Disordered Eating and Body Image Struggles
Are you dissatisfied with your body size or shape? Do you find yourself using food or exercise to manage difficult emotions? Are your loved ones expressing concern for you? Do you tend to eat alone or try to avoid eating with others? Are there times in which you feel out of control with food and/or exercise? Do you find yourself developing rules around food? Is your relationship with your body/food/weight impacting your self-worth or your relationships with people?
If you answered yes to these questions, you might be struggling with an eating disorder. According to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), approximately 20 million women and 10 million men in the U.S. have suffered from an eating disorder at some point in their lives. The prevalence of eating disorders is high and has continued to increase each decade since 1950 (Hudson et al., 2007; Streigel-Moore &Franko, 2003; Wade et al., 2011) with the incidence of anorexia in ages 15-19 increasing since 1930 and the incidence of bulimia in ages 10-39 tripling between 1988 and 1993 (Hoek& van Hoeken, 2003). Unfortunately, perhaps due in part to a societal drive for thinness, many people suffering from eating disorders go undetected as they blend into a cultural emphasis on “healthy living.”
Eating Disorder Types
The DSM-V includes the following diagnosable eating disorders: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, and Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS). Other Feeding or Eating Disorders include Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, Pica, Rumination Disorder, and Unspecified Feeding or Eating Disorder.
Anorexia is characterized by intense fears of gaining weight, inadequate food intake, obsession with weight and preventing weight gain, and difficulty accurately assessing the severity of the problem. The two subtypes of Anorexia are Binge/Purge Type and Restricting Type.
Bulimia Nervosa is characterized by frequent episodes of consuming large quantities of food followed by purging behaviors in an effort to prevent weight gain (e.g. overuse of laxatives, self-induced vomiting, etc.), feeling out of control during bingeing episode, and self-esteem corresponding with body image.
Binge Eating Disorder is characterized by frequent episodes of consuming large quantities of food as in Bulimia but without purging behaviors to prevent weight gain, feeling out of control during bingeing episode, and overwhelming feelings of shame and guilt about bingeing.
What Causes Eating Disorders?
Eating disorders are complex and serious conditions that have their origins in a variety of biological, psychological, emotional, interpersonal, and social factors. For many years, people have incorrectly assumed eating disorders are based on vanity, but the reality is that the behaviors of eating disorders - restriction, bingeing, and purging - are ways for people to cope with stressors and difficult emotions in life. Unfortunately, in the process of using these behaviors to cope, people find the costs to be significant.
Some of the factors contributing to eating disorders include brain chemistry, genetic predisposition, societal and cultural pressures to be thin through idealization of thinness, limited definitions of beauty, low self-esteem, trauma/abuse, co-morbidity with depression/anxiety, interpersonal conflict in relationships, trouble expressing emotions, norms/values based on physical appearance, and, from a feminist perspective, hypersexualization of women.
Severity and Public Support
Eating disorders are often underrepresented in forums on mental illness despite the devastating fact that Anorexia Nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder (Arcelus, Mitchell, Wales, & Nielsen, 2011). While much of the current trends about eating disorders can be quite harrowing, the good news is public support for greater understanding and awareness of eating disorders is rising. A 2010 poll conducted by NEDA revealed the majority of respondents, 80-86% believed eating disorders are a physical/mental illness and should be treated the same way, that eating disorder treatment is equally deserving of insurance coverage, are in favor of eating disorder psychoeducation in schools, and that more research on eating disorders is needed (NEDA, 2014).
Treatment Approach and Recovery
Eating disorders are complex and serious conditions that impact a person’s physical and mental health, as well as their relationships and ability to thrive. As a result, research has shown the most successful outcomes for treatment occur within a multidisciplinary team approach that specializes in eating disorders, including a therapist, dietician, medical doctor, and psychiatrist. Due to the physical and psychological impact of eating disorders, careful monitoring of a person’s overall health status is critical in the recovery process.
It is important to note that there are differing schools of thought around eating disorder treatment approaches to recovery. Some practitioners believe, as in many 12-step programs, a person is always “in recovery” from an eating disorder, while others believe a person can be fully recovered or free of symptoms and behaviors for the rest of their lives. Selecting a therapist whose personality and philosophy around eating disorder treatment and recovery work best for you are of utmost importance. After all, the relationship you have with your therapist can be one of your most powerful tools for wellness.
