Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are serious conditions related to persistent eating behaviors that negatively impact your health, your emotions and your ability to function in important areas of life. Most eating disorders involve focusing too much on your weight, body shape and food, leading to dangerous eating behaviors. These behaviors can significantly impact your body’s ability to get appropriate nutrition. Eating disorders can harm the heart, digestive system, bones, and teeth and mouth, and lead to other diseases. Eating disorders often develop in the teen and young adult years, although they can develop at other ages. With treatment, you can return to healthier eating habits and sometimes reverse serious complications caused by the eating disorder.
Symptoms vary, depending on the type of eating disorder. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder are the most common eating disorders. Other eating disorders include rumination disorder and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder.
When to see a doctor
An eating disorder can be difficult to manage or overcome by yourself. Eating disorders can virtually take over your life. If you’re experiencing any of these problems, or if you think you may have an eating disorder, seek medical help.
Urging a loved one to seek treatment
Unfortunately, many people with eating disorders may not think they need treatment. If you’re worried about a loved one, urge him or her to talk to a doctor. Even if your loved one isn’t ready to acknowledge having an issue with food, you can open the door by expressing concern and a desire to listen.
Be alert for eating patterns and beliefs that may signal unhealthy behavior, as well as peer pressure that may trigger eating disorders. Red flags that may indicate an eating disorder include: Skipping meals or making excuses for not eating, adopting an overly restrictive diet, making own meals rather than eating what the family eats, withdrawing from normal social activities, persistent worry or complaining about being fat and talk of losing weight, repeatedly eating large amounts of sweets or high-fat foods, use of dietary supplements, laxatives or herbal products for weight loss, calluses on the knuckles from inducing vomiting, problems with loss of tooth enamel that may be a sign of repeated vomiting, leaving during meals to use the toilet, expressing depression, disgust, shame or guilt about eating habits. If you’re worried that your loved one, especially a child, may have an eating disorder, contact his or her doctor to discuss your concerns. If needed, you can get a referral to a qualified mental health professional with expertise in eating disorders, or if your insurance permits it, contact an expert directly. The exact cause of eating disorders is unknown. As with other mental illnesses, there may be many causes, such as: Genetics and biology. Certain people may have genes that increase their risk of developing eating disorders. Biological factors, such as changes in brain chemicals, may play a role in eating disorders.
Psychological and emotional health. People with eating disorders may have psychological and emotional problems that contribute to the disorder. They may have low self-esteem, perfectionism, impulsive behavior and troubled relationships.
Teenage girls and young women are more likely than teenage boys and young men to have anorexia or bulimia, but males can have eating disorders, too. Although eating disorders can occur across a broad age range, they often develop in the teens and early 20s. Certain factors may increase the risk of developing an eating disorder, including: Family history, other mental health disorders, such as anxiety disorder, depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder, dieting and starvation which can affect the brain and influence ability to make sound choices, stressful life events. Although there’s no sure way to prevent eating disorders, here are some strategies to encourage healthy-eating behaviors: Talk about healthy choices. Cultivate and reinforce a healthy body image in your loved-one/child, whatever his or her shape or size. Enlist the help of your child’s doctor.
If you notice a family member or friend who seems to show signs of an eating disorder, consider talking to that person about your concern for his or her well-being. Although you may not be able to prevent an eating disorder from developing, reaching out with compassion may encourage the person to seek treatment.