Local Resident on a Mission to Help Those With Eating Disorders and Weight Concerns

As the "obesity epidemic" rages, many do not realize that there are 30 million people in this country who struggle with life-threatening eating disorders.

We all know someone with an eating disorder, but we rarely hear about their struggles because of the secrecy and shame that often accompanies the illness.

Chevese Turner of Severna Park knows this well. She is in recovery from the most common disorder "Binge Eating Disorder" and has made it her life's mission to help others through her advocacy work and as co-owner of "Pershing Turner Centers for Eating Disorders & Weight Concerns" (www.pershingturnercenters.com) in Annapolis. 

"Unfortunately, eating disorders can be lethal," says Turner, "whether you have Anorexia, Bulimia, or Binge Eating Disorder you are at risk for health complications including organ damage, increased likelihood for co-morbid psychiatric conditions, and suicide. In fact, eating disorders have the highest death rate of any other mental health disorder and are far more prevalent than many other well-known physical and mental health conditions." 

Turner says that a common misconception is that only middle to upper-class, white, thin, teen-age girl's struggle with eating disorders. In fact, this profile is the minority and people of every age, ethnicity, size, socio-economic status, and genders are affected. It is especially important, she adds, that we do not assume that because someone is of "normal" weight or living in a larger body that they cannot have an eating disorder. The majority of people with eating disorders fit in to these size categories and often are left unrecognized and untreated to their detriment.

Turner opened "Pershing Turner Centers" with business partner Amy Pershing, LMSW, ACSW in Annapolis in 2010 to address this underserved population in Anne Arundel County. With an estimated 30,000 people in this county alone who can be diagnosed with an eating disorder, she felt it critical to begin providing services that would address the full spectrum of issues that a person in this situation faces.

The outpatient clinic is located in West Annapolis and treats the spectrum of eating disorders utilizing a multidisciplinary team approach when appropriate. Pershing Turner Centers also works with those who may have weight concerns, but do not meet the level of a true eating disorder. This includes many who have yo-yo dieted throughout their lives, are always on a diet or thinking about dieting, utilize extreme exercise to compensate for their eating, and even those who have embarked on bariatric surgery and understand that their body may have changed, but not their thinking or relationship with food.

Turner and Pershing are well-known thought leaders and speakers on the national stage as advocates for those with Binge Eating Disorder and the issue of weight stigma, which is often accompanied by bullying that can trigger an eating disorder. Turner is also the founder of the Binge Eating Disorder Association (www.bedaonline.com) and Pershing is a founding board director.

For further information or to schedule an assessment, please contact Pershing Turner Centers at 443-569-3022.