You may be diagnosed with an eating disorder if your eating habits threaten your health and happiness or threaten the health and happiness of the people who care for you.
The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. These affect about 2% of adult females and some men. Both are serious mental health problems and anyone experiencing them needs a great deal of help and understanding.
People with anorexia nervosa don't eat enough, usually because they feel that their problems are caused by what they look like. They think that they appear fat even though they may look slim or even painfully thin to others. Their morale becomes low and their health can be seriously affected. Because they are not eating enough they may develop a number of physical problems including poor circulation, brittle bones and hair loss, as well as kidney disease.
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People with bulimia nervosa can’t stick to a healthy eating pattern. They tend to binge, that is, eat a lot at once. This makes them feel guilty and out of control so they then panic and punish themselves by starving, making themselves sick, taking laxatives or over-exercising. This can lead to a number of physical problems including tooth decay, constipation and intestinal damage, as well as heart and kidney disease. Telltale signs of bulimia nervosa include making excuses to avoid eating in company or rushing to the lavatory after a meal.
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Eating disorders usually have underlying causes. For example, if you are a teenager, hormone changes and lack of confidence, or problems such as bullying or difficulties with schoolwork, can trigger the conditions. Refusing or bingeing on food may make you feel you have some control over your life.
Some people attribute eating disorders to media and fashion. It is fashionable in western culture to be slim. This is not possible for everyone as we are naturally all different shapes and sizes. People with eating disorders very often feel that they can only ever be happy or successful if they can be more like images portrayed in the media.
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Self-help
There are a number of self-help books available in the shops. Some of these are listed below. You can use these on your own, with a friend or with help from your GP or practice nurse. These books can be very helpful in describing strategies for improving your eating habits. They are generally written by medical experts but draw on the experience of people who have eating disorders.
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