A Guide to Eating Disorders for National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
For National Eating Disorders听Awareness Week, which falls February 25 through March 3 this year, 五月天视频 wants to help raise awareness for eating disorders, common mental health disorders that impact how people view and eat food.听
鈥淓ating disorders impact all people, regardless of race, age, sex, and gender, and they impact people of all shapes and sizes,鈥 says Suzanne Straebler, Ph.D., PMH-BC, psychiatric nurse practitioner, certified cognitive behavior therapist, director of clinical care for the Eating Disorder Partial Hospital Program and Outpatient Eating Disorder Specialty Clinic at 五月天视频 and NewYork-Presbyterian. 鈥淓ating disorders are treatable, and when someone receives well-implemented, evidence-based treatment, the chances of making a full recovery are quite good.鈥听
Types of Eating Disorders听
There are many types of eating disorders, and they all affect people differently. It鈥檚 always important to be seen by a specialist who can diagnose and begin accurate treatment, rather than guessing about it all which can lead to additional health issues.听
鈥淲e see anorexia, bulimia, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), and people who don鈥檛 completely fit into a category,鈥 says Melissa Klein, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and assistant professor of Clinical Psychology in Psychiatry at 五月天视频, and assistant attending psychologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Division. 鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing younger and younger patients, including several 11-year-olds. We鈥檝e also had people as old as 80 on the unit in the last year, so we see it spreading out more, as well as more socioeconomic classes and ethnicities.鈥听
Some eating disorders we often see include:听
- Anorexia nervosa鈥擳his eating disorder is characterized by avoiding food or severely restricting food. Anorexia nervosa is dangerous and can lead to extreme weight loss. People with anorexia nervosa often believe they are overweight or have a fear of gaining weight.听
- Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)鈥擯eople with ARFID are extremely selective with the amount or type of food they eat. This is different from anorexia nervosa because people with ARFID aren鈥檛 afraid of gaining weight. According to the , ARFID is most common in childhood and can cause a child to not eat enough to develop properly.听
- Binge-eating disorder鈥擳his disorder is characterized by eating large amounts of food over a short period of time. It is unlike bulimia nervosa because people with binge-eating disorder do not take measures to over compensate for the food they eat. People with binge-eating disorder are often overweight or obese.听
- Bulimia nervosa鈥擶ith bulimia nervosa, people often eat large amounts of food (binging) followed by extreme methods of getting rid of the food they ate, including making themselves throw up, taking laxatives and diuretics, or over exercising.听
Risk Factors for Eating Disorders听听
Eating disorders can occur in anyone, regardless of age, gender, race or socioeconomic status. However, according to the , women and girls are more likely to be diagnosed with an eating disorder.听
Some sports that place an emphasis on the physical body, such as running, rowing, wrestling or ballet can also increase the risk of eating disorders. If someone feels pressure about the way they look and places too much emphasis on their body shape or weight, it can lead to an increased likelihood of starting to develop some unhealthy eating habits.听听
People with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) may also be more at risk for anorexia nervosa, and people with a history of dieting can correlate to eating disorders.听
Signs and Symptoms of Eating Disorders听
The signs and symptoms vary, depending on the particular eating disorder someone may have. Some general eating disorder signs to watch out for include:听
- Avoiding food听
- Being highly distressed after eating听
- Changes in mood听
- Changes in weight, either losing or gaining听
- Eating large quantities of food听
- Eating rapidly听
- Excessive exercise听
- Extreme fear of gaining weight听
- Not showing up for dinner, particularly for children and teens听
- Not wanting to go out with friends or family to eat听
- Preoccupation with food and cooking听
- Restricting food or certain types of food听
- Skipping meals and snacks听
- Sneaking food听
- Spending a lot of time looking up diet trends and calorie counters听
- Increased isolation and social withdrawal听
- Increased talk about their weight, shape or dieting听
- Visiting the bathroom a lot after eating听
How to Help Someone With an Eating Disorder听
If you think someone you know has an eating disorder, Drs. Straebler and Klein recommend having an open, non-judgmental, curious conversation, depending on your relationship with that person. Some examples include asking questions like, 鈥淚 notice you asked us to buy you a scale, I鈥檓 curious, what was your reasoning behind that?鈥 or 鈥淵ou haven鈥檛 been eating the yogurt snacks you asked me to buy. Why is that?鈥听
It's important the person you鈥檙e concerned about doesn鈥檛 feel judged. Remember, eating disorders are mental health disorders. The person can鈥檛 just snap out of it, and it isn鈥檛 their fault.听
Many people start diets here and there, and it鈥檚 not always an indication of an eating disorder. However, if you do have a concern, the first place you should go to is the pediatrician, adolescent medicine or primary care provider to have a conversation. The primary care provider can offer guidance. The sooner you seek help for your loved one, the sooner they can start treatment.听
Eating Disorder Treatment Options at 五月天视频听
五月天视频 offers evidence-based treatments for all eating disorders. We have different levels of treatment, including outpatient treatment, partial programs, intensive outpatient programs, inpatient care for acute cases and residential treatment centers.听
We offer individual, group and family therapy and nutrition counseling. In our outpatient clinic, we often start with talk therapy or psychotherapy before moving on to other treatments. For children and teens, this often involves family-based therapy, and for adults, we often offer cognitive behavior therapy.听听
We also have the only inpatient treatment center for eating disorders in the state of New York, which allows us to increase accessibility and intensive treatment for those who need it.听
A specialist can help you or a loved one diagnose and treat an eating disorder. Find one today.听