Eating Disorders refer to severe disturbances in eating habits, be it excessive reduction in the amount of food one eats or  the other extreme – excessive overeating. This is accompanied by excessive concern about ones body image and weight. Individuals suffering from eating disorders are obsessed with food and weight. They may go on rigid diets, secretly gorge on food, purge after eating or constantly obsess about what and how much they are eating.

While the problem in eating disorders appears to be unhealthy eating habits, it is only part of the problem. People suffering from eating disorders have distorted, self-critical thoughts and attitudes towards food, weight and body image. This is the real problem! It is these excessive and irrational thoughts and feelings that are responsible for such destructive eating behaviors. For example, an individual suffering from an eating disorder may have an irrational fear of becoming fat. This causes the individual to go to any extreme to stay thin, be it starving oneself, eating and then purging, excessive exercising or all.

Eating disorders are the result of a strong emotional need or pain. One’s need to stay thin could be so strong that you hinge your happiness on weighing x kilos. Thus your mood might be affected by your weight. A person with an eating disorder tends to turn to food when faced with painful emotions, or stressful situations, to make them feel better. One may restrict eating to feel in control when unable to control other factors in ones life. Gorging on high calorie foods, like chocolates, chips, cookies etc., temporarily soothes feelings of sadness, anger or loneliness.

The most common eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. In anorexia nervosa, even though the individual is underweight, he/she thinks that they are overweight and therefore constantly tries to lose weight by not eating, restricting the type and quantity of food or exercising excessively. Bulimia is usually characterized by bingeing and then purging – i.e. the individual eats large amounts of food and then tries to get rid of it by making himself or herself vomit or uses laxatives. Binge Eating Disorder is characterized by periods of excessive overeating or  eating with an inability to stop - even when full.

Eating disorders have been seen to mostly appear during adolescence or young adulthood. However they sometimes also develop during childhood or adulthood. Additionally these disorders have been known to affect women and girls much more than the opposite sex. None the less, men and boys can also be affected by anorexia, bulimia and especially binge-eating disorder.

Eating disorders can have dangerous consequences on one’s mental and physical health and can even cause death. However the good news is that eating disorders can be treated and it is important to seek professional help. Eating disorders frequently co-exist with other psychiatric disorders, such as depression, substance abuse or anxiety disorders. The treatment program must be structured according to the individual’s unique needs.