BALTIMORE — For almost two decades — from high school to when she was a 35-year-old graduate student — Alicia Castaneda Hatfield struggled with an eating disorder without ever talking with a doctor about it.
Some months were better than others, and she’d eat enough to get through the day. Then, her recovery would slip, and she’d start severely restricting her calories again.
She experienced her biggest relapse while studying for her degree in social work in Sacramento, California. But this time, she didn’t struggle alone. Her therapist caught the warning signs, connected her with a registered dietitian, and, for the first time, she had help maintaining her recovery.
