Eating Disorders | Symptoms, Effects and Treatment

There are several different types of eating disorders but the most common include:

• Anorexia Nervosa: A condition where people severely restrict their food intake and obsessively monitor their body shape.
• Bulimia Nervosa: Characterised by “purging” after eating to prevent weight gain either by vomiting or using laxatives or diuretics.
• Binge Eating Disorder: Also known as Compulsive Eating Disorder, BED involves eating large amounts of food in a short period of time, with no control over the amount consumed or sense of being full. Bingeing often happens in secret and can lead to feelings of shame and guilt afterwards.

It is important to understand that these eating disorders are not mutually exclusive and many people suffer from more than one. For example, someone suffering from BED may also have Bulimia Nervosa and purge after eating.

Eating disorders can quickly get out of control and can cause serious health issues so it is crucial to identify them as soon as possible. This isn’t always easy as many people with eating disorders become highly adept at hiding their condition from those around them and often convince themselves that there is no problem.

If you are worried that you may have an eating disorder, ask yourself these questions which can indicate common signs and symptoms:

• Do I often eat large amounts of food in a short period of time?
• Do I frequently make myself sick after eating or take laxatives?
• Do I feel ashamed or guilty when I overeat?
• Do I constantly worry about my weight and body shape even though people tell me I’m healthy?
• Do I restrict my calorie intake to an unhealthy level?
• Do I feel like food controls my life and makes me anxious?
• Do I feel anxious about eating in front of other people?
• Do I exercise obsessively because I think I need to burn off the calories?

While the symptoms of different eating disorders vary, if you answered yes to any of these questions, it might be a sign that you have an eating disorder and should seek help immediately.

Effective treatment for eating disorders requires a multidisciplinary approach and may include psychotherapy, nutritional counselling, medication and support in developing healthy coping strategies. It is also essential to create a supportive environment where the sufferer can feel safe and accepted. This usually comes in two stages: eating disorder rehab and aftercare.

Eating disorder rehab

The aim of eating disorder rehab is to identify and understand the underlying cause of the condition and develop the skills and strategies needed to manage it. Professional help is usually best provided in a specialist residential setting. Here, sufferers have the opportunity to interact with other people in a similar position and gain insight into their condition from experienced staff who are available 24/7.

Our sister centre, Banbury Lodge, provides inpatient eating disorder rehab programmes for the three main types of eating disorders as well as various OSFEDs (other specified feeding or eating disorders). These programmes involve:

• Individual counselling
• Group therapy
• CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)
• DBT (Dialectic Behavioural Therapy)
• Mindfulness
• Family support therapy
• Nutritional counselling
• Yoga
• Art Therapy

Aftercare

After you leave eating disorder rehab, it is important to stay connected with the people, resources and practices that have helped you on your recovery journey. Our aftercare involves free weekly group therapy sessions which will help support you through any future challenges.

It can be difficult to know for sure how many people are living with an eating disorder because many people are not aware that they may have a problem or are too embarrassed to seek help. Estimates suggest that there are around 1.25 million people in the UK with an eating disorder, and while most are young women and adolescent girls, there are also sufferers among boys and men (particularly with BED).

Worryingly, there has been a significant increase in the number of young people seeking treatment for eating disorders in the past few years. The Covid-19 Pandemic is thought to be a major factor behind this rise in numbers as people were left anxious and isolated during lockdown and didn’t have access to mental health support and treatment. In fact, between April and December 2021, 10,000 children and young people began treatment for an eating disorder. This shows the importance of understanding the condition and knowing where to get help.