Eating disorders are a clinical mental illness that has affected millions of individuals across the globe. They usually present themselves through behaviors relating to food and body size. It is important to identify such behaviors to help individuals with eating disorders and why early identification of the behaviors is helpful.
In this blog, we will examine behaviors typically associated with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and other related disorders.
Understanding Eating Disorders: A Brief Overview
Eating disorders are a group of mental illnesses that include extreme and life-threatening distortions in eating and a relentless fear of being overweight. They may be attributed to psychological, genetic, and environmental causes. Common eating disorders include:
- Anorexia Nervosa: Binging and purging, a morbid fear of becoming fat, extremely limited food intake.
- Bulimia Nervosa: Intervals of overeating and some eating disorder activities such as vomiting.
- Binge Eating Disorder: Breakthrough binges are episodes of eating in a relatively short period an extraordinary amount of food without engaging in any purging behaviors.
Symptoms of a Person with Eating Disorder
Obsession with Weight, Food or Calories
- Eating disorders may make people obsessed with counting calories, refusing to eat specific things, or stepping on a weighing scale one too many times.
- Missing Meals, refusing meals, or avoiding any event that involves the consumption of meals.
- Patients suffering from anorexia or bulimia frequently avoid meals or eat with others to cover the stench.
Binge Eating
- In the case of a binge eating disorder or bulimia, a person will eat a large quantity of food within a short time frame and will feel that they cannot stop themselves from doing this.
Purging Behaviors
- That is, the clients with BN may use such behaviors of the purging kind such as vomiting, excessive exercising, or using the laxatives to counter the caloric intake.
Secretive Eating Habits
- People who are self-conscious or embarrassed, feel the need to eat alone or even hide their food for such reasons.
Distorted Body Image
- A person with an eating disorder will always believe they are obese even when they are malnourished, and this will cause them to engage in unsafe behaviors.
Postoperative Adjustment
- Perfectionism: An ongoing preoccupation with attaining an ideal—if not unrealistic—body weight or image.
- Low Self-Esteem: Demoralizing feelings including low self-esteem are usually at the root of most disordered eating.
- Obsession with Control: Laxatives and/or vomiting may allow an individual to feel they have some measure of control when their life appears out of control.
What are the Physical Signs of Eating Disorders?
The physical toll of eating disorders can be severe, including:
- Weight Fluctuations: Weight changes, loss, or gain depending on the type of the disorder.
- Gastrointestinal Problems: Diabetes, daytime drowsiness, dizziness, or weakness, difficulty in swallowing, gas, heartburn, high cholesterol levels, indigestion, joint pain, and low blood sugar.
- Fatigue and Weakness: A consequence of either poor diet or excessive exercise.
- Dental Damage: From time to time vomiting contributes to tooth decay.
Why it’s Important to Recognize These Behaviors
It is, therefore, important that one can identify with these common behaviors to intervene early enough. Eating disorders are severe illnesses that involve not only eating habits, but also psychological disorders that require psychiatric attention, dietary counseling, and occasionally biochemical treatment. When left untreated, the symptoms may result in serious physical and psychological complications such as organ failure, a decreased standard of living, and death, respectively.
Helping someone when they have an eating disorder
- Educate Yourself: It enables you to understand the condition so that you can help.
- Be Nonjudgmental: Do not start conversations with blame or finger-pointing, instead be understanding.
- Encourage Professional Help: It takes psychotherapy, medical attention, as well as nutritional advice to complete the healing process.
- Promote a Safe Environment: Avoid negativity and always keep the conversation positive.
When to look for help with Eating Disorders
If you find yourself or your loved one showing these behaviors, it is important to seek professional help. Treatment options may include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): For the treatment of cognitive distortions concerning eating and body image issues.
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): For self-soothing and learning how to deal with anxiety, stress, and difficult feelings.
- Nutritional Counseling: To regain a strong connection with food and adopt healthy eating patterns.
- Group Support: Social belonging and being able to share with other people knowing what they go through.
With the right support and a commitment to the recovery process, a healthier and more fulfilling life awaits those who seek help.
What Can Revelare Recovery Do For You?
Revelare Recovery provides a comprehensive range of services designed to address each individual’s unique needs. Members of our professional staff incorporate evidence-based therapeutic methods to assist patients in the process of recovery.
Seeking Help
People suffering from eating disorders may always need to be complimented on their looks as well as their weight. They can constantly share selfies on their social media, likely compete with others, and always look for compliments on their thinner bodies.
If one is experiencing symptoms of an eating disorder or a family member or friend, then it becomes important that he or she finds professional help as soon as possible. The behaviors linked with eating disorders involve more than just causing themselves harm; they are lethal. Here at Revelare Recovery, we are glad to offer the understanding, support, and scientific assistance that may be required to facilitate individuals toward rehabilitation.
Don’t wait to take action. For more information on the eating disorder treatment program, please call Revelare Recovery today in Atlanta Georgia. Don’t hesitate to contact us at (888)-341 0244 or arrange a visit and begin your new, improved life now at Revelare Recovery.
