When you think about Eating Disorders who do you think is most commonly perceived to be affected? Many individuals would think of a white female with a slim body. This is one of many misconceptions about who becomes affected by Eating Disorders. Yes, if an individual has Anorexia Nervosa they can be excessively slim. However, anyone no matter the gender, or race can be affected by any type of eating disorder. There are many types of eating disorders that can be detrimental to individuals lives. The top five eating disorders located in the DSM 5 are Anorexia Nervosa (AN), Bulimia Nervosa (BN), Binge Eating Disorder (BED), Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), and Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED). Anorexia Nervosa individuals have excessive weight loss due to self-starvation. Bulimia Nervosa has the qualities of binge eating but with purging after, which means they vomit any intake of food. Binge Eating disorder is when an individual continuously binge eats without purging. Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder is characterized by a lack of interest in food with the fear of negative consequences, thus they are selective with food intake. All the other disorders are on a spectrum and do not have all the symptoms of these four eating disorders. However, they are just as important to understand and have maladaptive qualities.
Many believe that having an Eating disorder is a choice, but it is biologically and environmentally provoked in individuals. They do not get up one morning and decide that they will engage in unhealthy behaviors. Like many disorders, it is a process and in a certain environment, they can become cognitively affected. Genetics can make them more prone to becoming affected but it is not the sole reason. We may not be a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist but we can still be on the lookout for our families and friends. Some behaviors we should notice are changes in personality or behavior such as withdrawal from the social events, obsession over appearance, constantly checking in the mirror for changes in weight. If they act differently with food that is a major sign such as leaving to the bathroom after every meal, hiding food, barely eating or chewing very slowly. Remember that full recovery from an eating disorder is possible. It is especially important if there is early detection and intervention. This is the first step to learning about Eating disorders in order to help our loved one. If you are interested in learning a little more about Eating disorders and what you can do to help go to this website: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-involved/nedawareness/resources
By: Natalie Cruz