What are Eating Disorders?

Symptoms of Eating Disorders:

There are three common eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa, where you control your weight through not eating enough, or by exercising too much, or both. Bulimia, where you lose control over how much you eat, and then take drastic action in order to lose weight. Binge eating disorder (BED), where you eat large amounts of food to the point of being uncomfortable.

Other eating disorders include avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (AFRID), where a person may avoid certain types of food, and have a restricted intake. This can be due to a previous bad experience with food, such as vomiting or choking. If someone's symptoms don't fit with the expected symptoms for the three common eating disorders, then they may be diagnosed with an other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED).

Examples of OSFED include atypical anorexia, where someone presents with all the symptoms of anorexia, but has a weight in a 'normal' range, purging disorder, where someone may vomit or use laxatives to lose weight, but this isn't associated with a binge/purge cycle, and night eating syndrome, where someone may wake up in the middle of the night to eat. While these are some examples, people with OSFED will usually experience different symptoms.

Symptoms of eating disorders are spending a lot of time worrying about your weight, avoiding socialising where food is involved, eating little food, taking laxatives or making yourself sick, exercising too much, feeling cold, tired or dizzy, poor circulation, digestive problems, not getting your period, and your weight being very low for someone of your height and age.

Causes of Eating Disorders:

It's not quite known what causes eating disorders, and it’s likely due to a number of different factors. You're more likely to develop an eating disorder if you or a member of your family has a history of eating disorders, depression, or alcohol or drug misuse, you've been criticised for your eating habits, body shape or weight, you're really worried about being slim, particularly if you also feel pressure from society or your job, for example, ballet dancers, models or athletes, you have anxiety, low self-esteem, an obsessive personality or are a perfectionist, or you've been sexually abused.

Treatment Options for Anorexia:

The signs of anorexia include missing meals, lying about how much you've eaten and your weight, taking appetite suppressants, having a fear of gaining weight, having strict rituals around eating, and not admitting when your weight loss is serious.

Beginning treatment as soon as possible is the best way to avoid serious complications. There are a number of different therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which will help you cope with and understand your feelings, as well as how to make healthy food choices.

Maudsley anorexia nervosa treatment for adults (MANTRA) involves talking to a therapist in order to understand what's causing your eating disorder. Family and friends can join you if you think it would be beneficial.

In specialist supportive clinical management (SSCM), you'll learn about nutrition and how your eating habits cause your symptoms. Food psychodynamic therapy is used when none of the other therapies seem to work for you. It should include trying to understand how your eating habits are related to what you think, and to how you feel about yourself and other people in your life.

Antidepressants should not be the only treatment given, and should be used in conjunction with other therapies.

Treatment Options for Bulimia and Binge Eating Disorder:

The signs of bulimia are eating a large amount of food over a very short time (binging) and then removing the extra food (purging) by making yourself vomit, taking laxatives or exercising excessively. Other symptoms may be a fear of putting on weight, being very critical about your weight and body shape, and mood changes.

The signs of binge eating disorder is when a person feels compelled to overeat on a regular basis. Other symptoms are eating when not hungry, eating very fast during a binge, eating alone or secretly, and feeling depressed, guilty, ashamed or disgusted after binge eating.

First line treatment for bulimia is self-help. You will be given a self-help guide that will help to monitor what you are eating, make realistic meal plans, learn about your triggers, identify the underlying causes of your disorder, and find other ways of coping with your feelings. You can also join a support group.

If the self-guided help isn't successful, you may be offered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT involves talking to a therapist, who will help you explore emotions and thoughts that could be contributing to your eating disorder, and how you feel about your weight and body shape.

Antidepressants should not be the only treatment given, and should be used in conjunction with other therapies.

By Aisia Lea.