Disordered Eating or Eating Disorder?

Disordered eating and eating disorders – these are very similar, but ultimately different things. Despite impacting a vast number of people, both are surrounded by lots of confusion, stigma and a general lack of understanding. So I want to help bring a little more light and understanding to them here.

You can think of disordered eating and eating disorders as occurring on a spectrum, with disordered eating tendencies at one end, and eating disorders at the other. Every person’s experience is completely unique and there are very nuanced, and it’s common to move up and down this spectrum depending on the severity and frequency of these thoughts and behaviours.

Disordered eating includes many of the thoughts and behaviours that’re seen in eating disorders. As we’ve just covered, the main difference is the severity and frequency of these thoughts and behaviours. Disordered eating is very subjective and personal, and it’s hard to estimate how many people suffer from it. It is, however, the most common indicator of the development of an eating disorder. Some common signs of disordered eating include:

• Dieting (dieting is the biggest behavioural risk factor for developing an eating disorder - females who diet are 5 times more likely to develop an eating disorder, and those who diet severely are 18 times more likely)

• Restrictive eating – e.g. skipping meals, fasting

• Calorie counting

• Cutting out foods or food groups

• Preoccupation with the ‘healthiness’ of foods

• Avoiding social situations where food is involved

• Binge eating or compulsive eating

• Using diet pills, laxatives, diuretics, or steroids

• Body image issues 

• Self worth based on body shape, size or weight

 
So, what about eating disorders? They’re a severe form of mental illness, and in fact have the highest mortality rate and lowest recovery rate of all mental illnesses. It’s estimated that over a million Australian’s currently have an eating disorder this number is increasing, it doesn’t include a vast number of undiagnosed cases, and less than a quarter are receiving support or treatment. Eating disorders extend far beyond anorexia and bulimia, although these are two of the key types of eating disorders. Others include binge eating disorder, orthorexia, pica, ARFID (avoidant / restrictive feeding and eating disorder) and OSFED (other specified feeding or eating disorder).

Sadly, there are so many misconceptions and myths about disordered eating and eating disorders which just aren’t true. Just some of them are:

• They’re all about looks and people who suffer from them are superficial

• They’re not serious, it’s easy to get better and all you have to do to get better is eat ‘normally’

• You only have an issue with food if you have anorexia or bulimia

• You have to be ‘skinny’ to be impacted

Both disordered eating and eating disorders impact people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, sizes and shapes. The causes are complex and involve multiple factors, including genetic susceptibility, psychological factors, social and cultural influences, past trauma, and more. Both are serious issues with many negative impacts, including social isolation, increased anxiety, depression or other mental health concerns, and physiological impacts like digestive issues and disrupted menstrual cycles. 

There are, however, so many sources for support, guidance and further information. The Butterfly Foundation has a free helpline and lots of resources on their website. Eating Disorders Victoria and The National Eating Disorders Collaboration also have great resources. And most importantly, please always reach out to me xx