Eating Disorder Awareness Week (EDAW) occurs every year and in the UK it will be held from February 24th to March 2nd (other countries may have a similar event on different dates). The theme for 2025 is: eating disorders can affect anyone.
In keeping with this theme, I wanted to talk about eating disorders and provide some resources and further information to assist awareness about an issue that impacts millions of people around the world. BEAT - a leading UK-based charity supporting those with eating disorders and their families - estimates that 1 in 50 people in the UK are living with an eating disorder. It is likely that this number is even higher because eating disorders are often misunderstood, misdiagnosed and may not be reported by some individuals out of fear and shame.
Eating disorders are complex and serious conditions that affect individuals across all ages, genders and backgrounds. They are biopsychosocial disorders that impact many aspects of daily life and each individual will have their own reasons for the onset of disordered eating behaviours.
Despite the unique lived experience each individual will have, there are common factors that can help us spot disordered eating. In this blog post, we’ll explore some of these common factors that can help you or your loved ones identify concerns about eating behaviours and body image. If you suspect that you or a loved one may have an eating disorder, it is important to seek support and there will be suggestions below on where you can find this.
Types of Eating Disorders
Anorexia Nervosa: is characterised by a restriction in how much a person eats and drinks and could include other behaviours such as excessive exercise especially after consuming food or drinks.
Bulimia Nervosa: is characterised by a cycle of bingeing and purging. This means that a person may eat a large quantity of food and feel out of control in those moments. In order to ‘compensate’ for this behaviour, they may induce vomiting, take laxatives, go into extreme restriction or exercise excessively.
Binge Eating Disorder (BED): has similarities to Bulimia but without the purging behaviours - usually people with BED eat very large quantities of food without feeling in control of what they’re doing. This bingeing behaviour is often accompanied by feelings of shame, guilt, and distress.
Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID): is characterised by avoidance of certain foods or types of food and/or having restricted intake in terms of overall amount eaten. ARFID can sometimes be related to an individual’s sensory needs e.g. the taste, texture or visual appearance of the food might contribute to avoidance or restrictive behaviour.
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED): is a diagnosis used in times when a person’s symptoms may not fit neatly into the other eating disorder categories but still involves significant eating or food-related issues. OSFED can include atypical anorexia nervosa (where an individual has anorexia but is not underweight) or night eating syndrome, among others.
The above list is by no means exhaustive and also not inclusive of many people’s experiences with eating behaviours and body issues. These ‘disorders’ are what you will find in the DSM-5 (a diagnostic manual used by doctors and psychiatrists). So, if you are looking for a diagnosis you may want to seek further information in your local area about the diagnostic process.
If you’re not sure about the above ‘labels’ here is a brief list of symptoms that might be warning signs for disordered eating that you might choose to talk to a therapist, trusted person (e.g. a parent, friend, romantic partner), or doctor about:
Restriction of food intake (not eating particular foods, counting calories, not eating frequently etc.)
Difficulty eating in front of or with others, not wanting to eat out at restaurants, or not wanting to consume food that has not been made by oneself
Secretive eating and/or missing food
Vomiting or purging in other ways (e.g. misuse of laxatives or diet pills)
Body checking (frequently looking in the mirror, seeking reassurance about appearance)
Frequently weighing oneself
Changes to body weight (losing or gaining weight in a short period of time)
***body size is not a sole indicator of disordered eating - physical changes in relation to other behaviours is what to look out for
Excessive or compulsive exercising
Low self-esteem and negative self-talk
Low mood
Isolation
Anxiety
Impacts on daily cognitive functions (e.g. struggling with school or work activities more than usual)
Again the above is not an exhaustive list and usually a person struggling with eating or their body will exhibit several of these symptoms. It is also important to note that many of these behaviours may be encouraged by ‘diet culture’ and considered ‘normal’ so it is rather that there are many different combinations of behaviour that could indicate disordered eating and/or a negative body image.
The next section will explore what you can do if you have concerns about yourself or someone else who may be exhibiting symptoms.
Seeking Support and Treatment
Since eating disorders are complex biopsychosocial conditions, it depends on the severity of the behaviours and other factors (e.g. physical health markers) on what the best form of treatment might be. It may be necessary to seek a multi-disciplinary approach and that may include being admitted into hospital in severe cases. Some cases may benefit from mental health care alone, and others a mix of therapy and physical health treatment.
To find out what the best route for you might be, you could start by contacting a psychotherapist or speaking with your GP (your family doctor) - they’ll be able to assess the situation and provide a treatment plan or, if necessary, signpost you to services that can better suit your needs.
If you are still not sure what to do and you’d like to find out more information, I have provided some links to resources below. These resources are from the UK, the US and Japan so they may not have information accurate to your local area but there are also some self-help resources and articles that could be a useful start.
Resources:
Alliance for Eating Disorders - https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/
Center for Eating Disorder Research and Information: Consultation Hotline (Japanese): https://sessyoku-hotline.jp/
Tokyo Eating Disorder Support Center at Tokyo Matsuzawa Hospital (Japanese): https://www.tmhp.jp/matsuzawa/sesshoku.html
Psychotherapy with Melanie Ersapah
If you feel ready to start talking about your eating behaviours and body image then I’d be happy to work with you on taking those first steps. I have experience working with low risk cases and can support you in creating a relationship with food and your body that is safer and more in line with where you’d like to be. If that sounds like something you’d like to try, click on the button below to set up a free 15 minute consultation with me.
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