According to the National Eating Disorders Association, 9% of the US population, or 28.8 million Americans will have an eating disorder in their lifetime and eating disorders have the second highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness behind opiate addiction. Studies have found that approximately 31% of individuals with anorexia nervosa, 23% of individuals with bulimia nervosa, and 23% of indivudals diagnosed with binge eating disorder have attempted suicide. It is vital that people understand the seriousness of eating disorders, how to identify them and provide assistance to the sufferer.
Many of us learned about eating disorders in school from images of an unhealthily thin person who looks into a mirror and sees an overweight person. Yes, indeed, people who suffer from an eating disorder have skewed views of their self-image and appearance. But it’s not just about negative body images or even about food. Eating disorders are far more complicated than they may seem to someone who’s never dealt with one firsthand, or through someone they care about. The first step in understanding eating disorders is unlearning what we think we already know.
What Causes an Eating Disorder?
We must remember, eating disorders are complex conditions. Potential causes can be broken into three general categories:
Psychological – People who suffer from Anxiety, Depression or Loneliness or those who have a history of bullying or a history of physical and/or sexual abuse are all people who could develop eating disorders.
Biological – Research is ongoing in this area as scientists explore the possibility of chemical and/or genetic factors.
Social – This category runs parallel to the psychological causes. We live in a culture that glorifies certain body types and ethnicities. Consequently, this can enable the bullying or mocking of those who do not conform.
Identifying risk factors to watch out for is key to helping someone who may already have or be on the path towards an eating disorder.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Eating Disorders?
Recognizing the early signs and risk factors associated with eating disorders is crucial for early intervention and support. While each individual may exhibit unique symptoms, certain common indicators can signal the presence of an eating disorder. Here are some key risk factors and signs to watch out for:
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Constant Dieting or Fasting
Persistent engagement in restrictive eating behaviors, such as extreme dieting or prolonged fasting, may indicate an unhealthy preoccupation with weight and food.
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Lack of Family Support
Limited or inadequate support from family members or caregivers can contribute to feelings of isolation and exacerbate disordered eating patterns.
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Feeling Pressure to Meet Social Ideals of Thinness
Societal pressures to conform to unrealistic beauty standards can create internalized pressure to attain a certain body size or shape, leading to unhealthy dieting practices.
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Low Body Mass Index (BMI)
A BMI below the healthy range may be a physical manifestation of disordered eating behaviors, such as calorie restriction or excessive exercise.
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Poor Body Image
Negative perceptions of one’s body, accompanied by dissatisfaction with physical appearance, may contribute to the development or exacerbation of eating disorders.
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Additional Risk Factors
Other factors, such as a history of trauma, abuse, or mental health conditions like anxiety or depression, can increase susceptibility to eating disorders. Individuals with perfectionistic tendencies or a need for control may also be at heightened risk.
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Recognizing Signs and Symptoms
It’s essential to be vigilant and observant of potential signs and symptoms of eating disorders, which may include:
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Changes in Eating Patterns
Noticeable alterations in eating habits, such as skipping meals, avoiding certain food groups, or consuming large quantities of food in a short period.
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Physical Symptoms
Observable physical changes, such as significant weight loss or gain, fatigue, dizziness, hair loss, or gastrointestinal issues, may indicate nutritional deficiencies or metabolic disturbances.
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Behavioral Changes
Increased secrecy around eating behaviors, social withdrawal, avoidance of social gatherings involving food, or preoccupation with food-related activities like meal preparation or calorie counting.
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Psychological Distress
Emotional indicators, such as mood swings, irritability, anxiety, depression, or preoccupation with body image and weight, may signal underlying psychological distress associated with disordered eating.
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Signs of Common Eating Disorders
Anorexia Nervosa presents with an overpowering fear of weight gain. Therefore, food intake will be observably inadequate and body weight will be alarmingly low. Other possible signs include: a direct correlation of body image with self-esteem, An inability to grasp the severity of the condition and a binge/purge cycle.
Conversely, Binge Eating Disorder may involve episodes in which the individual consumes massive amounts of food. This occurs whether they are hungry or not, but is not accompanied by self-induced vomiting. In addition, binge eating episodes may leave them feeling out of control, ashamed, and guilty.
Bulimia Nervosa also presents with extreme binge eating. Yet, it’s combined with behaviors meant to prevent weight gain (e.g. self-induced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives).
Can We Effectively Treat Eating Disorders?
The short answer is “yes.” However, as you might imagine, it can require a long-term, multi-faceted approach. This begins with the individual and their loved ones better understanding eating disorders.
In addition, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) often successfully treats eating disorders and anxiety concurrently. The goal is to identify, and then modify, patterns of thought and behavior. In general, benefits are seen in 12 to 16 weeks.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) helps with managing emotions.
Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) enables the client to reconnect with themselves on a body level and work through issues.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) uses a different framework to address the rigid and perfectionistic characteristics of eating disorders.
Also, psychotherapy has shown the most long lasting results in terms of treatment and recovery for eating disorders.
Other treatment options include:
- Medications
- Support groups
- Nutritional guidance and education
- Hospitalization (if physical symptoms become life threatening)
How to Help Someone with an Eating Disorder
We may feel like this heavy burden is ours alone to bear. But there’s no reason to go solo in your quest to help someone with an eating disorder. There may be no more important choice than asking for help. Urging your loved one to meet with a therapist is a giant step. Eating disorders are common and can be life-threatening. Talking to a professional is a prudent and necessary option but they will also need your help, these tips will help you with what to expect.
- Expect to encounter denial – This means a lot of denial. It’s part of how people with eating disorders cope. You will be tested. A steady blend of patience and blunt honesty is the slow path towards a breakthrough.
- Don’t become a partner to a “secret” – Your loved one may admit their problem if you promise secrecy. You cannot make such a promise. Their life may depend on you telling medical professionals what you know.
- Take care of yourself – You will need to be at your best. This is a marathon. Do not neglect yourself.
- Don’t blame yourself – You didn’t “cause” your loved one’s problem. Trade potential guilt for true commitment. Commit to helping them recover.
- Stay aware of triggers – This may require paying close attention. It may also be very obvious. Either way, stay vigilant and aware.
Eating Disorder Misconceptions and Myths
It’s about weight loss
While the immediate effects of anorexia and/or bulimia frequently include extreme weight loss, there are almost always other factors at play than a desire to lose weight. Having a negative body image may influence the expression of some of these other factors as an eating disorder, but it is rarely the main cause. Understanding eating disorders as part of a legitimate, psychiatric illnesses like depression, anxiety, trauma, or OCD helps us treat them more effectively.
It’s just about the food
Sometimes it’s about not eating, or it’s about binging and purging, though these behaviors usually have more to do with issues of feeling in or out of control than they really do with the food. Sometimes it is about the food, such as being obsessed with a specific type of food or quality associated with a food like “fatty” or “unhealthy.” Other habits associated with eating disorders include compulsive exercising, either by over-engaging in sports or workouts, or erratic calorie-burning behaviors like pacing. Sometimes drug use is also involved, because it lessens the need for food or makes the user feel more “alive.”
Eating disorders are only for young people
Young women in their teens and twenties are more associated with eating disorders than any other segment of the population. Older women who have negative body issues often feel shame that they “still” struggle with eating disorders, long past an age when they think they ought to have “outgrown” such behaviors. Understanding eating disorders as “only about youth and body image” is harmful, because it might deter older individuals from seeking the help they need to get better. It doesn’t make you “shallow” to have an eating disorder even if you think should be old enough not to care so intensely about your appearance. Other underlying factors may not even be apparent to the sufferer.
Only women end up with an eating disorder
This is not solely a female issue. Men make up 25 percent of those with bulimia and anorexia and 36 percent of those with binge-eating disorder. Sometimes the statistics show much lower figures, but since men are far less likely to seek help, their statistics don’t always get counted properly. Men who have eating disorders tend to be diagnosed at a far later stage than women.
If you have an eating disorder, you will look unnaturally thin
Sometimes eating disorders don’t even result in weight loss or a visible health issue. Other health consequences associated with an eating disorder might be muscle loss and anemia, kidney problems, ulcers, low or high blood pressure, diabetes, or even osteoporosis. The skin may turn dry and yellowish, and the internal body temperature often falls, so that the sufferer always feels cold.
People who are overweight can still have an eating disorder. In fact, this can be more dangerous since they may be congratulated by peers or even by doctors on their weight loss if attention is not paid to losing weight in a mentally and physically healthy way.
Eating disorders are about control
Eating disorders are commonly thought to be a desire for control, and many can be. However, those with binge eating disorder frequently describe feeling as if their eating is completely out of control.
Eating disorders only effect white people
Not only white people experience eating disorders. Recent studies show an alarming increase among people of color, particularly women of color. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, Black, Indigenous and People of Color are significantly less likely than white people to have been asked by a doctor about eating disorder symptoms. Those with eating disorders are half as likely to be diagnosed or to receive treatment. Black people are less likely to be diagnosed with anorexia than white people but may experience the condition for a longer period of time and Black teenagers are 50% more likely than white teenagers to exhibit bulimic behavior, such as binge-eating and purging.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, don’t wait to seek help. As a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist, I can help you take productive steps soon to feel better about food, your body, and yourself. If you have questions, you can contact me through this website or if you are ready to start your healing journey you can book an appointment.
