Eating disorders

It’s important to remember…

The information that we put together in these pages are for informational purposes and should never be used as medical advice or instead of advice given to you from a health professional.

If you have any concerns about your mental health then you should always speak to a mental health professional or your GP.

We do our very best to put together information that gives you a good understanding of mental health issues and what can help but it is not intended as medical advice and we do not take responsibility that it is accurate or up to date at the time of reading.

An eating disorder is a serious mental health illness, which can also have life changing physical consequences.

They can affect anyone from any gender, age, race or background. At its most extreme an eating disorder can be life threatening.

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What is an eating disorder?

An eating disorder can develop when someone is trying to cope or control difficult emotions or get through a troubling experience.

There are different types of eating disorders depending how you control or restrict your calorie intake. Most people think that eating disorders are about food, but they are about feelings and trying to find a sense of control.

Some eating disorders centre around strict restrictions of what foods to eat or not eat and how many calories you allow yourself to consume during a day. Other types focus on how you get rid of the food you eat in unhealthy ways such as making yourself sick or excessively exercising.

Often eating disorders build up over time, what starts out as something to make you feel better suddenly takes control of your life. At the point when you realise you might need help it might feel like there’s no hope for you. This isn’t true, everyone deserves help to be well and healthy.

Types of eating disorders

All forms of eating disorders are equally serious and anyone who is experiencing any of the symptoms should be encouraged to get help.

Anorexia Nervosa

(known as anorexia)

Feels the need to keep body weight as low as possible
Worried about body shape and weight
Has a fear of fat or being seen as fat
Carries out body checks looking for signs of weight loss or gain
Doesn’t see what others see when told they have lost weight or too much weight (this is called body dysmorphia)
Losing weight feels positive
Sets unhealthy weight goals
Strict control of food and calorie intake
Set unhealthy calorie limits under the recommended daily intake
Uses excessive exercise routines to burn calories
Can sometimes make themselves sick

Bulimia Nervosa

(known as bulimia)

Feels out of control whilst binge eating, unable to stop how much or how fast you eat
Episodes usually include foods that are restricted or trying to be avoided
Switches between binge eating large quantities of food and then trying to get rid of food by vomiting, taking laxatives or excessive exercise.
Sometimes develops from anorexia when food cravings become too difficult to ignore
Experiences cycles of binge eating then purging (making yourself sick) and restricting food
Worried about body shape or weight
Doesn’t see what others see when told they have lost weight or too much weight (this is called body dysmorphia)
Episodes of binge eating can be very distressing and upsetting which can start the cycle over again

Binge Eating Disorder

Episodes of binge eating large quantities of food
Different to Bulimia because there is no trying to get rid of the food through vomiting, taking laxatives or excessive exercise
Doesn’t feel in control of eating during a bingeing episode
Unable to stop eating even when uncomfortably full
Unable to control how fast you eat or what you eat
Episodes can make you feel embarrassed, guilty and can be very distressing
Binges used to cope with feeling overwhelmed, stressed, bored or angry. For some people binge eating episodes can also be triggered by feeling excited or happy.

These are the three most common forms of eating disorders. You can find out about other forms of eating disorders on BEAT’s website.

If you have an eating disorder, you might have characteristics from different types of eating disorders or you might not meet all the criteria for a diagnosis in one disorder. This is referred to as OSFED – Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder, this is really common and is actually the most diagnosed eating disorder.

Orthorexia

Orthorexia is an unhealthy focus or obsession on eating pure or clean food.

It is not a recognised eating disorder so you can not get a diagnosis of it. But, it can cause both physical symptoms and affect your mental health. Some people with orthorexia may go on to develop anorexia or other eating disorders.

Signs of orthorexia can include:

Cutting out food groups that might be seen as unhealthy such as carbs, dairy, sugar etc
Obsessive about eating healthily and leading a healthy lifestyle (“clean eating”)
Judging other people for their health and eating habits
Focus on their health can impact other areas of their life; school, work, friendships and relationships
Unable to break food rules even if they want to
Experience guilt or anxiety if they can’t follow clean eating
Becoming stressed and anxious about what food is going to be available or served at up and coming events
Low mood, depression
Sometimes people with orthorexia have body image issues (body dysmorphia)
Physical signs can include; weight loss, tiredness, low energy levels, weakened immune system

Healthy Vs. Unhealthy Eating Habits

We should all try to live healthy and balanced lifestyles with a mix of healthy foods, exercise and things that we enjoy, which might not be so healthy for us all the time, in moderation.

For some people there is a time and place for dieting or trying to lose some weight. This might be for health reasons, because you want to feel fitter or stronger or to improve your self esteem.

You should never try to lose weight because of what other people say or you think they say about you.

Even if you do want to change your eating habits you shouldn’t look at it as a diet, as this assumes it will be something short term. Instead think of it as changing your lifestyle, making small healthier choices and habits can help you to feel healthier in the long run.

