Feb 21st – 27th is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
There are many different types of eating disorders and they affect both genders.
What are eating disorders?
Eating disorders are real, complex psychiatric and medical illnesses. They are NOT faddish eating or a phase someone is going through. They can happen at any time, to either gender and can start in many different ways.
There are also many different types of eating disorders, from those struggling with body image, weight or food. It can become severe and even life-threatening, but the earlier a person seeks treatment, the higher the chance of physical and emotional recovery.
What are the warning signs?
The general focus is on weight loss. They become obsessed with food choices and portions. Many withdraw from eating around others, making excuses that they have already eaten. They may eat a small amount and then go to the toilet between meals.
With binge eating, there may be evidence of a large amount of food going missing. If the person is going out to get food, you may find wrappers and containers in the bin.
Among men, they may become obsessed with body image. Start bodybuilding and taking steroids or other substances to increase their muscle. But they too may be showing signs of bulimia without realising they are bulimic. Research done a few years ago showed how young men thought only women became anorexic or bulimic because that was the publicity they read and saw at the time.
Both genders may become obsessed with rigorous exercise, and despite illness or weather conditions will attempt to go out running.
Because eating disorders are so complicated, it is best first to approach your doctor.
What’s not an eating disorder?
If the medical tests suggest that it is not an eating disorder, there may be other things it could be:
The common one is emetophobia – fear of being sick. As people with this condition haven’t made the connection between anxiety and feeling nauseous, they often stop eating certain foods or eating in front of others to minimise nausea. I have seen about two clients a year with this condition, and it can take anything from 6 weeks to 6 months to change the person’s feelings about it. Hypnotherapy can be very useful for this condition.
When someone develops a fear of food, it can happen at any time but more often in children. Usually, after incidents such as food poisoning, hospital stays or anywhere they had trauma, and there was a connection with food.
Obesophobia
A phobia is where someone develops a fear of gaining weight. Pregnancy can be a trigger. I once knew a lady who was a few months pregnant, and she was utterly terrified of the weight gain from having the baby. It wasn’t just the extra weight most mothers face; it was a fear of showing it. She admitted she had had an eating disorder when younger. But she realised there was no way for her to hide she was pregnant. She decided to abort and adopt instead, which I thought was rather tragic at the time, but I wasn’t a therapist at this point.
Body dysmorphia is a form of OCD and a mix of SF, CBT and hypnosis can help.
So if anyone you knows falls into any of these categories remember it’s not necessarily under their control. Support and understanding are much more beneficial than berating them.
For more articles on eating disorders, check out: