyn Tucker, a licensed nutritionist. "So having a specific week to kind of have the time we're in our conversations is just another way to make it less taboo a little bit easier to talk about, and so more people can get the help they need."

Tucker works with Focus Integrative Centers and said it is the only treatment facility in the Knoxville area to provide specialized treatment for eating disorders. She also explained that there are two components to eating disorders — a person's mental health, and nutrition.

"Sometimes, it's hard to say which comes first with some people," said Tucker.

Part of treating an eating disorder focuses on addressing feelings people may have about food. They may be more stressed about food more than others, or they may feel too depressed to eat. She said one of the first steps of treatment for eating disorders is to go through an assessment. Then, medical professionals will decide on the best approach for a patient.

She emphasized that early treatment was the best way to help someone struggling with eating disorders.

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