If you do choose to change your eating habits, the important thing to remember is it shouldn’t feel like you’re depriving yourself of something you want. It might be hard work and take some motivation to keep making healthier choices but you should be able to still enjoy “treat” foods in moderation or take an extra rest day without feeling guilty or that you’ve “ruined” your diet.

If you notice any of the warning signs of orthorexia or one of the other eating disorders you might want to speak to someone you trust about your relationship with food.

Some things to look out for:

Cutting out OR restricting to unhealthy limits food groups (such as carbs, fats, dairy, sugar).
Obsessing over calorie intake and calories burnt.
Only allowing yourself treats if you’ve “earned” them.
Feeling guilty or anxious if you haven’t eaten “clean” or burnt a certain amount of calories.
Starting to obsess over eating less or being healthier.
Starting to set calorie limits that are much lower than recommended.
Starting to have thoughts about ways you can get rid of food or burn calories quicker.
Finding you’re hungry all or most of the time.
Changes in your energy levels.

What is body dysmorphic disorder?

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental health condition where a person worries a lot about how they look to the point where they can become distressed and upset by what they think are flaws.

Although BDD can happen to anyone, it is most common in young people of any gender.

If you have body dysmorphia, you might spend a lot of time worrying over how you look, how other people think you look and even try to change your appearance. BDD is a common symptom among people with eating disorders who see themselves as fat even though they are normal or underweight.

What causes an eating disorder?

There are many different reasons why an eating disorder might develop.

An eating disorder isn’t about trying to lose weight through dieting, eating disorders are serious mental illnesses which can cause the person a lot of distress and pain.

Often eating disorders begin as a way of coping with difficult emotions or experiences.

These might include:

Having a mental health condition
Trauma
Being bullied
Social/ peer pressure
Parents divorcing or other family conflict
Pressure to perform well, at school, work or in sports
Low mood
Feeling hopeless or worthless
Feeling out of control

Symptoms of an eating disorder

Many people who have an eating disorder feel like they’re not unwell enough or don’t deserve to get help for their illness. Some people find it hard to pinpoint when an eating disorder started. They may have just wanted to get fitter or healthier and became stuck in extreme cycles. For other people they remember quite clearly the first time they started to restrict food.

Regardless of how or why it started, if you’re worried that you might have an eating disorder you should speak to someone who can help you.

Everyone deserves help and support to be well. Remember an eating disorder isn’t your fault, it is an illness and one that you can get help for.

How you might feel if you have an eating disorder:

Hopelessly lost
That you need to be more unwell before you deserve to get better
That this will be the last time you make yourself sick
Restricting, vomiting or bingeing makes you feel in control, even when you’re out of control
That the pain of hunger is what you deserve
That you know you should eat but can’t
That things will get better when you reach a certain weight
You feel depressed/shame/anger after eating food
You feel like you’re doing this for attention, it’s your fault
Feel worthless

What might physically happen if you have an eating disorder:

Take food and exercise to the extreme
Reduce calories to unhealthy levels
Feeling light headed, dizzy or fainting
Constant headaches or brain fog
Hunger pains wake you up in the night and you wake up in the morning hungry
Your hair can fall out
Having no energy
Needing to sleep all the time
Unable to concentrate at work or school

Treatment for eating disorders

Treatment can be slightly different depending on what type of eating disorder you have. Something that is found to work well in most eating disorders is the use of therapy. Therapy can help you to unpick the reasons why the eating disorder started in the first place and help you to find better ways to manage your thoughts and feelings.

It’s important to remember that everyone’s path to recovery is different, it can take some time to find the right combination of support and treatment for you but you can overcome your eating disorder. It might feel frustrating at times but you can get through this and live a happy and healthy life.

Recovery from an eating disorder can take a long time and some people live with negative thoughts about food for a long time afterwards, but with support you can find ways to manage these thoughts and replace them with more positive thinking patterns. Therapy can help you to find ways to build a healthier relationship with food and yourself.

If you are diagnosed with Bulimia, you might be offered a medication called Fluoxetine which is an antidepressant. Antidepressants have been found to help reduce the binge and purge (making yourself sick) cycle. If you are offered an antidepressant, it’s important that these are used alongside other interventions such as talking therapy and building healthier habits. Medication on its own very often won’t end an eating disorder.

If you’re worried about an eating disorder, you’re not alone and can get help today.

BEAT – email or web chat with trained eating disorder support workers

Call 116 123 – The Samaritans

Webchat: Childline Counsellor Chat

Call 0800 83 85 87 – Breathing Space (Scotland only service)

Text: ‘YM’ to 85258 – Young Minds crisis chat

What is an eating disorder?

Types of eating disorders

What causes an eating disorder?

Symptoms of an eating disorder

Treatment for eating disorders

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Eating disorders

What is an eating disorder?

Types of eating disorders

What causes an eating disorder?

Symptoms of an eating disorder

Treatment for eating disorders

Key Resources

Eating disorder | Support for families and carers

Eating disorder | Support for AFYP

Eating disorder | Support for professionals