Eating disorders
anorexia; bulimia; nervosa; eating; disorder; youth; young; people; diet; dieting; starve; starvation; starving; fast; fasting; purge; purging; vomit; vomiting;
Contents
Eating disorders are a range of conditions that are related to major emotional problems. Eating disorders occur in both men and women. It is important to be aware of how eating disorders can develop and how to get support or help if you feel you are at risk.
What is an eating disorder?
Eating disorders are outward signs of some kind of emotional distress or trauma. Not all people who are severely distressed develop an eating disorder, so there must be some underlying physical problem as well.
The main eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and compulsive overeating.
Other food related problems include chronic or "yoyo" (on-and-off) dieting, obsessive thoughts about eating and weight and excessive exercising.
Anorexia nervosa
- People with anorexia nervosa are often depressed.
- They choose not to eat despite their hunger and their very thin appearance.
- They often ‘feel fat’ even though they may actually be underweight.
- They may be thinking of food much of the time but they will not eat because for them, eating normally would lead to terrifying weight gain.
- The fear of becoming fat can override any sense of hunger so they don’t know when they are hungry, or they deny their hunger pain.
- They limit their food intake, are very choosy and may not eat many foods.
- Many also over exercise to lose weight, or work towards keeping a very low body weight.
- Not all those with anorexia nervosa are thin all the time. Their weight may vary but the anorexic thinking pattern may stay the same.
- Sometimes anorexia nervosa begins with a weight loss after a physical illness or from dieting.
- People with bulimia nervosa often have normal body weight or may be slightly overweight.
- This is another serious eating disorder where the sufferer has a similar fear of being overweight. The person gets caught up in a binge, purge, fast cycle.
- Binge eating is uncontrolled eating of vast amounts of food, usually in a short space of time and is usually done in secret.
- Purging is a way of getting rid of the food eaten in a binge. The most common way to purge is to make yourself vomit.
- Other ways of purging include laxatives, diet pills, over exercising and going without food.
- The binge, purge, fast cycle is a hard pattern to break.
- People often binge to get rid of feelings they cannot manage, but this usually leads to more difficult feelings of guilt and gaining weight.
- They may then purge to get rid of these feelings at first and they may experience some relief from purging, but the guilt and self-hatred returns along with a feeling of being out of control.
- In an attempt to gain control and to feel better, they fast or don’t eat much but then the hunger leaves them more likely to start the cycle over again.
- This can happen many times a day leaving people feeling depressed, sometimes suicidal, disgusted at themselves, withdrawn and having a belief that they are not able to control their behaviour.
- They often feel responsible or to blame for this and may feel extremely embarrassed or ashamed.
- Compulsive overeating can become like an addiction in someone's life, and is often associated with comfort and self nurturing.
- Compulsive overeaters can feel empty inside and may use food as replacement to what is missing.
Causes of eating disorders
Eating disorders don't have any one clear cause. This can make things quite distressing for sufferers and their friends, families or partners who do not understand how an eating disorder could have developed.
Some of the factors that are often part of an eating disorder can be put into four areas.
Individual Factors
- High personal expectations, always striving to be perfect.
- Setting unrealistic goals that the person believes will bring love and respect from family and/or friends.
- Feeling the need to gain control over one's life.
- Overwhelming feelings of being ineffective and inadequate may result in self starvation or the binge-purge cycle to gain control and feel competent.
- Some people may outwardly give the impression of being very much in control over their lives and of doing well and being disciplined, but in reality have very low self esteem.
- Depression.
- Those who have difficulty expressing their own needs and feelings (particularly negative feelings) may be at risk.
Family Factors
- There are no typical family patterns but relationships and communication problems in a family may contribute.
- Emphasis on self worth through achievement, self discipline, weight control and attractiveness can have a severe impact on some young people.
- Family conflict or problems.
Cultural Factors
- Being told or socialised (through media etc) to believe that thin is ideal and has endless benefits.
- Slim women in the media are always presented as happy, successful and feminine.
- Women who are required to be thin for their careers (models, dancers and athletes) are more frequently affected by eating disorders.
- Men are not immune to body image concerns and eating disorders. Research suggests the muscular and lean image of men in the media is impacting on men’s health too.
Precipitating Factors
- A life crisis or a death, loss, new home, change of job, school, personal failure or situations which pose a threat to self esteem can precipitate an eating disorder.
- An eating disorder may also develop from build-up of problems which on their own seem small.
Helping someone with an eating disorder
It is important to realise that eating disorders are serious problems and deserve specialised and sensitive care.
Being a friend or partner or family member of someone with an eating disorder can be very difficult at times, particularly if the person is denying their eating behaviours and will not talk to you openly. Following are some helpful ideas if you are unsure of what to do or say, in order to support the person close to you and to help yourself also!
- Contact counselling and support groups to get information that may be useful for yourself and the person with the eating disorder.
- Try and understand that this problem will not be solved overnight, people do things in their own time and it is best not to add pressure.
- Suggest to the person that she has the right to get professional support and an assessment, to help her link into the right services to help with recovery.
- Recognise that the eating disorder is linked to emotional issues and therefore it has provided the person with support (in an unhealthy way) for some time. Your friend may find dealing with the eating disorder stressful and might change her mind about wanting to remove the eating disorder from her lifestyle.
- If necessary you must seek life-saving or medical treatment for people who are at risk of seriously harming themselves or others.
- Accept the people for who they are and try to separate them from the eating disorder.
- Be honest with the person and by showing them your love and care they will feel supported.
Resources
- your local Community Health Centre
- your General Practitioner
- your school or university counsellor
- your local library for further reading
South Australia
- The Second Story Youth Health Service (TSS)
- Central: 57 Hyde St, Adelaide
- South: 50a Beach Rd, Christies Beach
- North: 6 Gillingham Rd, Elizabeth
- West: 50 Bower St, Woodville
Contact TSS via the Youth Healthline on 1300 13 17 19,
or for mobile phone callers (08) 8303 1691 - normal rates apply.
- Eating Disorders Association of South Australia (EDASA)
Telephone: 8297 4011
http://www.edasa.org.au
- Weight Disorders Unit, Flinders Medical Centre
http://www.flinders.sa.gov.au/mentalhealth/...
- Kids Helpline ph: 1800 551 800.
General
References
Drummond, M. 'Men, Body Image, and Eating Disorders'. International Journal of Men’s Studies. Vol 1, No. 1, January 2002, pp 79-93.
Fairburn CG, Harrison PJ. 'Eating disorders'. The Lancet, 2003, 361: pp 407-416. http://www.thelancet.com/... (free registration and login required)
MedlinePlus. 'Eating Disorders'
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/eatingdisorders.html
Report of The American Psychological Association Task Force on the Sexualisation of Girls. 2007,
http://www.apa.org/pi/wpo/sexualizationrep.pdf
The information on this site should not be used as an alternative to professional care. If you have a particular problem, see a doctor, or ring the Youth Healthline on 1300 13 17 19 (local call cost from anywhere in South Australia).