One of the most debilitating and sad mental health disorders that affects millions worldwide is eating disorder. While it may seem harmless, this condition is highly injurious to health, leaving significant emotional, physical, and social distress in its wake.
Mostly borne out of body image concerns and eating habits, this disorder can be fatal or lead to several health complications. However, with early detection, proper support can be provided to help the individual overcome the challenge. How do you recognize and overcome eating disorders? Let’s find out.
Types and Symptoms of Eating Disorders
Just like most disorders, eating disorders is a spectrum that covers different conditions and symptoms. However, some of the most common eating disorders include:
Anorexia Nervosa: This type of eating disorder is characterized by restrictive eating, significant weight loss, and fear of gaining weight.
Bulimia Nervosa: in this case, the individual often has recurring binge-purge cycles that are accompanied by feelings of guilt and shame.
Binge Eating Disorder: This eating disorder involves frequent and uncontrollable bingeing episodes without purging.
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED): This is the umbrella category for disorders that don't fit other criteria.
While looking out for these disorders, here are other physical and emotional symptoms to pay attention to:
- Weight changes, such as rapid loss or gain
- Distorted body image, including negative self-perception
- Restrictive eating patterns or avoidance of certain foods
- Binging and purging behaviors
- Emotional distress, including anxiety, depression, and irritability
Causes and Risk Factors
To better understand how people end up with eating disorders, it is important to note that there are complex interplay at work. However, some of the most common players are sociocultural, genetic, and psychological factors.
For people in certain cultures, unrealistic beauty standards and idealized body images push people towards eating disorders. In a bid to meet up with the set standards, people end up using food as a way to achieve these standards, however at the detriment of their health.
Genetic predisposition also puts people at risk of developing eating disorders as it can be passed down through bloodlines. One other important factor is trauma or stress such as physical or emotional abuse can also trigger this disorder.
Overcoming Eating Disorders
The road to overcoming eating disorders can be difficult especially when undertaken alone. This is why it is advisable to go through a comprehensive approach which includes professional help, support systems, and self-care strategies.
Seeking Professional Help: The first step to seeking recovery from eating disorders include seeking professional help from qualified experts. This could include any of the following:
- Therapy (CBT, DBT) to identify and challenge negative thought patterns and behaviors
- Nutrition counseling for personalized guidance on healthy eating habits
- Medical treatment to address related health issues
Support Systems: A strong support system also plays a pivotal role in recovery, and this is why the individual needs as much as possible of this. This can be achieved by a strong support network.
Self-Care Strategies: The individual also has a role to play through self care. To do this, the individual needs:
- Mindfulness practices such as meditation, deep breathing to manage stress and emotions
- Journaling to process thoughts and feelings
- Healthy habits like regular exercise, balanced eating for physical and emotional well-being
Rounding Up
Eating disorders require fast and immediate response and treatment. This is because early detection helps improve the chances of recovery and also saves the person from any health implications. If you know someone that’s struggling with any eating disorder, you can be a shoulder to lean on on their journey towards recovery.