We live in a world where eating healthy is no longer considered fashionable- A world where junk outlets increase proportionally to our obsession with a stick thin figure. Everyone at some point in their life thinks about losing weight but some of us take it to the extreme level, where before putting even a single bite in our mouth we mentally calculate it’s calorie content. 

Media and the showbiz industry has set some unrealistic standards for the perfect body. So, instead of striving for a healthy and strong body we are running after gaining a size zero. This illogical approach often leads to eating disorders, while some people may resort to eating almost nothing, others may end up binge eating and then hating their body. A person suffering from an eating disorder has no longer a healthy relationship with his food, he is filled with a sense of guilt and anxiety as if he has committed a crime by eating.

An eating disorder is more about the brain than the body. It is a mental disorder where a person develops abnormal eating habits which affect both his mind and his body. And let’s be clear you do not need to be obese to suffer from such a disorder. Often people assume that being obese means you have an eating disorder, well as I already said it’s not about the body but the brain. People who are obese may not actually hate their body or take extreme measures to lose weight or they may not even feel guilty about eating. So, obesity and eating disorder are two very different scenarios.

I have a 5-year-old niece who avoids sweets because she doesn’t want to get “fat”. Where do we even get these ideas from and that too at such a young age? At an age when we need to focus on the quality of food and nutrition, we are more concerned about the calorie content of even the healthiest of food. 

Media plays a major role in promoting the unhealthy body image among youngsters. With youth being introduced to technology at younger ages, and kids as young as five are engaged in some type of media platform, the effect is most potent among young kids and teens.

Types Of Eating Disorders

1. Anorexia Nervosa

A person suffering from anorexia nervosa weighs at least 15 percent less than the normal healthy weight according to their height. People with anorexia nervosa don't maintain a normal weight as they do not eat enough, exercise obsessively, and sometimes force themselves to vomit or use laxatives to lose weight.

This disorder generally develops during adolescence or young adulthood and affects more women than men (1). Anorexia is categorised into two types — the restricting type and the binge-eating and purging type (2).

The restricting type individuals rely on dieting or excessive exercise to lose weight while the binge-eating and purging type individuals may either eat too much or eat too little, whatever the case may be after eating the binge-eating and purging type- vomits, uses laxatives, or exercises vigorously to lose weight.

A few symptoms of this disorder are: 

• Living in denial, even though their weight is less than normal they don’t accept this fact.

• Fear of getting fat

• Menstrual cycle ceases or becomes irregular

• Osteoporosis

• Constipation

• Depression

• Become lethargic

• Internal body temperature reduces, making them feel cold all the time

• Anemia

• Drop in blood pressure, slow breathing, and pulse rate 

• Brittle hairs and nails

People with this disorder are so obsessed with being thin that they keep on monitoring their weight, avoid eating certain types of foods, severely restrict their calories, and despite having a low body weight still keep on trying to lose weight further.

Also Read: How To Take Care Of Your Child’s Mental Health

2. Bulimia Nervosa

Unlike anorexia nervosa, people with this disorder may be underweight (not as underweight as people with anorexia), normal weight, overweight or even obese. Irrespective of their weight, such individuals indulge in dieting and exercising.

People with this order eat an unusually large amount of food in a very short span of time. These binges may include thousands of calories. However, they do so while hiding from family and friends because of the shame and guilt. So, most people don’t even know that their friend or family member is suffering from this disorder.

Their binges are then followed by compensating activities such as vomiting, using laxatives, diuretics, or extreme workout.

Their binges often end only when they fall asleep or their stomach starts hurting. This binging and then compensating cycle repeats a few times a week. Such patients are very unhappy with their body shape and size. 

The symptoms of this disorder include(3): 

• Inflamed and sore throat

• Swollen salivary glands 

• Cheeks and face often become puffy

• Tooth enamel wears off

• Constant vomiting causes gastroesophageal reflux disorder

• Laxative abuse causes irritation, leading to intestinal problems

• Diuretics cause kidney problems

• Severe dehydration 

• Electrolyte imbalance (too low or too high levels of sodium, calcium, potassium, and other minerals) which can lead to stroke or heart attack

Also Read: Postpartum Depression In Men

3. Binge-Eating Disorder

People with this disorder indulge in binge eating in a short period of time and feel out of control during the binge. Unlike people with bulimia nervosa, they do not try to get rid of the food by compensating activities such as vomiting, fasting or using laxatives and diuretics. 

It is believed to be one of the most common eating disorders, especially in the US (4). People suffering from this disorder are often overweight.

Few symptoms of this disorder are (5):

• Eating rapidly 

• Eating large amounts of food even when they don’t feel hungry

• Eating until they feel uncomfortable or their stomach starts to hurt

• Feeling depressed or guilty after eating.

• Feeling a lack of control while binge eating.

• No use of purging behaviours, such as calorie restriction, vomiting, excessive exercise or laxative or diuretic use, to compensate for the binging.

• Eating alone or in secret to avoid embarrassment

Binge eating disorder can lead to serious problems such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart diseases, stroke and type 2 diabetes (6).

Also Read: Foods That Can Cause Depression

Causes of Developing Eating Disorder

There is no single reason why a person suffers from such disorders. Many genetic, biological, psychological, external factors, and personality traits may lead to eating disorders. 

Sometimes people may resort to such unhealthy eating patterns due to repeated teasing and bullying by friends, family, or peers. Some people may also participate in modelling, gymnastics or other sports that emphasise low weight or a certain body image.

A model named Zusanna Buschwald, who worked for major brands within the fashion industry publicly shared that modelling pressures women to look a certain way, lose weight, and practice unhealthy behaviours to maintain dangerously low weights.

She reported that she had ceased having a menstrual cycle for over three years, struggled with teeth issues, and noticed changes in her skin colour, hair texture, and loss of hair. She further says that she was a size 0-2 for her modelling career, and remembers being the most admired at this size, even though she felt unhealthy, weak, and unhappy (7).

Societal or peer pressure, parental influence, unrealistic image portrayal by media, being genetically related to someone who suffered from an eating disorder, cultural pressure to be thin, traumas such as rape, abuse, or the death of a loved one, giving birth, etc all can lead to disorders because of the stressful impact these events have on an individual's mind.

Also Read: Hunger Pangs And Cravings: Dealing Scientifically

How Can Someone Suffering From An Eating Disorder Recover?

Women are more prone to suffer from disturbed eating patterns than men. If you see your close one showing any of these signs he/she may be suffering from an eating disorder: 

• Dieting despite being underweight

• Constant weight fluctuations

• Obsession with calories and fat contents of food

• Depression or lethargic stage

• Avoidance of social functions, family, and friends. 

• Switching between periods of overeating and fasting

• Eating alone or hiding food

We all know prevention is better than cure. It is of utmost importance that we teach our kids from the very beginning that fitness comes in all sizes, then being fit is more important than being thin. However, if you know someone who is already suffering from a disorder, treatment is necessary at any stage.

Research indicates that eating disorders often go untreated. But leaving eating disorders untreated can have serious health consequences. Research has found that individuals with anorexia have a mortality rate 18 times higher than peers who don't have eating disorders.

Eating disorders if left untreated can wreak havoc inside your body. From osteoporosis to anaemia the damages are pretty serious. Eating disorders may also lead to mental disorders like depression. 

The first step towards getting better is to consult a qualified psychologist. Changing patients' thoughts and behaviours may help improve the situation. To ensure lasting improvement, it is important to identify the psychological issues underlying the eating disorder. Most cases of an eating disorder can be treated successfully by appropriately trained health and mental health care professionals. 

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