Condition : Eating disorders

Condition Eating disorders

What are eating disorders?

An eating disorder is a mental health condition where you develop unhealthy eating behaviours to cope with difficult thoughts and feelings, often resulting in weight loss or gain and physical health problems.

There are different types of eating disorder which are diagnosed based on a behaviour or combination of behaviours. The main behaviours are:

starving – skipping meals, eating very little, or avoiding foods that you see as fattening
purging – making yourself sick (vomiting), doing an extreme amount of exercise, taking medicines to help you poo (laxatives) or pee (diuretics)/li>
bingeing – eating a lot of food in a short time and not being able to stop when full

These behaviours can cause physical symptoms due to the impact they have on your body. For example, vomiting frequently can cause throat and teeth problems because of the contact with stomach acid. Not getting enough nutrients can make you more vulnerable to infections, weaken your muscles and bones, and lead to problems with your hair, skin, fertility, and various organs.

Mood changes, such as being withdrawn, anxious, or depressed, and avoiding social situations are common in people with an eating disorder.

The most common eating disorders are:

anorexia nervosa (often known simply as anorexia) – when you starve and purge to keep your weight as low as possible, despite being a healthy weight or underweight
bulimia (also known as bulimia nervosa) – binge eating followed by purging
binge eating disorder (BED) – eating a lot of food in a short time and not being able to stop when full

Other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED)

OSFED is the most common diagnosis given to someone with an eating disorder.

It’s an umbrella term for when your symptoms and behaviours don’t exactly fit what’s expected for a diagnosis of either anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder, but they are just as distressing and impact different aspects of your life.

You may be diagnosed with OSFED if:

you have all the symptoms of anorexia, except your weight remains within or above the ‘normal’ range (atypical anorexia)
you have all the symptoms of bulimia, except the binge/purge cycles don’t happen as often or over as long a period as doctors would use to diagnose bulimia (bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/or limited duration))
you have all the symptoms of binge eating disorder, except the binges don’t happen as often or over as long a period as doctors would use to diagnose binge eating disorder (binge eating disorder (of low frequency and/or limited duration))
you purge (by being sick or using laxatives) to affect your weight or shape, but this isn’t as part of binge/purge cycles (purging disorder)
you repeatedly eat at night, either after waking up from sleep, or by eating a lot of food after their evening meal (night eating syndrome)

It’s not necessary to fit under one of these subtypes for a diagnosis of OSFED.

What causes eating disorders?

The exact cause of eating disorders is unknown. While many people with eating disorders do worry a lot about their weight and body shape, it is not necessarily the reason that they start.

Eating disorders are more common in teenagers and young adults, and are also more likely if:

you or a member of your family has a history of eating disorders, depression, or alcohol or drug misuse
you've been criticised for your eating habits, body shape, or weight
you're really worried about being slim, particularly if you also feel pressure from society or your job, for example, ballet dancers, models, or athletes
you have anxiety, low self-esteem, an obsessive personality, or are a perfectionist
you've been sexually abused

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