Eating disorders involve having an abnormal relationship with food. This relationship will cause you to alter your behaviour and most likely become stressed, depressed or unhappy. Most people with an eating disorder will also obsess over their weight and appearance which has repercussions in their diet.
There is a range of eating disorders that an individual can suffer from which can affect different people socially, mentally and physically.
Anorexia Nervosa
This is probably the most well-known eating disorder and involves the individual abstaining from food or restricting the amount of food they eat. This disorder also has the highest fatality rate of any mental illness.
Research has shown that the average duration for anorexia is eight years after setting in. Obviously, this time is just a guide and can be a lot shorter if the person gets the correct help. Contrastingly, it can last for a lot longer if the individual keeps the illness to themselves.
Bulimia
Bulimia is when a person will enter into a period of binging (excessive eating) and then follow this up with either laxatives or forcing sickness.
Bulimia lasts five years on average.
Binge Eating Disorders
BED are when a person feels unusually compelled to eat an abnormal amount of food in a short period of time. This can sometimes add up to thousands of calories in less than an hour.
The latest version of Diagnostic Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders stated that of those with eating disorders, 10% were anorexic, 40% were bulimic and the other 50% fall into the category of ‘Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified’ or EDNOS which includes binge eating disorders.
As you can see, it’s extremely important to seek help if you believe that you have issues with food. You may not think that it’s a big deal now but the condition can quickly spiral out of control until you have no idea what to do. Always look for help at the first sign of a problem.
It is entirely possible to recover from an eating disorder. It’s important to note that you are not alone if you think you might be experiencing one of these problems. They happen to a lot of people and almost all that seek help recover.
One reason that people begin experiencing eating disorders is that they are simply too confused about how to get healthy. If this is you then please get in contact with me so that I can set you on the right track. If you are already suffering from an eating disorder then contact a qualified professional to help you.
Here are some helpful links for those seeking help:
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Eating-disorders/Pages/Introduction.aspx