DISORDERED EATING
to
ED Information Page
The
term DISORDERED EATING
describes a
range of serious emotional and physical problems related to food, weight and
body image.
Eating disorders, however, are rarely just about the pursuit of thinness. They are, rather, frequently a manifestation of underlying psychological, emotional, and/or social problems. The eating disorder becomes a coping mechanism, and is used to deal with problems that are more than "skin deep".
Eating disorders, if untreated, can result in permanent health changes and even death. Eating disorders for which one needs to seek professional help include: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating.
Eating Disorders are not about dieting or vanity. They are about lost souls who can find no other way to cope with life's stresses. They are about pain. They are caused by a variety of factors and have profoundly devastating effects on both the people who suffer from them and on their families and loved ones.
Quite often Eating Disorders are a reaction to internal and external conflicts such as anxiety, perfectionism, low self esteem, poor relationships and unhappiness. Oftentimes, but not always, people suffering from Anorexia or Bulimia have a history of sexual and/or physical and emotional abuse.
Sometimes people suffer from Unspecified Eating Disorders which means they have some but not all of the characteristics of one or more disordered eating patterns.
The most common feature of all eating disorders is the inherent presence of low self esteem and self loathing.
Disordered
eating is much more common in women
than in men, and approximately one out of every 100 adolescent girls develops
anorexia nervosa while another
Disordered eating is about a preoccupation with food and body image, and is connected to the need for emotional control. A woman may use her relationship to food to mask feelings that are overwhelming. She may start dieting or bingeing to cope with painful emotions and to feel in control. Unfortunately, she may end up damaging both her physical health and her confidence and ability to face life’s challenges
The roots of disordered eating are biological, emotional and societal.
Media images that shape our definitions of beauty and attractiveness are a key factor. Popular images often urge women to crave thinness and seek the “perfect body”. At the same time, mainstream media often denies the value of inner qualities and strengths.
Many women of different weights and shapes are excluded or put down by these images and messages. In particular, media representations reinforce fear of and discrimination towards fat women.
Recovery
Part of recovery from disordered eating is not to avoid food or eating itself, but instead learning to normalize eating and restore our bodies to their natural weight and shape (Jasper, 1989). Up to half of women who misuse substances also suffer from an eating disorder (especially bulimia).
Serious health consequences
Both problems can lead to potentially life threatening impacts on the body, including the heart, bones, muscles, teeth, stomach, pancreas, liver and gallbladder.
Barriers to getting help
The connections between substance misuse and disordered eating are not well understood and are often over looked. We may receive adequate support or treatment for the disordered eating and then fall into another unhealthy coping method such as substance abuse. Women rarely receive support for both. When we change our behaviour on one issue, we often experience the urge to increase the other behaviour. For this reason, getting help for both problems is very important to recovery.
As with substance abuse, a woman’s shame about disordered eating is a central barrier to getting help. It is important that all the people who are in a position to offer support – friends, family, professionals, support services - find ways to reduce the shame about disclosing these problems and seeking help.
What works?
There are no simple solutions to addressing disordered eating or substance abuse. Each woman’s situation is unique, and healing can take a variety of paths.
a) One woman may benefit from participating in a community or hospital-based program tailored for women with these exact problems.
b) Another woman may want to attend individual, group and/or family counseling in the community.
c) Yet another may want to participate in a support group on substance use, disordered eating, violence or general therapeutic issues. Guidance on nutrition, physical exercise and spiritual growth are often useful. Increasingly, professionals and women in recovery are coming together to discuss the links between substance abuse and disordered eating, and how best to treat and prevent them. The internet is also fast becoming a source of information. Listed below are several print, internet and community resources to assist with further knowledge on these issues.
Internet
ANAD www.anad.bc.ca
Body Positive www.bodypositive.com
Eating Disorder Referral & Information Center www.edreferral.com
Eating Disorder Resource Centre of BC www.disorderedeating.ca
Girl Power www.girlpower.gov/girlarea/bodywise
National Eating Disorders Association www.edap.org
The National Eating Disorder Information Centre www.nedic.ca
Email
NNFED