Eating disorders are responsible for the highest number of deaths from psychiatric illness. It is estimated that around 165,000 people in the UK have eating disorders, with around 10% dying as a result. They are characterised by an abnormal attitude towards food that causes someone to change their eating habits and behavior.
Types
- anorexia nervosa - starving themselves or exercising excessively in order to keep their weight as low as possible.
- bulimia - 'binge eating' and deliberately throwing up, or using laxatives to empty their bowels.
- binge eating - when someone feels compelled to overeat.
Often, eating disorders are often blamed on social pressures to be thin, young people in particular feel they should look a certain way by the influence of the media and fashion.
There may be some biological or predisposing (influencing) factors, combined with an experience that may provoke the disorder, plus other factors that encourage the condition to continue.
Risk factors that can make someone more likely to have an eating disorder include:
- having a family history of eating disorders, depression or substance misuse
- being criticised for their eating habits, body shape or weight
- being overly concerned with being slim, particularly if combined with pressure to be slim from society or for a job (for example ballet dancers, models or athletes)
- certain characteristics, for example, having an obsessive personality, an anxiety disorder, low self-esteem or being a perfectionist
- particular experiences, such as sexual or emotional abuse or the death of someone special
- difficult relationships with family members or friends
- stressful situations, for example problems at work, school or university
Treatment
The physical problems caused by eating disorders can be fatal. Treatments are available, although can take a long time, and it is important for the affected individual to want to get better.
- cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): therapy that focuses on changing how someone thinks about a situation, which in turn will affect how they act
- interpersonal psychotherapy: a talking therapy that focuses on relationship-based issues
- dietary counselling: a talking therapy to help people maintain a healthy diet
- psychodynamic therapy: counselling that focuses on how a person’s personality and life experiences influence their current thoughts, feelings, relationships and behavior