For more information on eating disorders, check out the following links:
-National Eating Disorder Association: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
-Something Fishy: http://www.something-fishy.org
-Proud2BMe: http://proud2bme.org
-Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center: http://edreferral.com
Are you dissatisfied with your body size or shape? Do you find yourself using food or exercise to manage difficult emotions? Are your loved ones expressing concern for you? Do you tend to eat alone or try to avoid eating with others? Are there times in which you feel out of control with food and/or exercise? Do you find yourself developing rules around food? Is your relationship with your body/food/weight impacting your self-worth or your relationships with people?
If you answered yes to these questions, you might be struggling with an eating disorder. According to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), approximately 20 million women and 10 million men in the U.S. have suffered from an eating disorder at some point in their lives. The prevalence of eating disorders is high and has continued to increase each decade since 1950 (Hudson et al., 2007; Streigel-Moore &Franko, 2003; Wade et al., 2011) with the incidence of anorexia in ages 15-19 increasing since 1930 and the incidence of bulimia in ages 10-39 tripling between 1988 and 1993 (Hoek& van Hoeken, 2003). Unfortunately, perhaps due in part to a societal drive for thinness, many people suffering from eating disorders go undetected as they blend into a cultural emphasis on “healthy living.”
Eating Disorder Types
The DSM-V includes the following diagnosable eating disorders: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, and Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS). Other Feeding or Eating Disorders include Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, Pica, Rumination Disorder, and Unspecified Feeding or Eating Disorder.
Anorexia is characterized by intense fears of gaining weight, inadequate food intake, obsession with weight and preventing weight gain, and difficulty accurately assessing the severity of the problem. The two subtypes of Anorexia are Binge/Purge Type and Restricting Type.
Bulimia Nervosa is characterized by frequent episodes of consuming large quantities of food followed by purging behaviors in an effort to prevent weight gain (e.g. overuse of laxatives, self-induced vomiting, etc.), feeling out of control during bingeing episode, and self-esteem corresponding with body image.
Binge Eating Disorder is characterized by frequent episodes of consuming large quantities of food as in Bulimia but without purging behaviors to prevent weight gain, feeling out of control during bingeing episode, and overwhelming feelings of shame and guilt about bingeing.
What Causes Eating Disorders?
Eating disorders are complex and serious conditions that have their origins in a variety of biological, psychological, emotional, interpersonal, and social factors. For many years, people have incorrectly assumed eating disorders are based on vanity, but the reality is that the behaviors of eating disorders - restriction, bingeing, and purging - are ways for people to cope with stressors and difficult emotions in life. Unfortunately, in the process of using these behaviors to cope, people find the costs to be significant.
Some of the factors contributing to eating disorders include brain chemistry, genetic predisposition, societal and cultural pressures to be thin through idealization of thinness, limited definitions of beauty, low self-esteem, trauma/abuse, co-morbidity with depression/anxiety, interpersonal conflict in relationships, trouble expressing emotions, norms/values based on physical appearance, and, from a feminist perspective, hypersexualization of women.
Severity and Public Support
Eating disorders are often underrepresented in forums on mental illness despite the devastating fact that Anorexia Nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder (Arcelus, Mitchell, Wales, & Nielsen, 2011). While much of the current trends about eating disorders can be quite harrowing, the good news is public support for greater understanding and awareness of eating disorders is rising. A 2010 poll conducted by NEDA revealed the majority of respondents, 80-86% believed eating disorders are a physical/mental illness and should be treated the same way, that eating disorder treatment is equally deserving of insurance coverage, are in favor of eating disorder psychoeducation in schools, and that more research on eating disorders is needed (NEDA, 2014).
Treatment Approach and Recovery
Eating disorders are complex and serious conditions that impact a person’s physical and mental health, as well as their relationships and ability to thrive. As a result, research has shown the most successful outcomes for treatment occur within a multidisciplinary team approach that specializes in eating disorders, including a therapist, dietician, medical doctor, and psychiatrist. Due to the physical and psychological impact of eating disorders, careful monitoring of a person’s overall health status is critical in the recovery process.
It is important to note that there are differing schools of thought around eating disorder treatment approaches to recovery. Some practitioners believe, as in many 12-step programs, a person is always “in recovery” from an eating disorder, while others believe a person can be fully recovered or free of symptoms and behaviors for the rest of their lives. Selecting a therapist whose personality and philosophy around eating disorder treatment and recovery work best for you are of utmost importance. After all, the relationship you have with your therapist can be one of your most powerful tools for wellness.
For more information on eating disorders, check out the following links:
-National Eating Disorder Association: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
-Something Fishy: http://www.something-fishy.org
-Proud2BMe: http://proud2bme.org
-Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center: http://edreferral.com