What is an eating disorder?

An Eating Disorder is an emotional illness in which a person misuses food in harmful ways that harm themselves. Eating Disorders, if not treated, lead to bad health, loss of life enjoyment, and death.

Most of us enjoy food; we look forward to it. Food is important to good health, and it’s also a pleasurable experience, even sensual. Not only is food good for our bodies, but it is often a source of happy social occasions, like birthdays, holidays, or just having a meal with friends. That is why famous artists from Rembrandt to Norman Rockwell often depicted food and people enjoying food in pleasant settings.

But not everybody feels happy about food. For a variety of reasons, they come to see food as their enemy – either something to avoid, as do Anorexics, or to purge themselves of right after eating, as do Bulimics, or as something that gives them solace while it’s killing them, as do Binge eaters. Common to all of them is that they can’t stop themselves; they’re helpless, compulsive – even though they know what they’re doing is wrong and unhealthy, they keep doing it.

And that’s the nature of the illness: These people – usually girls and women – cannot control their misuse of food. They need outside help, someone to intervene and bring them to get help. That’s where you come in.

What is the cause of eating disorders?

This is the big question that is asked in so many letters we get… “Why do people get Eating Disorders to begin with?” Complex emotional issues, there are many contributing factors to why an individual may suffer with Anorexia, Bulimia or Compulsive Overeating.

It is important to remember that there is not one single simple thing that causes a person to develop an Eating Disorder. It usually lies in some combination of the social, environment, and biological attributes, and/or the family dysfunction of each individual.
In trying to understand the causes of Eating Disorders and how they can be prevented, we practice a four-part approach … Love, Listen, Communicate and Validate. Society and the media, food and eating attitudes, relationships with family, friends and other loved-ones, as well as the issues of physical, emotional and sexual abuse may have contributed to the condition. Genetics may, for some sufferers, play a role in the onset of their Eating Disorder, but it is our belief that is can never be genetics alone – there always seem to be environmental triggers.

What seems to be the trigger that causes an Eating Disorder to begin?

The one trait that is obviously apparent in all sufferers of an Eating Disorder is their low self-esteem. Often they feel as though they are not good enough, that they never do anything right, that they are scrutinized by others for their appearance, and that their lives would get better if they could just lose weight. Sufferers can feel like they do not deserve to be happy, that they do not deserve good things to happen to them, and that they don’t deserve to have anything but what is felt as a miserable existence. They often feel like a burden to others, trivialize their own problems and feel as though other people deserve help more than them. Each section above, while exploring the causes of an Eating Disorder, simultaneously ventures into the depths of why each person suffers from a lack of self-esteem. It is not uncommon for Eating Disorder sufferers to be viewed by others as compassionate, warm, giving, sensitive, and intelligent people. The problem is that each person suffering cannot see in themselves the beauty that others do. Their own hate from within distorts their perception of how truly wonderful they really are.

What are the typical signs and symptoms of Eating Disorders?

The following lists are the typical signs and symptoms healthcare professionals look for. As you read through them, think about the person you’re worried about. You might even want to print the list and check off the items that “ring a bell” for you.
Understanding Signs & Symptoms

• Anorexia Nervosa
  • Constant dieting, even though thin
  • Eats alone, or eats only in small portions
  • Says, “I’m fat,” even though actually thin
  • Exercising constantly, obsessively
  • Wears only baggy clothes to hide weight loss
  • Seems to always talk of “calories,” fat content of foods
  • Suddenly has books and articles around on dieting, eating disorders
  • Menstrual period irregular or stopped
  • Head hair falling out
  • Fine hair growing on face and harms
  • Dry, pale, and/or yellowed skin
  • Moody, withdrawn and irritable
  • Chronic constipation, sore throat, upset stomach
  • Loss of interest in sex
• Physicians Also Look For:
  • Irregular heartbeat
  • Complains of “tingling” in hands, feet, face
  • Bone loss
  • Low body temperature
  • Low blood pressure
  • Reports dizziness, blackouts, headaches
  • Kidney problems
  • Absence of menstruation
  • Delayed pubescence
• Bulimia Nervosa
  • Goes to bathroom right after each meal
  • Keeps laxatives, diuretics, emetics around
  • Swelling around the jaw area
  • Bruised or callused fingers and knuckles
  • “Bloated” appearance
  • Bloodshot eyes
  • Always seems weak, fatigued
  • Complains of “tingling” in hands, feet, face
  • Uncontrollable mood swings
  • Bad teeth and gums
  • Buys large amounts of food that suddenly disappear
• Physicians Also Look For:
  • Dehydration
  • Damage to bowels, liver, kidney
  • Damage to throat, esophagus, stomach
  • Irregular heartbeat
  • Problems with teeth and gums
  • Reports dizziness, blackouts, headaches
• Binge Eating:
  • “Yo-yo” weight gains and losses
  • Eats large amounts of food very fast
  • Always dieting
  • Socially withdrawn
  • Always seems depressed
  • Complains of fatigue
  • Complains of joint pain, back pain
  • Significant weight gain
  • Sweating, shortness of breath
  • Hides stashes of food in odd places
  • Loss of sexual desire
  • Mood swings
• Physicians Also Look For:
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • Gall bladder disease
  • Diabetes