What Are Eating Disorders – And What Causes Them?

Perhaps your only “problem” or “issue” with food has been that, like many of us in the Western world, you tend to eat a bit too much of it; so you’ve gone on a healthy diet.

But perhaps you’ve struggled with deep-rooted emotional issues about food for years, causing unhealthy eating behaviors – like restricting your food intake excessively (you shouldn’t go below 1,000 calories/day, and most dieters will need 1,500 calories). Eating very little is an eating disorder called “anorexia”, and it’s perhaps the disorder that people most commonly think of. There are others, though, including bulimia (vomiting up the food you’ve eaten), abusing laxatives, and regular binge-eating.

Dieters are particularly prone to developing eating disorders, due to the attention we place on food – and, often, the emotional relationship we have with the scales. So it’s worth being aware of the most common eating disorders, of what causes them, and of where you can get help.

Anorexia

Anorexia means, according to the UK eating disorder charity BEAT, “[you have] lost the ability to allow yourself to satisfy your appetite”. Anorexics typically count calories and restrict their daily intake to below 1,000 calories. Excessive exercising to burn off calories can also be a symptom of anorexia.

In extreme cases, anorexia can lead to hospitalization and even death.

Bulimia

Bulimia involves eating large quantities of food, then purging (by vomiting or using laxatives). Bulimics are often a normal weight or overweight, making it difficult for others to realize that they are ill. Binging is often an attempt to cope with emotional feelings, and bulimics may feel “out of control” around food.

Bulemia can cause severe health problems, including damage to the teeth from frequent vomiting. Abusing laxatives can cause severe bowel problems.

Binge-Eating Disorder

Although it shares some of the symptoms of bulimia, binge-eating disorder is classified differently as sufferers don’t purge. It is thought to be much more common than anorexia and bulimia. Typically, binge-eating disorder involves regularly eating large quantities of food – even when not hungry.

Although binge-eating disorder doesn’t have the same health dangers as anorexia and bulimia, it often results in being overweight or obese.

Causes of Eating Disorders

There is no single cause of eating disorders, but there are a number of factors which put people at risk of developing them. It’s important to remember that men and women of all ages develop eating disorders, although these illnesses are most common in teenagers and twenty-somethings, and more women than men are affected.

Dieting, especially extreme or faddy dieting, can lead to the development of an eating disorder. This is why it’s often a bad idea to be excessively “strict” with yourself on a diet, or to feel that you’re a “better” person because you’re thinner.

Stress is also a cause of eating disorders, particularly in people who are high achievers. Teenagers going through exams may suffer, and adults in stressful jobs. BEAT lists a number of potential emotional causes:

Low self-esteem, family relationships, problems with friends, the death of someone special, problems at work, college or at university, lack of confidence, sexual or emotional abuse.

Eating disorders can also be related to other health problems, such as depression, or chemical imbalances. This is why consulting a doctor is important.

Where to Get Help

If you think you may have an eating disorder, or if you’re worried about a friend or family member, the best place to get help is from your doctor. There are also a number of excellent websites with information about eating disorders:

BEAT – Beating Eating Disorders

Something Fishy

BBC site on Eating Disorders (brief, easy-to-read information and advice)

Written by Ali Hale

Related posts:

1. Are You A Healthy Eater – Or Could You Have Orthorexia?
2. Focusing On Health, Not Thinness
3. Beating the Binge: Six Ways to Stop a Binge Before It Starts