Eating disorders

Eating disorders are characterised by an abnormal attitude towards food that causes someone to change their eating habits and behaviour.

A person with an eating disorder may focus excessively on their weight and shape, leading them to make unhealthy choices about food with damaging results to their health.

Types of eating disorders

Eating disorders include a range of conditions that can affect someone physically, psychologically (mentally), and socially (their ability to interact with others). The most common eating disorders are: 

• anorexia nervosa - when someone tries to keep their weight as low as possible - for example, by starving themselves or exercising excessively,
• bulimia - when someone tries to control their weight by binge eating and then deliberately being sick, or using laxatives (medication to help empty their bowels), and
• binge eating - when someone feels compelled to overeat.

Eating disorders that do not fit in with the above definitions may be described as:

• atypical eating disorders, or
• an eating disorder not otherwise specified.

The causes of eating disorders are complex

Eating disorders are often blamed on the social pressure to be thin, as young people in particular feel they should look a certain way. However, the causes are usually more complex.

There may be some biological or predisposing (influencing) factors, combined with an experience that may provoke the disorder, plus other factors that encourage the condition to continue. 

Risk factors that can make someone more likely to have an eating disorder include:

• having a family history of eating disorders, depression, or substance misuse,
• being criticised for their eating habits, body shape, or weight,
• being overly concerned with being slim, particularly if combined with pressure to be slim from society, or for their job - for example, ballet dancers, models, or athletes,
• certain characteristics - for example, having an obsessive personality, an anxiety disorder, low self-esteem, or being a perfectionist,
• particular experiences, such as sexual or emotional abuse, or the death of someone special,
• difficult relationships with family members or friends, and
• stressful situations - for example, problems at work, school, or university.

How common are eating disorders?

Around one in 250 women, and one in 2,000 men, will experience anorexia nervosa at some time in their lives. The condition usually develops around 16 or 17 years of age.

Bulimia is around five times more common than anorexia nervosa, and 90% of the people with bulimia are female. It usually develops around 18 or 19 years of age.

Binge eating tends to affect males and females equally, and it usually appears later in life, between 30-40 years of age. Due to the difficulty of precisely defining binge eating, it is not clear how widespread the condition is.

Outlook

Left untreated, an eating disorder can have a negative impact on someone’s job or school work, and can disrupt relationships with family members and friends. The physical effects of an eating disorder can sometimes prove fatal.

Fortunately, treatment for eating disorders is available, although recovering from an eating disorder can take a long time. It is important for the person affected to want to get better, and the support of their family and friends is invaluable.

Treatment usually involves monitoring a person’s physical health, while helping them to deal with the underlying psychological causes. This may involve:

• cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) - therapy that focuses on changing how someone thinks about a situation, which in turn will affect how they act,
• interpersonal psychotherapy - a talking therapy that focuses on relationship based issues,
• dietary counselling - a talking therapy to help people maintain a healthy diet, or
• psychodynamic therapy - counselling that focuses on how a person’s  personality and life experiences influence their current thoughts, feelings, relationships, and behaviour. 

There are also a range of other healthcare services that can help, such as support and self-help groups, and personal and telephone counselling services. See the useful links section for more information.