Eating disorders go beyond eating too little or too much food. They can be complicated conditions linked to mental health and can be life-threatening if left untreated.
Diet is an important aspect of human life. What humans eat, why they eat, how they eat, when they eat, and how much they eat can impact their physical, physiological, and psychological health, such that if not done right, one can develop a health condition linked to their dietary habits. So, as simple as it may sound, an eating disorder can impact every part of a person’s life.
Research has reported increasing rates of eating disorders, with a 2019 study highlighting an increase from 3.5% to 7.8% between 2000 and 2018. According to another study published in Current Opinion in Psychiatry, more than three million people worldwide die every year due to eating disorders. These conditions affect the way you eat food, the way you think about your weight in relation to food, harmful practices after eating food, your body image, and your physical and mental health.
An eating disorder is a complex mental health condition characterized by abnormal eating habits, thoughts, and behaviors that significantly impact a person's physical and emotional well-being,
says Marissa Moore (MA), a licensed professional counselor, therapist, and mental health consultant writer at Mentalyc.
These conditions manifest as disturbing eating behaviors that cause people who are affected to have unhealthy emotions. The more common ones, like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorders, affect more women than men.
Eating disorders are not simply about food or weight; they reflect underlying emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal issues that require comprehensive treatment and support,
Moore adds.
Different types of eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, pica, rumination disorder, and other specified feeding and eating disorders.
Anorexia nervosa is a condition in which people eat as little food as possible because of their fears of gaining weight. People with this condition often eat low-calorie foods in reduced quantities, exercise excessively, and still believe their size is bigger than it actually is.
Anorexia nervosa usually affects young people and can cause early death from suicide or complications of the disorder.
Symptoms of anorexia nervosa include:
People with binge eating disorders eat a lot of food within a short period of time. They keep eating despite being full because they have little to no control over their eating habits. For most of them, after eating, they end up feeling ashamed and guilty.
Binge eating disorders are the most common eating disorders in the United States. Obesity, depression, diabetes mellitus, digestion problems, sleep disorders, and suicidal thoughts are some of the health conditions associated with this condition.
Symptoms of binge eating disorder include:
Bulimia nervosa is a combination of binge eating and anorexia nervosa. It involves binge eating, feeling guilty, and being afraid of gaining weight.
It is also often accompanied by negative thoughts about one's body shape, leading to them trying to force their bodies to get rid of the food through self-induced vomiting, taking medications like laxatives and diet pills (which are all acts of purging), and starvation to prevent weight gain.
People with bulimia nervosa may be underweight, overweight, or have a normal weight. This depends on the eating pattern they practice more often.
Bulimia nervosa can cause gastrointestinal and heart problems.
Symptoms of bulimia nervosa include:
People with ARFID eat reduced quantities and fewer types of food. Because of this, they end up not getting enough nutrients needed for growth and development.
ARFID is often seen in children and often manifests as them being picky eaters. ARFID can also occur in adults, causing them to experience constant weakness, such that they can't perform basic activities.
Common symptoms of avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder include:
Pica is an eating disorder that involves craving and eating things that aren't considered food and have no nutritional value, e.g., chalk, hair, and sand. Most times, before pica is diagnosed, eating such things has to occur consistently and for more than one month.
A study carried out in Sudan indicated that pica affects pregnant women and children the most. More than 80% of people with pica eating disorder eat clay and sand; some eat ice, and others eat flour. These harmful substances may cause damage to organs like the esophagus and stomach.
Pica typically causes symptoms like:
Rumination disorder involves bringing up into the mouth, food that has already been chewed and swallowed (regurgitation) and then chewing and swallowing it again or spitting it out.
The regurgitant (the food that's brought back up) often doesn't taste bad for them, as the acid in the stomach hasn't acted on it yet.
Rumination disorder presents as:
OSFED are disorders that do not fit into the diagnostic criteria for the disorders mentioned above. This could be because the effects, such as weight loss, are less severe than what's expected, like in atypical anorexia nervosa.
Some examples of specified feeding and eating disorders are purging disorders and atypical anorexia nervosa.
OSFED can present with symptoms such as:
Eating disorders can be caused by a combination of factors, including genetics and psychological factors like low self-esteem or perfectionism,
says Sarah Boss (MD), a clinical director, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and somatic experiencing practitioner at The Balance Luxury Rehab.
Other possible contributors include societal pressures to be thin, trauma or abuse, and certain personality traits,
Dr Boss adds.
Physicians are in the right position to diagnose and treat eating disorders. They typically start with taking a patient’s medical history, doing a physical examination, doing some tests, and using tools like the SCOFF questionnaire to ask them questions about their symptoms.
Eating disorder treatment is tailored to each individual's specific needs and the severity of their illness, and it requires a multidisciplinary approach (different healthcare professionals and different treatment approaches). Psychotherapy, treatment of complications, monitoring, and medications may be needed to treat eating disorders.
Eating disorders are serious problems, but they can be managed if you acknowledge them, seek help, and get support from family, friends, and healthcare professionals.
If you do seek help for an eating disorder, these are some of the healthcare professionals who may be involved in treating you:
You should seek help for yourself or your loved ones if you're overly concerned about your eating habits, weight, and body image.
What is an eating disorder like?
How do eating disorders affect the body?
Is stress-starving an eating disorder?
Can you have more than one eating disorder at the same time?
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