Renfrew Center campaign aims to combat harmful myths about eating disorders

A new Renfrew Center campaign aims to combat harmful myths about eating disorders.

Doctors say people need to understand that all kinds of different people can struggle with eating disorders. One Montgomery County woman spoke with CBS News Philadelphia to detail how she found treatment that saved her life.

"I was admitted to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for treatment," Brooke Buscio said, "and from there, I was in treatment for about two and a half years."

Buscio, 22, was diagnosed with anorexia when she was a teenager. Now in recovery, she says she has a healthier relationship with food and her emotions.

"I had very low self-confidence and self-esteem at the time," Buscio said, "and I was really just fixated on my body and how I looked."

Buscio was treated at Philadelphia's Renfrew Center, which launched a new awareness campaign called the "Myths We Carry."

"Eating disorder doesn't discriminate," Jessica Taylor with the Renfrew Center said. "It picks on folks indiscriminately."

Taylor says myths about eating disorders often keep people from getting the help they need.

"You don't have to be sick enough to ask for treatment," Taylor said.

Renfrew provides residential and outpatient therapy — a reappraisal board has helpful reminders for patients.

"Take one day at a time," Taylor said. "Recovery is worth it. Every emotion is temporary."

Buscio, who's now a college student, says there is a lot of social pressure on young women to be thin — Hollywood and social media being filled with unrealistic ideals.

"I wasn't sure how to ask for help or what that looked like," Buscio said.

Buscio says getting treatment was the best thing she ever did, and now she's a speaker for Renfrew.

"It's definitely different [being back], but it has more of a sense of hope, and that's really great," Buscio said.

Buscio hopes to someday become a child therapist.