Eating disorders and mental health

What is an eating disorder?

An eating disorder is a mental health condition where you use the control of food to cope with feelings and other situations.

They can be very serious conditions affecting physical, psychological and social function.

How common are eating disorders?

There is no specific age of having an eating disorder, but studies show that eating disorders are twice as prevalent among females than males.

What causes an eating disorder?

While it is unclear why exactly someone develops an eating disorder, some people believe they stem from social pressure to be thin, and others may believe eating disorders are a way to feel in control as they make lack this in areas of their life.

Most specialist believe that eating disorders develop because of a combination and genetic factors. Other factors can also be:

• Being vulnerable to depression and anxiety

• Finding stress hard to manage

• Worrying a lot about the future

• Being a perfectionist

• Controlling your emotions

• Having obsessive or compulsive feelings

• Changes in rain or hormone levels

• Other medical conditions

Types of eating disorders:

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia is an eating disorder where you feel a need to keep your weight as low as possible. Symptoms of anorexia include:

• Believing you are overweight when you are a healthy weight or underweight

• Eating very little or missing meals.

• Avoiding fatty foods

• Thinking about food a lot.

• Usually having a low body mass (BMI)

• Physical problems, such as feeling lightheaded, dizzy.

Bulimia

Bulimia is a type of eating disorder in which a person regularly eats excessive amounts of food and then attempts to eliminate the consequences.

Symptoms of bulimia include:

• Fear of gaining weight, critical of weight and body shape.

• Mood changes, feeling tense or anxious

• Feelings of guilt and shame

• Avoiding social activities that involve food

• Feeling a lack of control

Binge Eating

Binge eating is slightly different from Bulimia with similar characteristics. Unlike Bulimia where after eating is followed by purging but binge eating is not. During a binge, people may eat food faster or eat more food than planned. Even when hungry, eating may continue long past feeling uncomfortably full.

Symptoms of bulimia may include:

• Eating alone

• Fear of gaining weight

• Limiting eating for periods of time.

• Feelings of shame, embarrassment, guilt.

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder

ARFID is a condition that limits your food intake. It is not caused by a negative self-image or a desire to change your body weight. Fear and anxiety about food or the consequences of eating, like choking, digestive issues can lead to this eating disorder.

This eating disorder can cause you to:

• Loose interest in eating

• Feel anxious about the consequences of eating, like choking on food or vomiting

• Avoid foods that have an unwanted colour, taste, texture or smell

• Selective Eating

• Eating food in a specific order or creating rituals or patterns around the way you eat

PICA

Pica is a mental health condition where a person compulsively swallows non- food items. It’s especially common in children and with certain conditions. While it’s often harmless, swallowing certain items can make pica very hazardous and why they do not have a nutritional value.

Because it’s compulsive, people with this condition have a very hard time controlling the urge on their own. People with pica often feel embarrassed or ashamed. Because of this, those affected often don’t seek treatment or are afraid to open about it to their healthcare provider. Non- food items that can be eaten include sand, chalk, paper, talcum powder and paper.

Diagnosis for eating disorders

Doctors use physical and psychological evaluations to diagnose eating disorders. They will also make sure you meet the diagnostics criteria for an eating disorder. Please seek medical advice if you are struggling to cope with an eating disorder or think you have an eating disorder.