• Anorexia nervosa
• Bulimia nervosa
• Binge eating disorder

Additional eating disorders/types of disordered eating include:

• Avoidant/resistant food intake disorder (ARFID)
• Atypical anorexia
• Diabulimia
• Other specified feeding and eating disorders (OSFED)
• Orthorexia

There is no single cause of eating disorders. Eating disorders can have multiple causes, including:

• Genetic causes
• Social and cultural causes
• Environmental causes
• Psychological causes
• Some research has tied vegan and vegetarian diets to eating disorders. Other research shows that more time on social media is directly connected to a noticeable increase in disordered eating.

Certain eating disorders, like ARFID, may be more common in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). People with ADHD may also be more likely to experience binge eating habits. People with diabetes may also be at increased risk for eating disorders.

No one is immune to eating disorders. Eating disorders affect people of every age, sex, gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic group.

If someone in your family has been diagnosed with an eating disorder, you may be more likely to develop symptoms of an eating disorder. However, parents should know that you are not to blame for your child’s eating disorder.

Certain genes may increase a person’s risk for developing an eating disorder. We often see eating disorder symptoms pop up across multiple generations within the same family.

Media Images

Every day, we are besieged with altered images on TV, in the movies, in magazines and on our mobile devices showcasing artificial and unrealistic beauty standards. Society and the media continue to push “thin” body types with low body fat as the norm or “ideal.”

Social Media

Young teenage brains lack the developmental and coping skills necessary to process these altered images in a healthy, neutral way. Perfectionistic and high-achieving individuals may be more at risk to succumbing to cultural messages claiming that “thin is best.”

Environmental Causes

Research studies have shown that one’s environment makes up about 20-50% of the “cause effect” of an eating disorder.

Environmental risk factors that may lead to eating disorders include:

• Having a trauma history
• Being a competitive athlete
• Being pressured to look or act a certain way
• Having high expectations for grades
• Life transitions and developmental changes
• Other challenging family dynamics
• Interestingly, how a child is parented or brought up has less of an effect than how that child internalised his or her life experiences.

How each person processes their own experiences has a powerful effect in determining their risk for developing an eating disorder.

We are all born with certain traits and tendencies. Having a certain temperament or having pre-existing mental health concerns can increase a person’s risk of developing an eating disorder.

Stressful life events like going to university, moving to a new country, or a major family change (divorce, death) may also increase the risk.

Additionally, these traits and co-occurring conditions are more commonly associated with people with eating disorders:

• Anxiety
• OCD
• ADHD
• Perfectionism
• Highly reactive to stress
• High sensitivity
• Low distress tolerance

Going on a diet can be a risk factor for developing an eating disorder, particularly if an individual’s brain is affected by long periods of fasting or malnutrition. A starving brain works differently than a brain that is properly fed. Brain changes that follow severe dieting can include:

• Cognitive changes (thinking differently)
• Psychological changes (processing information differently)
• Emotional changes (feeling differently)

Thankfully, the brain can recover from eating disorders. But the longer the eating disorder continues, the more serious the brain changes can be. This is why eating disorder treatment with an experienced professional is so critical and should be started as soon as an eating disorder is suspected.

Since each individual experiences an eating disorder differently, eating disorder symptoms vary from person to person. Symptoms also vary depending on the type of eating disorder. Some eating disorder symptoms are noticeable, like lanugo hair growth or scalp hair loss with anorexia, and cheek swelling or tooth damage from bulimia.

Eating disorders are inherently secretive mental illnesses. This can make the detection of symptoms quite difficult.

Physical Symptoms

You cannot always tell if someone has an eating disorder just by looking at them. However, there are some physical symptoms of eating disorders that you can watch for, including:

• Compulsive or excessive exercise
• Dramatic or rapid weight loss
• Loss of menses
• Frequent stomach cramps or stomach pain or bloating
• Food wrappers in odd places or food disappearing from the house (related to binge eating)
• Visiting the bathroom immediately after each meal (related to purging)
• Calluses on the back of the hands and knuckles, known as Russell’s sign (caused by purging/self-induced vomiting)

Emotional Symptoms

Eating disorders typically involve extreme emotions and attitudes about food and weight. People with eating disorders tend to suffer from distressing mental health symptoms including anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and substance abuse.

