concerningEATING DISORDERS

Most of us are unaware of the personal relationship we each have with food. But most of us will turn to food (or away from it) at times of stress, depression, anger, loneliness, shame or sadness. In times of distress, some people may turn to high fat or highly sugared foods while others may go for very healthy foods as a way to make them feel better. How we are feeling often has an impact on the type and amount of food we eat.

Problems with food can begin when a person uses food as a primary method of coping with difficult circumstances. A very unhealthy relationship with food could mean that a person is suffering from one of several different eating disorders.

An eating disorder is generally characterised by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of a person’s physical, psychological and emotional health. Eating disorders are often described as an outward expression of internal emotional pain and confusion.

The causes of eating disorders are complex and rarely attributed to just one factor. They are more likely to be the result of a combination of factors. Things like bereavement, being bullied, being abused, experiencing a traumatic event, self-esteem problems, changes in the family and some illnesses can all encourage the onset of an eating disorder. Media like television, film, advertisements and magazines also play a role through idealising unrealistic body images.

Anyone can develop an eating disorder, regardless of age, sex, culture or race, although the people most likely to be affected tend to be young women, particularly between the ages of 15-25. Eating disorders are a serious mental illness affecting 1.6 million people in the UK.

The number of men developing eating disorders is on the rise. And though eating disorders usually affect the young, it’s not uncommon for them to appear in middle age.

Three prevalent types of eating disorders are:

Anorexia nervosa, or simply ‘anorexia’, is an eating disorder characterised by extremely low body weight, distorted body image and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. It is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterised by self-starvation and excessive weight loss. People with anorexia nervosa may go to extreme lengths to control and limit food or caloric intake in an effort to attain a very specific, and unhealthy, body image.

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