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An Eating Disorder is a mental health condition that can be described as an unhealthy practice related to eating, exercise, or body shape. Sometimes in society we see underweight celebrities and models represented as the perfect body image and the ideal of beauty. Even some toys, such as Barbie Dolls, create a false representation of body shape and weight. People can also experience peer/family pressure to look a certain way. Therefore, it is not always easy to identify eating disorders as people who are suffering from this can resort to secrecy due to shame or guilt.

Behaviours associated with eating disorders:

• Dieting – calorie counting, fasting, or skipping meals.
• Excessive exercise regimes
• Binge eating – hoarding or dispensing large amounts of food.
• Purging – self inflected vomiting or consuming laxatives or diet medications
• Social withdrawal – eating alone or avoiding social situations that involve eating.
• Change in clothing style – wearing baggy clothes that do not show the body shape. 

Severe and persistent disturbance in eating behaviour can cause psychosocial and sometimes physical impairment such as changes in weight (gain or loss), disturbance to menstrual cycle, dizziness, fatigue, lapses in concentration, and irregular heartbeat.

Eating disorder can be a result of combination factors:

• Coping strategy to deal with emotional pain – over or under eating to cope with painful circumstances.
• Traumatic event, such as bullying, abuse (physical/sexual/emotional), death of someone special or divorce.
• Peer and family pressure.
• Low self-esteem, peer and family pressure, issues related to sexuality, or lack of confidence.
• Genetics – Research has found people with family history of bulimia nervosa have higher risk of developing bulimia nervosa.

If you are experiencing the following symptoms, you might have an eating disorder:

• Over concern or worry about your appearance, food intake and gaining weight.
• Mealtime anxiety – feeling anxious, emotional, and guilty around mealtime, feeling depressed, anxious or irritable.
• Dissatisfaction with body shape and appearance. Feeling the need to lose more weight although friends or family are concerned about your underweight.
• Fear of gaining weight.
• Pretending that you have eaten when you have not.
• Unhealthy eating habits, being secretive about eating habits.
• Feeling anxious, guilty, or frustrated after eating or feeling out of control around food.
• After food consumption resorting to vomiting due to concern of overeating.
• Monitoring weight on regular basis.

Common Types of Eating Disorders:

Binge Eating Disorder (BND)

Frequently consume large quantities of food sometimes without feeling hungry. This is known as binging. Most of the time after engaging in binge eating, they feel shameful and guilty and resort to fasting or go on dieting.

Bulimia Nervosa (BN)

A person with bulimia nervosa engages in frequent episodes of binge eating, feeling that they are not able to stop eating or control the amount they eat. To prevent weight gain they engage in compensatory behaviours such as self-induced vomiting, consuming laxatives or diet medications, fasting or engage in excessive exercise regimes. 

Anorexia Nervosa (AN)

A person with anorexia nervosa restricts food intake due to fear of gaining weight. Therefore, they are significantly underweight. Dissatisfied with their body-image or shape, they see themselves as fat even though family and friends worry about their weight and lack of recognition of the seriousness of the problem. People with this condition resort to extreme dietary restrictions and exercise regimes.

Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED)

A person with OSFED can experience clinically significant distress associated with disruptive eating habits and distorted body image.

Pica

A person with pica can resort to eating non-nutritious, non-food substances. 

Treatments for Eating Disorders:

It is important to start treatment as early as possible as eating disorders can have chronic consequences to health. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is the evidence-based treatment for eating disorders. Identifying thoughts, feelings and behaviours that has led to an eating disorder.

If you are diagnosed with an eating disorder and need assistance managing emotional wellbeing and eating habits, book an appointment with Jayani Jayatilake, Peaceful Mind Counselling.

Contact 0426 191 010 or send us a message.

A highly experienced Counsellor, Jayani Jayatilake has a Masters Degree in Social Work. Jayani believes that the client is an expert in his/her own situation, and encourages clients to take an active role in their recovery by helping them to recognise and acknowledge their own strengths, resilience and resourcefulness in overcoming barriers to improve their quality of life.