Find yourself or anyone around you stress eating? Can’t gulp down a morsel in a social situation? With the amount of pressure that’s been put on body-image, diet and eating fads, there are more and more people suffering from eating disorders every year. Unfortunately, there is not only a lack of awareness but also a lack of how to manage these disorders.
What are eating disorders?
Eating disorders are a group of psychological conditions that result or trigger in poor eating behaviours and patterns in people. “It can be caused from a traumatic event or can root from major hormonal change like post-partum or also be a symptom or part of other psychological disorders like obsessive, compulsive disorder, ADHD, separation anxiety, survivors’ guilt and even incidents like bullying and cyber shaming,” says Manun Thakur, MD, Veda Rehab & Wellness.
Thakur notes down the six types of eating disorders, that are as follows:
- Anorexia Nervosa – Stemming from a frenzy like obsession to check what you eat and being fearful of an unwarranted obese body image
- Bulimia Nervosa – A pattern of falling into excessive binge eating usually triggered by personal factors then going to excessive lengths to shed that weight. This can also throw off your gut and bodily functions and be life threatening.
- Binge-eating disorder – Overindulging frequently that may or may not stem from an incident, most probably as a coping mechanism or treating yourself mind-set.
- Pica – Fidget response or a means with no possible cause. It involves Craving and chewing substances that have no nutritional value, such as ice, clay, soil or paper
- Rumination Disorder-A condition where a person spits up food from the stomach, re-chews it and either swallows it again or spits it out. It tends to occur within 30 minutes of every meal.
- Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder – Restricting certain types of food or intake of food that causes nutritional loss or pain
How to check for eating disorders
Pay close attention to drastic weight change, triggers that make you fall into patterns of extreme eating or dieting, constant preoccupation with food, dieting or body image or any symptoms mentioned above.
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Winning over food disorders
Acceptance – Once you identify your symptoms, know that you are not alone. Confide in someone and don’t be afraid to reach out.
Practice Compassion and Kindness with oneself- The feelings of inferiority and low confidence must be confronted with kindness and compassion towards one’s body and mind.
Seek Professional help: “Individuals who suffer from eating disorders may also experience Anxiety and Depression. Hence, seeking professional help from the best psychologists and the best psychiatrists is extremely crucial to not only help navigate but also considerably help you live a life with confidence, secure body image and healthy mind and body,” opines Thakur.
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