The following emotional warning signs can indicate the presence of an eating disorder:

• Plummeting grades or refusing to go to school
• Behaviour changes (acting differently)
• Isolation and withdrawing from others
• Being less interested in daily activities
• An increase in mood swings, irritability or high anxiety
• Low self-esteem
• Emotional numbness or lack of emotion

Anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder are some of the most common, well-known eating disorders. These eating disorders are also extremely challenging and can impact one’s mental and physical health in drastic ways. We review symptoms of these eating disorders below.

Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is a potentially life-threatening illness characterised by the following eating disorder symptoms and signs:

• An abnormally low body weight
• An intense fear of gaining weight
• A distorted perception of weight or shape

People with anorexia use extreme measures to control their weight, such as:

• Over-exercising
• Laxative or diet aid abuse
• Excessively restricting calories

These patients will present abnormal medical and lab test results that show signs and symptoms of malnourishment, leading to dry skin, hair loss, lanugo and more. Some with ‘survival genes’ will come out with normal labs despite the above.

Individuals with anorexia come in all shapes and sizes. People with anorexia in larger bodies may be diagnosed with atypical anorexia.

Symptoms of Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterised by bingeing on large portions of food and then purging, excessively exercising, or using diet pills or laxatives. People with bulimia don’t always show outward physical signs of an eating disorder; they may have a smaller build or live in a larger body.

Many people with bulimia restrict their eating, which can lead to more binge eating and purging, Someone in the grips of bulimia may head to the bathroom immediately after a meal. This could be a red flag. Other bulimia symptoms that often stem from self-induced vomiting include:

• Cheek and face swelling (sometimes called “chipmunk cheeks”)
• Mouth/tooth damage
• Calluses on the knuckles (Russell’s sign; sometimes called “bulimia knuckles”)
• Learn more about the warning signs of bulimia.

Symptoms of BED

People with binge eating disorder (BED) regularly eat too much food (binge) and feel a lack of control over their eating. Typically, they eat quickly or eat more food than intended, even when not hungry, or they may continue eating even long after they’re uncomfortably full.

People who binge eat frequently may feel guilty, disgusted or ashamed by their behaviour and the amount of food eaten. Many times, they overeat in private or struggle with binge eating at night. New bouts of bingeing usually occur at least once a week. Sufferers can be normal weight, overweight or obese.

Eating disorders are serious illnesses accompanied by life-threatening physical and mental health complications. The side effects of eating disorders can damage nearly every organ and system in the body, leading to an increased mortality rate. Thankfully, many eating disorder complications are reversible, but it is vital to seek treatment as soon as possible.

Long-Term Effects of Eating Disorders

For children, adolescents and young adults, the long-term effects of eating disorders can be very serious or even fatal, and include:

• Malnutrition or developmental delays
• Serious organ damage
• Joint issues or muscle weakness
• Constipation or irregular bowel movements
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Dehydration
• Infertility
• Death

Tragically, a person dies every 52 minutes from an eating disorder in the U.S. [1]

Sources

[1] Deloitte Access Economics. The Social and Economic Cost of Eating Disorders in the United States of America: A Report for the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders and the Academy for Eating Disorders. June 2020.

An eating disorder may start out as an attempt to lose weight. As the eating disorder behaviours continue, people with eating disorders may notice their mental health symptoms worsening. Mental health concerns affecting people with eating disorders include:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Self-harm behaviours (cutting)
• Suicidal ideation
• Substance abuse
• Perfectionism

Eating disorders can cause both long- and short-term consequences, depending on the type of eating disorder, how frequent the eating disorder behaviours occur, and the length of time that a person has been living with the eating disorder.

