Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that involve extreme concern about eating, weight or shape plus disordered eating. They are not a lifestyle choice or “phase”.
Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental health disorder. One in seven women will experience an eating disorder over their lifetime. Peak onset is in adolescence and young adulthood, but eating disorders can develop before and after this too. They affect boys and girls, men and women, young and old, rich and poor, and people of all cultures.
There are four main categories of eating disorder: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and “other specified feeding or eating disorder” (OSFED). OSFED is no less serious than the other categories and just means that symptoms don’t exactly match those for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder.
OSFED includes atypical anorexia nervosa, atypical bulimia nervosa, purging disorder and night eating syndrome. In older diagnostic systems, the term “eating disorder not otherwise specified” (EDNOS) was used instead of OSFED.
It is very common for people to move between different eating disorder diagnoses over time.
All eating disorders are serious. There are effective treatments for all disorders.
Eating disorders aren’t all about food. People with eating disorders often feel a lot of pain, sadness and worry. The eating disorder can be a way to cope.
‘Disordered eating’ can include limiting food intake, binge eating (eating a very large amount of food at once and feeling out of control of eating) and/or purging (making yourself sick or misusing laxatives). People may also exercise a lot, or exercise in rigid ways.
Some of the symptoms associated with eating disorders include:
- Thinking about food all the time
- Dieting
- Missing meals
- Eating alone
- Counting calories
- Worry around meal times
- Guilt after eating
- Worrying about losing control around food
- Comfort eating
- Weight loss
- Frequent changes in weight
- Missed menstrual periods
- Vomiting after eating
- Signs of damage due to vomiting (like grazed knuckles)
- Worries about body shape and weight
- Frequent checking of your body shape or weight
- Avoiding looking at your body
- Comparing your body with others
- Eating meals very slowly
- Excessive exercise
- Frequent trips to the bathroom during or shortly after meals
- Stealing food
- Regularly asking for reassurance from others about food, body weight or shape
- Avoiding lots of foods
- Avoiding social situations
Usually at least a few of these symptoms are present in someone with an eating disorder. If you identify with these please make contact with me for an initial free consult. The sooner you seek help, the better your chances of recovery.
Early Intervention