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.

There are different types of eating disorder which are diagnosed based on a behaviour or combination of behaviours, such as:

starving, by eating nothing or very little, or avoiding foods that you think are fattening
get rid of (purge) food in your stomach, by making yourself sick, doing an extreme amount of exercise, taking medicines to help you poo (laxatives) or pee (diuretics)
bingeing, by eating a lot of food in a short time and not being able to stop when full

These behaviours can often lead to severe weight gain or loss, and other physical and mental health problems such as:

There are three most common eating disorders, which are:

anorexia (also known as anorexia nervosa), which means 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), which involves binge eating followed by purging
binge eating disorder (also known as BED), which is when you eat a lot of food in a short time and you can't stop when full

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

It’s a broad term for when your symptoms and behaviours don’t exactly fit with a diagnosis for anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder.

The symptoms can still be distressing and impact different areas of your life.

You may be diagnosed with OSFED if:

you show symptoms of anorexia, except your weight remains within or above the typical range (atypical anorexia)
you show 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 (of low frequency and/or limited duration)
you show symptoms of binge eating disorder, except the binges don’t happen as often or for as long as a confirmed binge eating diagnosis (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.

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 or bullied 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