Sit down and close your eyes. Now, take a moment to imagine feeling physical and mental exhaustion, anxiety around food and frustration toward your body. These feelings just touch the surface of what someone with an eating disorder may be experiencing day after day, minute after minute and second after second.
You may be here because you are concerned for a loved one. It’s amazing that you have decided to learn more about eating disorders because support from friends and family is important in the recovery process.
In this blog, we are sharing eating disorder statistics, common warning signs, classifications and treatment options for people with eating disorders.
But before we dive in, it is important to understand that just like the person, eating disorders are extremely unique and experiences vary from individual to individual. If your loved one does not identify with any of the exact topics discussed, it does not make their experience any less valid or concerning.
What is an Eating Disorder?
Eating disorders affect everyone, from all ages, races and genders. They are a collection of health conditions that impact both the physical and mental health of an individual in the short and potentially long term.
According to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition or DSM-5, eating disorders are defined as behavioral conditions characterized by severe, persistent disturbances in eating behaviors and are associated with distressing emotions and thoughts (1).
The most common eating disorders include anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorder with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder and other specified feeding or eating disorders being less common but as serious.
Eating Disorder Awareness
The statistics below shed light on how complicated and serious eating disorders can be for an individual and/or family. It also helps us to understand that eating disorders do not discriminate and emphasizes that support for those experiencing an eating disorder is extremely important.
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- Eating disorders are serious and can be life threatening. Statistics show that approximately 10,200 deaths occur per year as a result of an eating disorder (2).
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- 9% or roughly 28.8 million Americans will have an eating disorder during their lifetime (2).
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- Females are 2x more likely to be diagnosed with an eating disorder than males (2).
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- The median age of onset of binge eating disorder is 21 years old while bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa onset is 18 years old (3).
How does an Eating Disorder Develop?
There is not a single cause that leads to someone developing an eating disorder. Many times, the behaviors associated with eating disorders start out unintentionally and with time progress into a diagnosis.
Here at Anyone’s Journey, we emphasize understanding why the behaviors are happening in the first place. With the assistance of other providers that make up a client’s team (ex. therapist, medical doctor and/or psychiatrist), we can start implementing small, incremental nutrition interventions to shift the client away from the disordered lens.
Our ultimate goal is to create an individualized treatment plan and to do this, requires a deep understanding of the client’s thoughts and feelings around food and their body.
Our clinicians value working at a pace that is comfortable for each client. It’s important to recognize, though, when a client requires that extra push to reach their recovery goals.
The accessibility of health information available to our clients can certainly be a contributor to some disordered thoughts and actions. Our job is to provide accurate nutrition information, backed up by science, so the client can start developing their own food philosophy that provides and nourishes their body appropriately.
Warning Signs of an Eating Disorder
There is also not a single sign of an eating disorder but instead a variety of behaviors that can be classified as emotional, behavioral or physical depending on the diagnosis.
Here is a list of some of the most common symptoms that fit into these categories:
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- Beliefs focused on weight loss, diets, food rules or eating patterns
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- Mood swings
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- Withdrawal from social activities, especially ones where food is involved
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- Distorted body image
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- Skipping meals or irregular eating patterns
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- Hiding food
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- Fear around weight gain
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- Fear with certain foods or food groups
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- Rapid weight changes (up or down)
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- Constipation
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- Low blood pressure
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- Loss of menstrual cycle
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- Growth of hair all over the body
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- Generalized weakness
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- Brittle hair and nails
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- Low self esteem
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- Perfectionism
Again, it is important to note that your loved one does not have to present with one of these specific warning signs for there to be a concern or further support needed.
List of Eating Disorders
It can be helpful to understand the differences between each type of eating disorder and the distinct behaviors, emotions or feelings associated. The DSM-5 contains the diagnostic criteria and provides professional guidance to practitioners specialized in diagnosing and treating.
Anorexia Nervosa (AN)
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- Low body weight due to fear of gaining weight with an unrealistic view of weight or body shape
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- May include severe restriction of calories or specific foods, excessive exercise, extreme efforts to reduce weight
Bulimia (BE)
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- Episodes of bingeing and purging with feelings of guilt, shame or fear of food and weight
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- May include vomiting after meals, periods of time without eating, laxative use or expressed feelings of no control when eating.
Binge Eating Disorder (BED)
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- Eating food in a short period of time with feelings of no control when consuming food.
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- May include fast paced eating, disregard of hunger and satiety feelings, fear of weight gain, eating alone.
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
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- Limiting overall food intake or specific foods or food groups to a point where optimal nutrition needs are not being med
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- May include poor growth and development, poor functioning in daily activities, avoidance of food with a certain quality such as smell, texture or taste or fear of gastrointestinal problems.
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED)
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- Have symptoms of another eating disorder but do not meet the full clinical criteria for diagnosis.
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- May include frequently becoming ill, fainting episodes, absence of menstrual cycles, frequent trips to the bathroom especially around meals or fluctuating body weight.
What does eating disorder recovery look like
Deciding to seek treatment can be extremely overwhelming for an individual but is absolutely necessary.
There are various levels that a person with an eating disorder can be referred to. You can think of the levels as a ladder with increasing levels of support as you move upward. Within each level, a variety of therapies can be used. Understanding the treatment center’s approach to care can help you find the best fit as treatment will look different for every person, as it should.
The levels of eating disorder treatment are outpatient, intensive outpatient treatment (IOP), partial hospitalization (PHP), residential treatment (RTC), inpatient treatment (IP).
At Anyone’s Journey, we strictly offer outpatient treatment; however, we are skilled at referring clients to higher levels of care and helping individuals or families determine the appropriate level of care.
All eating disorders require a personalized approach
Overall, the information shared in this blog is meant for educational purposes and to help you gain a better understanding on the complexity of eating disorders. It is critical to remember that every eating disorder is different and requires an individualized approach.
Anyone’s Journey specializes in eating disorders and disordered eating with the approach that short strides result in long term possibilities. Our clinicians are also experienced in helping individuals that desire weight loss or are navigating chronic diseases.
It is also never too early, nor too late, to seek guidance on how to help someone with an eating disorder. Contact us by calling 612-638-2778, emailing contact@anyonesjourney.com or completing our Referral Form.
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