A Psychiatrist's Guide To Eating Disorders, And How To Manage Them
Updated: May 28, 2023
This article is published on https://medium.com/@aarizhussain/a-psychiatrists-guide-to-eating-disorders-and-how-to-manage-them-bee72b7019ef
When one mentions eating disorders, many think of them as something only young women deal with, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Eating disorders don’t discriminate based on age, gender, or physical size. They also aren’t necessarily about having a “perfect body image.”
Eating disorders are surprisingly widespread. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, an estimated 20 million women and 10 million men in the United States will experience some type of eating disorder at some point in their lifetime.
That number might not be accurate because so many people are suffering silently in secret and dealing with these disorders.
Keep reading for an overview of the four most common eating disorders and how to manage and possibly prevent them.
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is characterized by self-starvation and a distorted view of one's body weight. Those who suffer from this disorder see themselves as overweight and strive to lose weight.
People with anorexia nervosa lead a life of near-constant dieting, excessive exercise, and strict food restrictions.
It is more commonly found in young girls and women than in boys and men. In the USA for example, around 0.9% of women and 0.3% of men reported having anorexia at some point in their life.
Characteristics Of Anorexia Nervosa
Avoiding food
Inducing forceful vomiting after eating food
Ignoring hunger
Having an intense fear of gaining weight
Misunderstanding or ignoring the seriousness of their weight
Considering themselves fat, despite being normal or underweight
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating large quantities of food in a specific period. During these binges, you have no sense of control over your eating followed by purging, where they attempt to get rid of the content in unhealthy ways such as vomiting or excessive use of laxatives and diuretics due to the guilt of consuming excess calories.
In the USA alone, around 6.3 million people have experienced bulimia at least once.
Characteristics of Bulimia Nervosa
Having recurrent episodes of binge eating without self-control, with induced vomiting, twice a week for at least two months
Ignoring the fullness signal
Fear of gaining weight, even when the person has average weight.
Binge Eating Disorder
Binge eating disorder is almost similar to bulimia nervosa. The primary difference is that the patient suffering from a binge eating disorder does not induce forceful vomiting.
In the long term, this condition can lead to obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, and in the worst of cases, death. People may overeat to deal with other psychological disorders like anxiety or depression.
More than 2% of the world's population suffers from this condition.
Characteristics of Binge Eating Disorder
Frequently eating a large quantity of food despite not feeling hungry
Feeling a lack of control during eating
Feeling of shame, guilt, or disgust during or after binge eating
Not inducing forceful vomiting or abusing laxatives and diuretics
Pica
People suffering from pica compulsively eat food that provides no nutritional value. It may be something harmless like ice or something harmful like chalk, pieces of dried wall paint, and even metal nails.
In the latter, more severe cases, there are higher chances of adverse outcomes like lead and metal poisoning, infection, and mechanical trauma.
Pica is common in children and adolescents and people with limited mental capacity, like autism and schizophrenia, but it can affect people of any age.
Characteristics of Pica
Compulsiveness to ingest inedible items
Pica can develop due to underlying causes. Like, cravings for ice can indicate iron deficiency anaemia.
Accidentally eating inedible items by considering them as ordinary food due to limited cognitive function.
Management Of Eating Disorders
If you or your loved one is suffering from an eating disorder, here is an outline of what you should do.
Step 1: Acknowledge The Problem
Before someone can change their bad habit or treat a disease, they must first acknowledge the problem's existence.
Step 2: Form Your Treatment Team
Next, you have to find an expert who knows how to deal with eating disorders. To find an eating disorder specialist, you can
Ask for a referral from your GP
Do a Google search for eating disorder specialists
Call a helpline that deals with eating disorders
Step 3: Make A Long Term Plan And Keep Your Eyes On The Reward
Treatment for an eating disorder doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a long journey that you don’t have to walk alone.
Join Therapy Groups
When you can relate to the people after seeing similar struggles, achievements, and journeys of people who faced the same problem, your journey seems more realistic and helps you stick to the plan.
Bring Your Family And Friends On Board
Speak to your close friends and family who genuinely care about you. They want to see you win the battle and live a healthy life again and will try to do everything they can to help you achieve your goal.
Step 4: The Change Starts Within YOU!
Learn and implement self-help strategies. This is one of the most crucial steps for successfully managing eating disorders.
Discover Healthier Ways To Cope With Stress
Find new ways to cope with psychological stress. Start by engaging in healthier activities such as:
Jogging
Going to the movies
Writing in a journal (You can even document your journey!)
Listening to music
Singing and Dancing (without alcohol)
Develop a Healthy Relation With Food
Food isn’t the enemy, and it never was.
Don’t go on strict diets
Focus on nutritious foods
Stick to a regular eating routine
Listen to your body. You may have ignored the hunger and fullness cues of your body in the past
Step 5: Learn To Accept And Love Yourself
Due to excessive social media exposure, you may have been attempting to mould yourself to fit societal norms. That was never a healthy practice.
Stop using the weighing scale in an unhealthy way (Tip: give your weight machine away for some time)
Avoid judging your body. Don’t stand in front of the mirror and feel sad about the things you don’t like. Giving yourself a break from self-judgment
Prioritize yourself
Trust yourself, be true to who you are, and practice gratitude
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