If you battle with an eating disorder, you struggle with a preoccupation around food, weight, or compensation. Typically, you endure emotions of guilt and shame around the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that disordered eating has caused you. While the symptoms may have begun as a way to feel in control, you likely feel out of control regarding these symptoms, with food playing the most significant role in your life at that moment. You may use restriction, binging, or compensatory behaviors to cope with uncomfortable feelings and emotions that are too painful to face.
Eating disorders do not discriminate based on race, gender, or socioeconomic status. The most common eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder. Also gaining clinical attention recently is Orthorexia. The following are brief descriptions and key features of these disorders:
Anorexia Nervosa:
Anorexia nervosa is a serious and potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight, a distorted body image, and severe restriction of food intake. Individuals with anorexia nervosa often perceive themselves as overweight even when they are underweight, which can lead to extreme weight loss and malnutrition.
Key Features of Anorexia Nervosa:
Restrictive Eating: Individuals with anorexia nervosa severely limit their caloric intake, often eating very small amounts of food or engaging in extreme dietary restrictions.
Intense Fear of Weight Gain: Despite being underweight, those with anorexia nervosa have an intense and persistent fear of gaining weight or becoming fat. This fear drives their restrictive eating behaviors.
Distorted Body Image: People with anorexia nervosa often have a distorted perception of their body size and shape. They may see themselves as overweight even when they are emaciated.
Excessive Exercise: Some individuals with anorexia nervosa engage in excessive physical exercise to burn calories and control their weight.
Preoccupation with Food and Weight: There is often an obsessive focus on food, dieting, body weight, and shape. Individuals may constantly think about food, plan meals, or engage in rituals around eating.
Physical Symptoms: The restrictive eating and malnutrition associated with anorexia nervosa can lead to a range of physical symptoms, including extreme weight loss, fatigue, dizziness, hair loss, and gastrointestinal issues. It can also cause more severe health problems such as heart issues, bone density loss, and electrolyte imbalances.
Psychological Symptoms: Individuals may experience mood swings, anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal. They may also have a distorted self-image and low self-esteem.
Bulimia Nervosa:
Bulimia nervosa, often referred to simply as bulimia, is a serious eating disorder characterized by cycles of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors to prevent weight gain. These behaviors may include purging (e.g., vomiting), excessive exercise, fasting, or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas. Bulimia nervosa can have severe physical and psychological consequences and requires comprehensive treatment.
Key Features of Bulimia Nervosa:
Binge Eating: Individuals with bulimia experience episodes of eating large quantities of food in a short period, often feeling a lack of control during these episodes. Binge eating episodes are typically characterized by eating in secret, consuming a high-calorie or high-fat diet, and feeling distressed or guilty afterwards.
Purging Behaviors: To counteract the effects of binge eating and prevent weight gain, individuals with bulimia engage in purging behaviors. These can include:
Self-Induced Vomiting: Vomiting to expel the consumed food.
Laxative Abuse: Using laxatives to induce diarrhea and eliminate food from the digestive tract.
Diuretic Abuse: Using diuretics to increase urine output and reduce fluid retention.
Enemas: Using enemas to cleanse the intestines.
Excessive Exercise: Some individuals with bulimia engage in excessive physical exercise as a means to burn off calories and prevent weight gain.
Fasting: Following binge episodes, individuals may engage in periods of fasting or severely restrict their food intake to compensate for the caloric intake from the binges.
Preoccupation with Weight and Body Image: Like anorexia nervosa, bulimia is associated with a preoccupation with body weight and shape. Individuals may have a distorted body image and base their self-esteem largely on their weight and appearance.
Binge Eating Disorder:
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating without subsequent compensatory behaviors, such as purging or excessive exercise, that are seen in other eating disorders like bulimia nervosa. BED is marked by the consumption of large quantities of food in a short period, accompanied by a feeling of loss of control and significant distress.
