Just Eat  is a documentary that follows the deadliest, least funded, and most ignored mental illness in America. Eating disorders wreak havoc on millions of Americans every year, yet the misconceptions of the disease continue to hinder research progress, treatment access, and keep medical professionals uninformed.

The film enters the world of two individuals fighting a war in their minds and bodies. Through the personal stories of those living with their disease, we learn of the hope that treatment provides, as well as the difficulty in obtaining proper care.

Deconstructing the myths around eating disorders helps bring reality closer. 

The truth is eating disorders affect both men and women. For females of African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic, and White descent, the overall prevalence of eating disorders is equal. Taking the focus off stereotypes and turning it towards the facts will create the awareness necessary to tackle this epidemic.

Anorexics are likely to die at a rate of 18x their peers if they are diagnosed in their 20’s, making it by far the most deadly mental illness. Over 4% of all Americans will have an eating disorder in their lifetime. 

We know that this is a high rate of incidence, yet why in 2011 did the National Institute of Health spend $84 per afflicted individual with schizophrenia compared with only $0.93 per afflicted with eating disorders?

This film started four years ago, approximately three days after I mustered up the courage to Google “anorexia” for the first time. I had been diagnosed with the illness four years prior, but the name alone carried with it the secrecy and fear that clouded my ability to see the societal significance of my story. I had no idea I was one of millions. Or that getting proper help is hard for nearly everyone with an eating disorder. Or that there are people actively trying to change all of that at the federal level, driven by their own brushes with death or loss of loved ones.

The fear turned into a responsibility I couldn’t walk away from as the magnitude of this story unfolded. Why was no one talking about this?

I no longer viewed my experience with anorexia as a traumatizing experience from my past, but as a filmmaker with an important story to tell.

By replacing the ill-informed idea that eating disorders exist solely on the covers of fashion magazines with the pressing issues of insurance denials and federal oversight, the way we talk about them will change. No other film has done this.

My story is no longer about me. It is merely one of countless instances demanding representation.

Just Eat  illuminates a story untold. Pioneers in the field of eating disorder research tell us what the science says, including the link between brain and behavior using genetics and brain imaging. One of the few lawyers in the country who exclusively takes on eating disorder cases tells us of the battle against the insurance companies that deny treatment coverage. The Director of the National Institute for Mental Health and members of Congress discuss how eating disorders rank on a federal level, while we see hundreds of individuals from across the country lobby on Capitol Hill every six months for a change in policy.

This film has been entirely independently funded up to this point. A wealth of talented, generous, and passionate friends have made this film what it is right now, but in order to resume filming at the standard of quality it needs we need your support.

Your money will help take us through the last few months of shooting. Travel expenses, gear rentals, talented people to operate that gear, not to mention random necessities like batteries, hard drives, fanny packs, etc.

Here’s how our costs break down: