February 26 – March 3rd is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Eating disorders impact roughly 28.8 million Americans over the course of their lifetimes, including 8.6% of women and 4.07% of men. What’s even more concerning is that eating disorders have the second highest mortality rate out of all psychiatric illnesses.1
The problem is that it can be difficult to acknowledge or even realize you have an eating disorder when you have one. We have all taken in unhealthy mindsets when it comes to food, from family members, friends, and the media. Sometimes in the midst of a disorder you can convince yourself that the way you’re eating is healthy. In this blog, let’s talk about how to recognize an eating disorder so you can reach out for help.
Types of Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are any psychological disorders that revolve around an unhealthy relationship to food. It can be eating too much or not eating enough, or a combination of the two. Some types of eating disorders include:
- Anorexia Nervosa – Characterized by severely limiting what you eat and drink.
- Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) – Characterized by severe avoidance to certain foods or types of foods, often due to either a sensory avoidance or past trauma.
- Binge Eating – Characterized by eating large amounts of food rapidly, often feeling out of control with the amount you eat.
- Bulimia Nervosa – Characterized by episodes of binge eating until uncomfortably full and then inducing vomiting, fasting, or use of laxatives to purge the food intake.
- Pica – Characterized by eating things that are not considered food or part of a cultural or religious experience: such as ice, hair, dirt, soil, chalk, soap, or paper.
- Rumination Disorder – Characterized by chewing on food, then spitting it out, as well as sometimes re-chewing and repeating the process.
The symptoms of these eating disorders will vary, but one unifying theme is a feeling of a lack of control when it comes to food or eating habits. Eating disorders do not always have to be related to body image, though that is often the case. Sometimes, however, they are simply about a means of trying to control some aspect of your life.
How To Tell If You Have an Eating Disorder
So how can you tell if you have an eating disorder? Eating disorders will look different to every person, and you might not fit the stereotypical image of someone with an eating disorder. Here are a few signs to look out for:
You Have Strict Rituals When It Comes To Food
There’s nothing wrong — and many things right — with having a routine time that you eat your meals and even a snack throughout the day. However, people with eating disorders sometimes have strict rituals to control their food intake. This can include:
- Only eating certain food groups or refusing to eat certain food groups (outside of allergies or religious/cultural practices)
- Limiting your food intake meticulously
- Following impractically rigid preparation practices
- Excessive chewing to fill up on less food
These could all be signs that you have an unhealthy relationship with food and see food as something antagonistic.
You Have Anxiety About Eating in Front of Others
Do you ever feel an overwhelming anxiety of eating in front of others, worried that they might judge you or worry about your eating habits? Individuals with eating disorders often avoid eating in public or even in front of close friends because of this anxiety.
If you feel the need to eat by yourself or to leave the group setting when food is being served, you might have an unhealthy relationship with food. Another way this might manifest is pretending to eat in front of others by moving the food around your plate, without actually eating.
You’re Constantly Trying New Diets or Worried About Your Weight
Although body image does not have to be tied to eating disorders, a common symptom of eating disorders is a near obsessive preoccupation with weight. This could be weighing yourself every day or multiple times a day, constantly starting or stopping diets, and worrying about weight fluctuation. If you feel inspired to try every new diet you hear about, this likely comes down to a preoccupation with weight and an unhealthy relationship with food.
You Avoid Events That Include Food
This ties into anxiety about eating in front of others. Events that include food can make it difficult to avoid eating in front of others, and some with eating disorders prefer to avoid them altogether. It might be an anxiety of eating in front of others or a worry that the food will be “bad” or too “tempting.” If the main reason not to go is because of food, that is one way that food disrupts your daily life.
You Think of Eating as “Bad”
There’s a way of talking about eating as “bad” that permeates our culture. People will joke about certain foods being “worth the calories” or refer to eating a certain food by saying, “I’m being bad today.” But this mindset can have serious consequences, creating a sense of shame when it comes to food and eating.
This language does not necessarily mean that you have an eating disorder. However, it does denote a skewed way of thinking about food and eating. Eating when you’re hungry is not something you have to judge yourself for. This language could also indicate a lack of sense of control over your eating habits, which can indicate an eating disorder.
It’s important to understand that an eating disorder is an illness and not a character failing. You are not a bad person for having an eating disorder. But it is important to reach out for help so you can recover from your eating disorder. Contact Rivia Mind today to connect with one of our skilled and compassionate clinicians experienced in eating disorders.
Resources:
- Eating Disorder Statistics – National Eating Disorder Association
