An Introduction to Eating Disorders

Hi everyone!

Welcome back to Barre None. Our last blog post was an introduction to body image, and this week’s is a general introduction to eating disorders. Eating disorders are mental illnesses characterized by an abnormal relationship with food, and they can be categorized into anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and EDNOS (eating disorder not otherwise specified).

According to Eating Disorder Hope, anorexia nervosa is a psychological disorder that includes an extremely low BMI (Body Mass Index), which means that you have an extremely low body weight relative to your stature. It also includes extreme weight loss, an illogical fear of weight gain, a distorted perception of yourself, a fixation with a thin figure, and a lack of appetite. An individual with anorexia ingests a minimal amount of food, that is far below the amount of calories that their body needs, effectively starving themselves. The severity of anorexia is measured is based on BMI:

• Mild anorexia- greater than 17

• Moderate anorexia- 16-17 Severe anorexia- 15-16

• Extreme anorexia- less than 15

• In children, a BMI of less than the 5th percentile for their age is used

Bulimia nervosa is the other most common eating disorder. Individuals suffering from bulimia secretly binge, and then purge afterwards. Binging most often refers to eating massive quantities of food at a time, and then purging with either forced vomiting, or excessive exercise.

Lastly, EDNOS, or eating disorders not otherwise specified are exactly that- eating disorders that don’t fall under the exact symptoms of anorexia or bulimia. Eating disorders are individual illnesses that are affected by a variety of different events that may have affected an individual. This means that there is a huge spectrum of eating disorders, and many people who don’t have the exact signs and symptoms of anorexia or bulimia still have very valid and serious eating disorders.

Some signs and symptoms of someone suffering from an eating disorder that can be recognized by a friend or family member include chronic dieting, strange eating patterns, a loss of menstruation in women, depression, or a loss or thinning of hair. In terms of treatment for an eating disorder, depending on the situation and severity of the eating disorder, medical, nutritional, or therapeutic treatment or any combination of the three are used. According to Mayo Clinic, medical treatment can address serious health issues that the eating disorder caused, like an unstable heartbeat, or depression. Nutritional treatment includes weight restoration, the implementation and supervision of a tailored meal plan, and education about normal eating patterns. Therapy recognizes issues associated with the eating disorder, and addresses and heals traumatic life events that have to do with the eating disorder, and teaches healthy coping skills.

Further, eating disorders can be caused by environmental or biological factors. In terms of environmental factors, Mayo Clinic says that the media constantly reinforcing the idea that being thin is ideal, different traumatic events, peer pressure, low self-esteem, or being in a profession that promotes being thing such as modeling, high level athletics, or ballet, are all influential factors that can cause eating disorders. However, in more rare cases, biological factors like irregular hormone functions and nutritional deficiencies can also cause eating disorders.

Please remember that the key difference between someone who is dieting and someone with an eating disorder, is that someone dieting would aim to lose weight in order to make themselves healthier, but someone with an eating disorder would aim to lose weight to achieve happiness.

I hope you found this blog post informative, and that you share it, because it’s an important issue that needs to be talked more about! If you’re interested in learning more about body image, eating disorders, and ballet culture, please subscribe to Barre None by entering your email address below! You can also follow Barre None on Instagram and Twitter @barre_none, or by clicking the Instagram or Twitter icons on the top right corner of this page!

Love,

Barre None

---

Sources:

Eating Disorder Hope. (2016). Anorexia Nervosa: Causes, Symptoms, Signs & Treatment Help. Retrieved August 18, 2016, from http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/anorexia

Wikipedia. (2016). Anorexia Nervosa. Retrieved August 18, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anorexia_nervosa

Mayo Clinic. (2016). Bulimia. Retrieved August 23, 2016, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bulimia/home/ovc-20179821

Bulimia. (2016). http://www.bulimia.com/topics/bulimia/

National Eating Disorders Collaboration. (2016). What is Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS)? Retrieved August 26, 2016, from http://nedc.com.au/ednos