We see far too many cases of people struggling with an eating disorder. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, roughly nine percent of persons in the United States will be impacted by this condition at some point in their lives.
Although this is a significant problem, few people discuss eating problems openly. You could be confused and need reassurance, especially if you’ve been subjected to social pressure to keep your mental health issues a secret.
When faced with or hearing about an eating disorder, one of the first things people want to know is how it affects their mental health. This is a tricky inquiry, and it requires some background knowledge on the subject of eating disorders in order to be comprehended.
What is an eating disorder?
An eating disorder is a mental illness characterized by preoccupation with one’s weight, shape, and size. A person’s health and daily life can suffer from an obsession with these things.
The most prevalent forms of eating disorders are described in detail in the DSM-5, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating Disorder are the three most frequent forms of eating disorders. For more information on these topics, see the references provided below.
Anorexia is characterized by excessive dieting due to an abnormal preoccupation with weight and body image.
Bulimia is characterized by binge eating episodes followed by severe measures, including purging or excessive exercise, in an effort to avoid gaining weight.
Binge eating is defined as excessive food consumption in a short amount of time, which can lead to significant emotions of guilt and embarrassment. Frequent binge eating occurs at least once each week for at least three months.
Many different symptoms can be associated with an eating disorder, but they all have one thing in common: an unnatural and disordered preoccupation with eating and how one looks. In addition, you may have trouble controlling your weight, your moods, your exercise routine, your calorie tracking, any rituals you perform in connection with food, your weight fluctuating rapidly, and you may have trouble maintaining a steady core temperature. According to the Office on Women’s Health, females are more likely to suffer from an eating disorder than males.
Many persons who suffer from mental health eating disorders often deal with a lack of agency. If a person is able to recover control over their eating habits, they may feel less stressed.
There is no one factor that brings about eating problems. Many experts are of the opinion that its onset can be traced to a confluence of causes. These are the following:
Biological factors, such as a history of eating disorders running in one’s family, as well as changes in one’s own brain or levels of certain hormones. Watch out for members of your family so that you may assist them in overcoming the psychological reasons that are affecting their mental health, such as a lack of self-esteem or confidence or being a perfectionist.
Abusive relationships, challenges at school or job, and bullying are all examples of social factors.
What exactly are the effects of eating disorders on one’s mental health?
Mental health difficulties and eating disorders are intertwined. Eating disorders affect more than just one component of mental health; they are also diagnosable mental illnesses. Some of the more common ties between the two are listed below.
Warning signs
Eating disorders can have devastating repercussions on mental health and in extreme cases, even jeopardize physical health and life. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, eating disorders are more dangerous than other forms of mental illness and are second only to opioid overdose in terms of their potential for death. People with eating disorders are more likely to attempt suicide, and calorie restriction is a leading cause of death. Treating an eating disorder as soon as possible is crucial.
Impairment in regular activities
A person with an eating disorder might avoid social situations involving food, join many gyms so they won’t hear criticism about how much time they spend in the gym, steal food, stockpile food, take laxatives, or disguise their weight by dressing in layers. Disruption to daily life is a real possibility when these behaviors occur.
Eating disorders are not only characterized by strange actions but also by other potentially dangerous consequences. The National Eating Disorders Association lists dizziness, coldness, stomach cramps, and inability to concentrate as some of the symptoms that may interfere with daily life. Sleep, temperament, and even seizure activity are all impacted by eating disorders.
Repercussions on health in the long run
Other symptoms, such as teeth erosion, dry skin and hair, brittle nails, a coating of fine body hair, muscle weakness, and yellow skin, are more obviously caused by long-term disordered eating practices. According to research published in the Clinical Journal of Gastroenterology, patients who suffered from eating disorders had a significantly increased risk of developing a variety of digestive illnesses, including stomach rupture, irritable bowel syndrome, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Cardiology in Review reports that eating disorders are associated with an increased risk of arrhythmia, congestive heart failure, and sudden cardiac arrest.
Negative effects on health from an eating disorder are well-documented, as are the links between a person’s mental and physical well-being. Treatment for eating disorders is most successful when it takes into account both the patient’s physical and mental health.
More likely to get multiple diagnoses at once
Anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and substance abuse are all conditions that can occur simultaneously in a person with an eating problem. Research published in Psychosomatic Medicine found that nearly all patients receiving treatment for an eating disorder also had a diagnosis of a mental health disorder. The majority of patients (about 96%) suffered from depression or a similar mood disorder, and almost as many (56%) battled anxiety.
One would wonder if the mental health issue or the eating disorder developed earlier, given the strong association between the two. No simple solution exists for this problem. However, it’s important to remember that eating disorders sometimes have a genetic component and that the two factors clearly influence one another.
Conclusion
If you or someone you care about is struggling with an eating disorder, do not hesitate to seek professional assistance. Eating disorders are tremendously disruptive to day-to-day life, have awful short-term and long-term health implications, raise the risk of other mental diseases, and even have the potential to be lethal.
