An eating disorder is marked by extremes. It is present when a person experiences severe disturbances in eating behavior, such as extreme reduction of food intake or extreme overeating, or feelings of extreme distress or concern about body weight or shape.
A person with an eating disorder may have started out just eating smaller or larger amounts of food than usual, but at some point, the urge to eat less or more spirals out of control. Eating disorders are very complex, and despite scientific research to understand them, the biological, behavioral, and social underpinnings of these illnesses remain elusive.
Two main types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. A third category is “eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS),” which includes several variations of eating disorders. Most of these disorders are similar to anorexia or bulimia but with slightly different characteristics. Binge-eating disorder, which has received increasing research and media attention in recent years, is one type of EDNOS.
Eating disorders frequently appear during adolescence or young adulthood, but some reports indicate that they can develop during childhood or later in adulthood. Women and girls are much more likely than males to develop an eating disorder. Men and boys account for an estimated 5 to 15 percent of those with binge eating disorder. Eating disorders are real, treatable medical illnesses with complex underlying psychological and biological causes. They frequently co-exist with other psychiatric disorders such as depression, substance abuse, or anxiety disorders. People with disorders also can suffer from numerous other physical health complications such as, heart conditions or kidney failure, which can lead to death.
Eating disorders are treatable diseases
Psychological and medicinal treatments are effective for many eating disorders. However, in more chronic cases specific treatments have not yet been identified.
In these cases, treatment plans often are tailored to the patient’s individual needs that may include medical care and monitoring: medications; nutritional counseling: and individual, group and/or family psychotherapy.
Some patients may also need to be hospitalized to treat malnutrition or to gain weight, or for other reasons.
Preventing Eating Disorders
Your approach to food and nutrition can play a powerful role in your child’s development of healthy attitudes about food and nutrition.
Your own body image may influence your child. If you constantly say, “I am fat,” complain about exercise, and practice “yo-yo” dieting, your son or daughter may feel that it is normal and acceptable to have a distorted body image.
It is important to make sure that your child knows that you love him or her for who they are and what they do, not how they look.
At a time when there is a lot of societal concern about obesity, it can be particularly tricky for parents to feel comfortable talking to their kids about their eating habits. Many parents worry about how to get their kids a healthy diet and prevent them from becoming obese or overweight without giving them anxiety about food that might lead to an eating disorder. The best thing to do is to emphasize health, rather than their weight.
Finally, take an active role in creating a healthy lifestyle for your child. Involve your child in the preparation of healthy nutritious meals on a regular basis. Let your child know that it is okay to eat when you’re hungry and refuse food when you are not. Also, make exercise a fun and rewarding family activity, as well as a regular one. If you have healthy attitudes about food and exercise, your child will have a good example from which to learn.
