Issue 01: What are eating disorders?
Many people ask themselves if they are having complicated relationships with food, are you wondering if you or someone you love struggles as well? Here is a general explanation on what an eating disorder is.
Eating disorders are a serious mental and physical mental illness that involve a ton of unhealthy eating behaviors with the intense focus on food. They are not a choice and can have severe effects on a persons physical and mental health, sometimes to the extent where it’s life threatening.
With the right treatment and support, recovery is possible. Eating disorders can affect people of any age, race, ethnicity, gender, or body size. Some people with eating disorders might appear underweight, average weight, or overweight, nevertheless it’s important not to judge based on appearance alone.
-Dalal Kamal
Most people who aren't educated on eating disorders might assume that there is fundamentally one look to it, and that people who struggle with eating disorders only look one type of way. That is arguably the biggest lie when it comes to eating disorders, as there are many looks to it ,and you can’t really spot it just by one look at someone.
There are many diverse and different types of eating disorders, other than just starving one's self, and they all deserve awareness! According to many different healthcare companies, such as Statpearls, there are eight official and distinct types of eating disorders, some research actually supports the idea that it could possibly be developed through genetic, psychological, pre-adult-developmental, and cultural factors.
Anorexia nervosa is the most well-researched and generally known disorder. It usually progresses through adolescence. Most of the population with Anorexia might have another type of disorder known as the obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), which causes them to use the same cutlery, and prefer to break down the food into extremely small pieces.
When it comes to women, anorexia nervosa could cause amenorrhea, which is the absence of the consecutive menstrual cycles.
Bulimia nervosa: Bulimia is usually more common than anorexia. The disorder generally develops through adolescence or early adulthood. Most individuals with bulimia eat a significant or substantial amount of food, losing control while binge eating, and purging. Bulimia nervosa can cause a sore throat, swollen salivary glands, tooth decay, acid reflex, severe dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and hormonal imbalance.
Binge eating disorder (BED): BED generally develops or progresses during adolescence. People with binge eating disorders eat large amounts of food in a small period of time, followed by a loss of control. Individuals with binge eating disorders don't restrict themselves from eating, and use purging tendencies to compensate. Binge eating disorder comes with a lot of guilt from binge eating, and it usually causes a lot of risks such as diabetes, heart disease, or stroke.
Avoidant or Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID): is when someone avoids or restricts food because of sensory issues, and lack of interest in eating, it is not necessarily because of body image issues. They are generally very picky about the smell, texture, and taste. Not to confuse it with picky eaters because there is somewhat of a difference. ARFID usually develops the first seven years of childhood, and could progress into adulthood.
Pica: is when an individual craves non-digestible or non-food items such as soil, chalk, soap, paper, or hair. It's usually among pregnant women, and children. The risks for pica are parasitic infections, micronutrient deficiency, intestinal obstruction, and heavy-metal poisoning.
Rumination disorder: is a newly researched type of eating disorder. Rumination disorder is when an individual disgorges the already swallowed food, chews on it and either swallows or spits. It can usually lead to malnutrition, and can be similar to anorexia nervosa.
Other Specified Feeding And Eating Disorder (OSFED): includes five eating disorders that don't exactly fit the criteria for other eating disorders like bulimia or anorexia but are still important and serious. That is why the name includes “Other Specified” 1. Purging Disorder: Purging without binge eating. An individual making themselves vomit, excessive exercise, and excessive laxatives usage, although without any binge-eating episodes. Could be confused with bulimia. 2. Night Eating Syndrome: Only eating large amounts of food right after waking up. Usually linked with sleep problems. 3. Atypical Anorexia Nervosa: An individual being afraid of gaining weight, and restricting themselves from food. Could be confused with anorexia. 4. Subs-threshold Bulimia Nervosa And Binge Eating Disorder: When an individual does the exact symptoms of anorexia, or binge eating, although they did it for a small period of time, therefore it makes it harder for a proper diagnosis. 5. Orthorexia: An individual being obsessed with only eating clean food, and so the individual restricts themself of proper food. Overall, being obsessed with the idea of being a healthy eater.
-Afnan AlAli
How can one get diagnosed with an eating disorder?
The answer to that is not straight forward. Based on multiple articles I have researched, a person must visit a health care provider or a mental health professional in order to accurately determine whether they have an eating disorder or not. Usually, if anyone ever suspects if they have one, it is advised to seek professional evaluation.
To get a diagnosis, you need a physical exam, where you would be examined by a health care provider to confirm whether there might be another medical cause to your eating issues. Another way is to seek a mental health evaluation, such as a psychiatrist or a therapist. They will question your feelings towards food, thoughts about eating, common ED behaviors, eating habits, and changes in weight.
If you get diagnosed with an eating disorder, how do you get treated?
The treatments depends on the specific disorder, but generally, it includes a dietitian educating you about proper nutritional intake your body needs, while teaching you how to develop healthy eating habits. Another treatment includes guidance in reaching a healthy weight if necessary. Behavioral therapy is also a common way of treatment, as it includes two effective types. The first one is: Family-based treatment (FBT), which is dedicated to the youth population such as children and teens dealing with this disorder. They receive medical care from professionals and support from their families without having to sleep overnight in a hospital. The family is involved in making sure the child is eating correctly, as well as recovering from their unhealthy habits. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), is a type of therapy that revolves around communication. It helps people understand their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with their eating disorder. This treatment goal is to identify the negative and unhelpful eating patterns and replace it with more a more realistic, positive and healthy way of thinking. The last two treatments are medicine, although their isn’t a cure for anorexia, there are certain medicines that can reduce the urge to binging or purging when it comes to bulimia. Lastly, if the eating disorder escalates into a concerning extent, the patient may need to stay at a hospital or a day program until recovery.
They can potentially have a feeding tube to restore their nutritional intake.
-Zain AlMazeedi
How to Support Someone Recovering From an Eating Disorder:
Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions, and recovery can take time. If someone you care about is going through it, your support can genuinely make things feel a little less overwhelming for them.
How You Can Help:
Just listen. Sometimes the most helpful thing you can do is let them talk without jumping in to fix things or judge what they’re saying.
Try not to comment on food or appearance. Even well‑meant remarks about weight, body shape, or what they’re eating can be really triggering.
Be patient with the process. Recovery isn’t easy, Good days and hard days are both part of it, and setbacks don’t mean failure.
Encourage support from professionals. Therapists, doctors, and dietitians are often a key part of recovery, even if it takes time for someone to feel ready.
Keep including them. Invite them to things like you normally would. Feeling socially included can make a big difference.
Why It Matters:
Eating disorders can affect anyone, but they often start in the teen or young adult years. In the U.S., about 2.7% of adolescents aged 13–18 have experienced an eating disorder at some point in their lives. (National Institute of Mental Health) One of the more concerning things researchers have found is that many young people with eating disorders don’t actually receive treatment specifically for it, which is why early awareness and support from people around them can matter so much. (PubMed)
At the end of the day, you don’t need perfect words or solutions. Most of the time, what helps most is being steady, kind, and nonjudgmental.
-Maryam Abul
contributors:
Dalal Kamal
Afnan AlAli
Zain AlMazeedi
Maryam Abul