Key Features of Binge Eating Disorder:
Recurrent Binge Eating Episodes: Individuals with BED experience frequent episodes of eating excessive amounts of food in a short period, typically within a few hours. During these episodes, they may eat rapidly, even when not physically hungry, and continue eating until uncomfortably full.
Loss of Control: During binge episodes, individuals often feel a lack of control over their eating behavior. They may be unable to stop eating despite recognizing that they are eating more than intended.
Distress and Guilt: Binge eating episodes are usually accompanied by feelings of distress, embarrassment, or guilt. Individuals may feel ashamed or distressed about their eating behaviors and their inability to control them.
Absence of Compensatory Behaviors: Unlike bulimia nervosa, BED does not involve compensatory behaviors such as vomiting, excessive exercise, or misuse of laxatives. This absence of compensatory behaviors differentiates BED from other eating disorders.
Impact on Daily Life: BED can interfere with daily functioning and overall quality of life. It can lead to physical health issues, such as obesity and related medical conditions, as well as emotional and psychological problems.
Orthorexia Nervosa:
Orthorexia is a term used to describe an unhealthy obsession with eating foods that one considers healthy and avoiding those perceived as unhealthy. Unlike other eating disorders that focus on weight or body image, orthorexia is centered around the purity and healthfulness of food. People with Orthorexia become so fixated on so-called ‘healthy eating’ that they actually damage their own well-being and experience health consequences such as malnutrition and/or impairment of psychosocial functioning. Although not yet officially recognized as a distinct eating disorder in major diagnostic manuals like the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), it is increasingly recognized in clinical settings and discussions about eating behaviors.
Key Features of Orthorexia:
Obsessive Focus on Healthy Eating: Individuals with orthorexia are preoccupied with the quality and purity of their food. They may become fixated on adhering to strict dietary rules or guidelines and avoid any food they consider unhealthy or impure.
Avoidance of Certain Foods: People with orthorexia may eliminate a wide range of foods from their diet, including those that are perceived as processed, artificial, or high in fat, sugar, or additives. This can lead to a very restrictive diet.
Strict Dietary Rules: Individuals may develop rigid rules about what they can and cannot eat. They may spend excessive time planning, preparing, and evaluating their meals to ensure they meet their standards of health.
Preoccupation with Food Quality: There is a strong focus on the nutritional content, source, and preparation of food. People with orthorexia may become obsessed with checking labels, sourcing organic or non-GMO foods, and avoiding foods that do not align with their health beliefs.
Impact on Daily Life: The obsession with healthy eating can interfere with daily functioning and social interactions. Individuals may avoid social events, restaurants, travel, or situations where they cannot control their food choices.
Psychological and Emotional Impact: Orthorexia can lead to feelings of guilt, anxiety, or distress if dietary rules are broken or if there is exposure to "unhealthy" foods. It may also contribute to a sense of superiority or self-worth based on one’s adherence to dietary principles. Body image concerns may or may not be present.
Without treatment, eating disorders are typically degenerative. The behaviors can be a constant cycle of guilt and pain and compulsion that keeps repeating itself. Recovery from eating disorders is possible with appropriate treatment and support. Clients can benefit from ongoing therapy, support groups, work with nutritionists and medical providers if necessary, and family involvement. A comprehensive approach to treatment that addresses both the physical and psychological aspects of eating disorders can lead to improved health and well-being.
Through our approach to eating disorder recovery, in therapy we can help you change how you think about food, target what feelings led to the behaviors, and manage those feelings with new coping skills. Using a combination of evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapy, intuitive eating coaching, mindfulness skills, distress tolerance skills, and compassion-focused therapy, we can help you regain your power and work towards long-term recovery. We also offer ketam1ne-assisted psychotherapy which has been found to be very helpful in treating the mental and emotional aspects of eating disorders.
We welcome you to call us at 833-HEAL-ATL or contact us, and we’ll get started. We look forward to helping you!