The National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC)

We sat down with Ary Maharaj, Outreach and Education Coordinator from the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) to learn more about the work they do to support Canadians and more specifically, post-secondary students.

What is NEDIC?

The National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) is a registered Canadian charity that has been helping Canadians affected by eating disorders since 1985. They operate Canada’s only national toll-free helpline and instant chat program which provides support, information and referrals to individuals struggling with food and weight preoccupation issues, as well as the families, friends, and professionals who care for them. With a focus on eating disorder risk factors, NEDIC delivers prevention-focused workshops to diverse audiences and facilitates professional development through their outreach and education program. Canadians do not require a diagnosis to access NEDIC. 

How NEDIC can support campuses in helping students. 

The outreach and education program is a great opportunity for those working in the post-secondary sector to learn more about how they can support the students they are working with. This includes counsellors on campus, residence staff, student leadership and the athletics department. Session topics that have been covered in the past by NEDIC for the post-secondary sector are weight stigma, identifying and supporting a loved one with eating and weight concerns as well as walking through eating disorders and service providers. 

There is no cost associated with the workshops/presentations and are offered online across the country as well as in person (once COVID-19 restrictions lift) in the Greater Toronto Area. Outreach can be booked by completing a form. Typically a workshop/presentation can be scheduled within the month.

To book a workshops/presentation please visit the following link: https://nedic.ca/presentation-outreach/ 

New Online Instant Chat Platform 

In addition to Students can access direct support by either the Toll-free helpline (1-888-633-4220), students can also access direct support through an online instant chat platform. NEDIC has found that clients under 25 years of age were three times more likely to request support via instant chat than through the telephone. NEDIC’s instant chat service is an accessible option to help both post-secondary students and campus services better manage their current challenges of long wait-times and insufficient resources.

To learn more about the instant chat platform and to have social media messaging that you can share with students you can visit the following link: https://nedic.ca/spark/ 

If you have any additional questions, please contact Ary Maharaj at aryel.maharaj@uhn.ca 

In June of 2020, CICMH hosted a webinar with NEDIC. You can watch the archived version here. https://campusmentalhealth.ca/webinars/eating-disorder/