Eating Disorders
What are Eating Disorders?
Eating Disorders fall into several categories. Anorexia is when people will starve themselves until they are very thin. Bulimia is when a person will maintain their normal weight but have bouts of binge eating accompanied by purging. Compulsive eating is characterised by episodes of binge eating and feeling out of control. All eating disorders can be characterised by a preoccupation with food and a reliance on behaviour associated with food to deal with difficult emotions.
What causes Eating Disorders?
Eating disorders are often described as an outward sign of inner turmoil and emotional pain. Those who suffer with eating disorders have developed obsessive thoughts about food and use this as a maladaptive way of dealing with emotional pain.
Ways to Manage Eating Disorders
- Acknowledge to yourself that your relationship with food is not a healthy one and that it is causing you distress and harm
- Talk to someone you trust about your problem with food, it may help you come to terms with the fact that you have a problem
- Educate yourself on the physical effects of what is happening to your body so that you can monitor your health carefully
- Try keeping a daily diary of what you eat and drink, and of what you were feeling before and afterwards. Be honest with yourself. Do you notice any patterns?