Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical or psychiatric condition. This guide is for informational purposes only and should not take the place of treatment with a professional.
Eating disorders (EDs) are a growing concern in our culture which continues to value thinness, often at the expense of true wellness. What makes eating disorders and disordered eating especially tricky is that disordered patterns have become so normalized that many individuals with EDs receive praise for the very behaviors that negatively impact their physical and mental health and create a strained relationship with food.
In this guide, we aim to share what disordered eating looks like so you can consider your own relationship with food and whether you may benefit from additional resources including professional help.
What Is an Eating Disorder?
Eating disorders are a mental health condition with the second highest mortality rate among all psychiatric conditions. Eating disorders impact nutrition, which often leads to medical risk; they often co-occur with additional mental health challenges, like depression, anxiety, OCD, and more.
Many things may contribute to the development of an eating disorder. Risk factors can include genetic predisposition, co-occurring mental health conditions, traumatic events, and early exposure to dieting.
Eating disorders of all types can impact anyone, regardless of age, race, sex, gender, socioeconomic status, and body size.
Types of Eating Disorders
There are various types of eating disorders that impact people in different ways. But most people who struggle with their relationship with food do not fit neatly into one category. If you relate to what you find in this guide, it's likely appropriate to seek out support. You are deserving of support regardless of whether you meet criteria for a clinical diagnosis.
Eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes, including restrictive eating disorders. Be careful not to dismiss or overlook clearly disordered behaviors based on body size.
Anorexia Nervosa
This eating disorder is characterized by restriction of food intake, fear of gaining weight, and misperception of one’s own body. Restrictive behaviors can include, but are not limited to:
Limiting quantities of food
Limiting or avoiding certain food groups, or categories of foods, with little room for flexibility
Skipping meals
Counting calories, or other measures of food intake
Restriction is sometimes also accompanied by other behaviors, such as frequent self-weighing, bodychecking, and disordered patterns with exercise.
Bulimia Nervosa
This eating disorder is marked by episodes of binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors like purging intended to “undo” or “cancel out” the binge. Restriction is often also present with this disorder.
Binge Eating Disorder
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is marked by eating objectively large quantities over discreet periods of time and a perceived loss of control over what or how much one is eating. This ED may also include secrecy and shame around binges. Restriction can also play a role in BED, which tends to increase the likelihood of binges. Sometimes these restrictive patterns are more subtle and difficult to identify, or may have even been prescribed or recommended by a healthcare professional, making them tricky to pick out and challenge.
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
ARFID first appeared as a diagnosis in the fifth edition of the DSM in 2013 but has impacted individuals for much longer than that. ARFID refers to an eating disorder marked by difficulty taking in enough nutrition for reasons other than concerns with body image or body size. ARFID is thought of as having three subtypes:
Sensory: difficulty with specific aspects of food which interfere with a person's ability to eat enough. Challenges may come up with texture, smell, flavor, or appearance of food
Lack of Interest: showing little interest in food which interferes with being intrinsically motivated to seek out food, or to consume enough to meet needs
Fear of Adverse Consequences: eating is impacted by a fear of consequence from eating, such as fear of choking, or becoming ill
While ARFID behaviors are not typically driven by fear of weight gain, some folks struggling with ARFID do develop body image concerns. Working with qualified ED-trained professionals can help you best understand how to approach your unique challenges with eating.
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED)
OSFED is the most common Eating Disorder Diagnosis. It is the term used when someone’s eating problems are causing clinically significant distress but do not fit neatly into one of the above eating disorder diagnoses. OSFED can also include conditions that have become better-known in our culture but do not yet have fully defined diagnostic criteria, including Orthorexia, marked by an obsession with "healthy" eating.
Do I Have An Eating Disorder?
We can't tell you whether or not you have an eating disorder over a blog post on the internet. But if you've found yourself here, there's a good chance you're concerned about your relationship with food. The best thing to do is to reach out to a qualified team trained in eating disorder treatment. Starting with any treatment team member is a great place to start, so start with what you feel is most doable -- the key is to take that first step as soon as you can. We highly recommend seeking out providers who are specifically trained and experienced in eating disorder treatment.
What can recovery look like?
Recovery means that your loud eating disorder voice will get much, much quieter over time -- it might even completely go away. You can start to craft your vision of long term recovery with your treatment providers, so it can look however you want. What we often find with our patients is that through recovery, they experience:
Peace with food -- no more arguments in your head with every food choice
Body acceptance -- freedom to stop fighting the body that you're in
Increased interoceptive awareness -- ability to hear, understand, and honor your body's needs
A joyful relationship with movement and exercise
More time and bandwidth to focus on things other than food, such as relationships and life goals
How Can I Recover from an Eating Disorder?
Recovery takes time, but you can start right away and be closer to recovery than you've ever been. Full and long-lasting recovery is most likely when you've got a strong support system in place. We recommend working with a complete treatment team which includes a medical provider, and ED-informed therapist and dietitian.
Our team at Beyond Measure treats various conditions, but we all share expertise in the treatment of eating disorders. We have dietitians and therapists here in-house, and we'll collaborate with your primary care provider along the way. Book a free intro call to take the first step toward freedom from your eating disorder.
Prefer to get in touch another way? Visit our contact page, where you can send us an email, or call us directly.
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