Eating disorders

Definition:

Eating disorders are serious mental health illnesses involving abnormal eating habits. People with eating disorders develop unhealthy relationships with food, weight, and body image. These unhealthy relationships manifest through obsessive thoughts, anxieties and behaviours around food and eating.

The three most common eating disorders are:

• Anorexia nervosa. Anorexia causes an intense fear of gaining weight, even when you’re underweight. You may severely restrict your food intake and engage in purging behaviours, such as vomiting or laxative abuse, to stop yourself from gaining weight.
• Bulimia nervosa. Bulimia involves episodes of uncontrollable eating followed by purging behaviours to get rid of the calories you consume. You may also have a distorted body image and be preoccupied by your weight.
• Binge-eating disorder. Unlike bulimia, binge-eating disorder doesn’t involve purging afterwards. You may feel ashamed or guilty about your binge eating but aren’t able to control it.

Eating disorders can have serious consequences for both physical and mental health. On the physical level, they can lead to malnutrition, dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, heart problems, digestive problems, and pose a threat to life. And psychologically, they can be associated with depression, anxiety, social isolation, and suicidal thoughts and behaviours. ^[1]