June 2021

Let’s talk about Eating Disorders
What are Eating Disorders?
When you use food to try to manage your feelings, by eating too much or too little; or eating a lot of food in one sitting. Anyone can develop an eating disorder, it doesn’t matter what your age, gender, race, culture or background. An eating disorder is a mental illness.

Anorexia Nervosa
You will try to keep your weight as low as possible. You may think you are overweight even if others say you are dangerously thin. You may fear gaining weight and dismiss ideas to encourage you to eat more. 
Behaviors:
Strict dieting, hiding food, lying about what you have eaten, purging, become socially isolating, over exercising, and avoiding eating with others.
Physical signs
Weakness in body and muscle strength, dizziness, constipation/bloating, feeling cold, swelling of feet, hands or face, moody, and sometimes women’s periods stop or become irregular.

Bulimia Nervosa
You may have a normal body weight but find yourself binge eat and then do something to stop the weight gain by vomiting, taking laxatives, or over exercising. 
Behaviors
Binging and purging, feeling guilty about binging and purging, unable to control eating, feeling anxious/tense, can be associated with depression, low self-esteem, alcohol misuse and self harm.
Physical signs
Similar to anorexia but include calluses on the back of hand caused by forcing yourself to be sick, and teeth damage from the bile. 

Binge eating disorder
You will eat a lot of food in a short period of time on a regular basis. You won’t feel in control of your eating.
Behaviors
Eat faster than normal while binging, eat until you are uncomfortably full, feel shame or guilt after eating, and experience low self esteem, depression, and anxiety.
Physical signs
Overweight for your age, tiredness, difficulty sleeping, and gastric discomfort.

Seek professional help:
Don’t wait to see if you can manage on your own. You have a greater chance for recovery if you seek help early. Start with your personal physician who can refer you to a specialist if you need it.

Learn how to talk with someone who has an eating disorder in a way that expresses understanding and compassion. Click here for a Cosmopolitan news article on what to say and not to say to someone with an eating disorder.