Eating disorders

An eating disorder can be a complex and serious mental health condition which is marked by an unhealthy relationship with food. Around 1 million Australians are affected by an eating disorder^[1]. The most common types are:

• Binge Eating Disorder (BED) - consuming very large quantities of food even when not hungry
• Bulimia Nervosa - bingeing on food, but then purging the food by vomiting, or by taking laxatives or diet pills; and
• Anorexia Nervosa – being severely underweight but having a preoccupation with food and fear of putting on weight.

There are other specified feeding or eating disorders (OSFED) which don't necessarily align with any specific disorder. People with OSFED commonly have very disruptive eating habits and can have a distorted body image.

Signs and symptoms

Some of the signs that you, or someone you know, may have an eating disorder include:

• a preoccupation and concern about appearance, food and gaining weight
• extreme dissatisfaction with body shape — wanting to lose weight even though friends or family worry that you are underweight
• a fear of gaining weight
• letting people think you have eaten when you haven't
• being secretive about your eating habits because you know they are unhealthy
• feeling anxious, upset or guilty when you consider eating
• feeling you are not in control around food
• continuously checking your body — for example, weighing yourself or pinching your waist
• making yourself vomit or using laxatives in order to lose weight.

What causes an eating disorder?

It is unlikely that an eating disorder has one single cause - more often there is a combination of many factors, feelings or pressures which leads a person to use food, or the limitation of food, to deal with painful situations or feelings.

When should I seek support from a professional?

If you, or someone you know, is suffering from an eating disorder, the earlier treatment begins, the better the outcomes will be. Disordered eating can cause harm to the body, so your GP will undertake a thorough examination of you physically. A mental health professional may then be engaged, with longer term treatments include counselling, nutrition education, medication and person-centred step-care. If the person with the disorder is young, then a family approach may be taken to engage family members on how they can provide support regarding the eating disorder.

Online resources

Reviewed by Sarah Davies, registered psychologist.

^[1] Deloitte Access Economics (2015). Investing in need: cost-effective interventions for eating disorders. Report commissioned for Butterfly Foundation. Sydney: Butterfly Foundation.

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