
FAQs
Yes! A number of clinicians and organizations are running webinars or online education sessions.
There are several online groups and programming that you may find useful during this time. Information about eligibility is available on their websites.
You may find some of these tools, activities, apps and workbooks to be useful in helping to manage anxiety:
If you’re feeling alone or isolated-- reading about other’s experiences and advice may help you feel more connected in your recovery journey.
From the NEDIC website and blog:
From NEDIC partners:
The wonderful individuals at each of these services would be happy to help support you:
Many programs closed when the pandemic started. While some were able to transition quickly from delivering care in-person to providing services by telephone or virtually, their operational capacity was reduced. Programs across the country are working through backlogs of referrals. As the pandemic continues, and COVID-19 cases are increasing again in some regions, programs are having to juggle their backlogs and new referrals. Waitlists are unfortunately lengthy. For information about the status of a specific program, please contact that program directly.
There is currently very little information available as to whether individuals with eating disorders are at a heightened risk for developing COVID-19. We hope that there will be more detailed information available at some point, but recommend practising social distancing if at all possible as well as following the recommendations of your local health authority.
Our friends at BEAT in the UK have also compiled a set of FAQs.
We are still in the relatively early stages of understanding COVID-19, so there is little information available about the complications of COVID-19 as it relates specifically to eating disorders. This blog post from the Gaudiani Clinic discusses potential complications if someone with an ED does contract COVID-19. Dr. Gaudiani discusses potential complications that could arise based on the person's eating disorder (AN, BN, BED). It is important to note that, while this is based on her clinical expertise, we have very limited specific information as yet so this should be considered an educated guess.
Journal articles that may be of interest:
At this stage, we are not aware of any research specifically into the experiences of people who have an eating disorder and receive the vaccine. We hope that more information will be available soon.
This article discusses some safety considerations for practitioners whose clients have an eating disorder.
Our colleagues at BEAT in the UK have released this statement in support of vaccine prioritization for individuals who have an eating disorder.
Tips that may be helpful:
Recommendations from public health agencies:
This varies somewhat depending on your specific location.
If you live in a Canadian province, you can find a food bank near you using these tools:
Alberta: Food Banks Alberta
British Columbia: Food Banks British Columbia
Manitoba: Winnipeg Food Harvest
New Brunswick: Food Depot Alimentaire
Newfoundland & Labrador: Community Food Sharing Association
Nova Scotia: Feed Nova Scotia
Ontario: Feed Ontario
Prince Edward Island: More information about food banks in this PDF
Quebec: Banques Alimentaires
Saskatchewan: Food Banks of Saskatchewan
You may find it most helpful to visit your city's website for updated information regarding COVID-19, and what services/supports are being altered. For example, information for Toronto.
We recognise that this may be a serious anxiety, especially for folks who live with an eating disorder. Evidence available at present indicates that COVID-19 is not a foodborne illness.
The Canadian Produce Marketing Association has developed a fact sheet (PDF) that includes links to credible resources.
North Carolina State University has developed fact sheets that address questions about grocery shopping and take-out food which you can find here - one and two (PNG files)
Here are some quick links to the provincial/territorial COVID-19 websites. You may also find it helpful to look up information for your city or town. You can usually do this by searching "[your location] public health"
This document discusses possible ways to receive support: Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan - financial support for Canadians and businesses. An update on the new Canada Recovery Benefit is available here.
You can find relevant information on these websites:
The Public Health Agency of Canada is advising travellers, regardless of their vaccination status, to avoid non-essential travel internationally. Check the Government of Canada website for information and updates: https://travel.gc.ca
For specific advice and rules pertaining to travel to, from, and within Canada, see: https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid
To get the latest updates on the situation at your destination: https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/registration
Canadian abroad directly impacted by COVID-19 will have the option of applying for an emergency loan of up to $5,000 to help secure their timely return to Canada and to temporarily cover their life-sustaining needs while they work toward their return, contact: CAN.finances.CV19@international.gc.ca
For all other consular emergencies, Canadians can contact the nearest Government of Canada office or Global Affairs Canada’s 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa at +1 613-996-8885 (collect calls are accepted where available) or email sos@international.gc.ca