Consequences of Anorexia

People with anorexia often turn to extreme measures to lose weight. These weight loss behaviours can cause significant health problems, including:

• Hair thinning or hair loss
• Fine hair growth on the body (lanugo)
• Gastrointestinal issues (nausea, stomach pain, bloating)
• Bradycardia
• Bone health issues including osteopenia, fractures and osteoporosis
• Anaemia
• Cold intolerance
• Extreme exhaustion

Additionally, people with anorexia are at an increased risk of dying due to the risks of these serious medical complications and from high rates of suicidality.

Consequences of Bulimia

Bulimia symptoms of bingeing (eating a large quantity of food in a short time, followed by feelings of distress) and purging (self-induced vomiting, abusing laxatives, etc.) can lead to a host of medical complications, including:

• Dental issues
• Cheek and face swelling (sometimes called “chipmunk cheeks”)
• Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD)
• Oesophageal irritation, erosions, ulcers, bleeding and rupture
• Pain with swallowing or trouble swallowing
• Coughing or frequent sore throats
• Cardiac issues
• Fertility problems

Consequences of Binge Eating Disorder

Binge eating disorder, which involves frequent episodes of overeating marked by distress and lack of control, is associated with a number of serious medical complications, including:

• Weight gain
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Heart disease
• Type II diabetes mellitus
• Feelings of embarrassment, guilt or shame
• Worsening anxiety and depression

In eating disorder treatment, we address all existing physical and mental health concerns using supportive, evidence-based therapeutic interventions that treat the whole person — body, mind and spirit.

What to Expect in Eating Disorder Treatment

Eating disorders are complex illnesses. Working with a multidisciplinary team offers the best outcomes for eating disorder recovery.

• Medical doctors (Psychiatrists and GPs)
• Eating Disorder Specialist & Doctorate Clinical Psychologists
• Registered Dietitians

The team works collaboratively to ensure optimal support in recovery.

Nutritional Rehabilitation for Eating Disorders

A nutrition program is an essential component of eating disorder treatment. Individuals that have been restricting foods, bingeing or purging are prescribed a personalised nutritional program based on their symptoms, their health status and how long the eating disorder has been present. The goal is to help each individual:

• Develop a healthy relationship with food
• Eat a variety of foods in a balanced way
• Enjoy food in moderation

Care must prioritise evidence-based and compassion-driven therapies tailored to the specific challenges of eating disorders. Patients should be treated with warmth, compassion, and respect for their unique experiences.

Therapy is another very important part of eating disorder treatment. Licensed and experienced clinicians provide a number of evidence-based therapies shown to be effective and beneficial, based on clinical research studies and observations.

Therapeutic work is centred around challenging and addressing unhealthy thought patterns and behaviours and learning new skills to replace them.

This work should incorporate an ED specialist with doctorate training, medical doctors, and a registered dietitians Trauma, anxiety, stress, depression, suicidality, body image concerns (body dysmorphia) and other types of distress can all be addressed.

Therapy for eating disorders is tailored by a licensed specialist, considering the disorder’s severity, any co-occurring conditions, the patient’s age, and the availability of emotional support from family:

1. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
2. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
3. Psychodynamic Therapy (Depth)
4. Family Based Therapy (FBT)
5. Exposure Therapy
6. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

In eating disorder treatment, medications may be prescribed to address physical health concerns and complications related to the eating disorder. Medications may also be prescribed to address mental health symptoms and internal distress, including symptoms of anxiety, depression or suicidality.

In treatment, psychiatrists and other medical professionals should meet with patients regularly to monitor medication effectiveness and potential side effects.

We work with adolescents, teens, and young adults and adults with:

• Anorexia nervosa
• Bulimia nervosa
• Binge eating disorder
• OSFED
• Avoidant/resistant food intake disorder (ARFID)
• Atypical anorexia
• Diabulimia
• Disordered eating & Exercise Compulsion
• Food Fears & Phobias
• Orthorexia & Bigorexia

Eating disorders can be stigmatising and isolating, yet they are highly treatable with early intervention from licensed specialists. With the right support, recovery is possible, allowing you to embrace your true self. Enquire with us confidentially.