An eating disorder is when someone becomes very obsessive about food, either by refusing to allow themselves enough food, or by frequently overeating, or by using extreme methods of getting rid of the food they’ve eaten (such as making themselves sick, strictly limiting food intake and then eating loads all at once or doing extreme levels of exercise).
Sometimes people can have a mixture of eating disorders.
Eating disorders can cause both emotional and physical harm.
Why do people get eating disorders?
The reasons people get eating disorders are different for everyone, but they are usually a way of coping with feelings that are making you very unhappy.
An eating disorder is usually a sign that you might need some support to cope with life.
Types of eating disorder
Anorexia Nervosa
Will include some or all of the following symptoms:
- Not eating enough to sustain yourself
- Severe weight loss
- Difficulty sleeping
- Dizziness
- Stomach pains
- (for girls) Periods stopping or becoming very irregular
- Unable to sleep, feel tired and find it difficult to concentrate
- Feeling fat when in reality you are underweight
- Doing excessive exercise
- Shutting yourself off from the world
- Lying to others about what you have eaten
- Punishing yourself if you eat something you would not normally eat
People with anorexia are often perfectionists, who see things as either right or wrong (no in between) with low self esteem. They often have an inability to cope safely with any worries. Anorexia may be triggered or become worse during periods of stress.
Bulimia
Like anorexia, bulimia is also linked to emotional problems or stress. Both anorexia and bulimia can be ways of trying to get control over your own life by obsessively controlling what you eat.
If you have bulimia, you may have an average body weight, so no-one may suspect that you have an eating disorder. But bulimia can be just as damaging to the insides of your body.
Bulimia will include some or all of the following symptoms:
- Involved in a cycle of eating large amounts of food, then making yourself sick or taking laxatives - then beginning again
- Sore throats and bad breath as a result of being sick regularly
- Stomach pains
- Poor skin
- Difficulty sleeping
- Fainting
- Feeling dehydrated
- Kidney or bowel problems
- Feeling emotional or depressed
- Mood swings
- Obsessed with dieting
Binge eating or compulsive eating
Binge eating means eating lots of food in a short period of time, usually in secret and you may feel out of control.
Compulsive overeating involves eating smaller amounts of food but all day.
Both binge eating and compulsive eating are habits that develop as a way of dealing with stress or as a way of trying to deal with difficult feelings.
Getting help
If you have an eating disorder it’s important to know that recovery is possible. The sooner you get help the better, as this can avoid habits setting in. However, even if you have had an eating disorder for years it is still possible to get better.
The first step is admitting to yourself that you have a problem. This can be difficult, especially if you have covered up the issue to friends and family for a little while.
If your eating disorder has become a habit, it may be hard to imagine life without it but there are services to support you through the process of getting better.
- Your doctor might be a good place to start as they should be able to advise you of local services to help. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to your doctor or if you don’t feel you have been taken seriously you can ask to see another doctor or make an appointment with one of the nurses instead
- It can be hard to get help on your own. Talk to someone you trust such as a good friend, teacher, social worker, nurse or youth worker first. They might be willing to seek help on your behalf or go along with you to any appointments
- If you would rather not talk to anyone you know, you could contact the charity, Beat (external link). They are specialists in talking to young people with eating disorders and will not judge you, they will just try to help.
Call 0845 634 7650, Monday - Thursday, 1.30 - 4.30pm. They can call you back if needed to save your phone bill. Text a message to 07786 20 18 20 (standard message rates apply) or email fyp@b-eat.co.uk