Eating Disorders

An eating disorder means you engage in a variety of behaviours with the aim of controlling your weight, shape or eating. You will attempt to follow a strict diet, but whether you succeed will determine the amount of weight you lose. You may also exercise excessively, binge eat, vomit or misuse laxatives.

You will judge yourself almost exclusively in terms of your shape, weight and control over eating, becoming obsessed with trying to become slimmer, but constantly feeling fat.

Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Atypical Eating Disorders affect anyone.  Men, children, older women and up to 6% of young women can have an eating disorder. If you have an eating disorder you become over concerned with body shape and weight, but have underlying problems of very low self esteem and difficulties relating with people.  You rarely see yourself as ill and try to avoid discovery of your secret behaviour. Weight loss is seen as the only way to feel better and ‘in control’ of life, so people with an eating disorder generally don’t seek help.

Eating disorders cause physical, psychological and social suffering and can also have a damaging effect on the lives of carers, who are often the first to identify the problem. Eating disorders usually last several years and don’t tend to go away without help.