An eating disorder is a mental health condition that can affect both men and women and can cause negative attitudes and behaviors towards eating and food. The pressures of modern society can lead to individuals feeling insecure about their appearance and developing a distorted view of their body shape and size. If you find yourself constantly thinking about your weight and engaging in unhealthy behaviors such as over-exercising, restricting food intake, obsessively counting calories, or purging to control your weight, you may be experiencing an eating disorder.
There are different types of eating disorders, but the most common are:
- Anorexia nervosa – characterized by excessively restricting food intake and/or exercising too much in order to keep weight as low as possible
- Bulimia – characterized by periods of binge eating followed by vomiting, laxative abuse, or excessive exercise
- Binge eating disorder – characterized by eating large amounts of food in a short period of time and feeling a lack of control over eating behavior
Some individuals may be diagnosed with an eating disorder that does not fit into one of these categories, referred to as Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS).
While there are specific symptoms for each type of eating disorder, common symptoms include:
- Negative body image
- Obsessive weighing
- Fear of gaining weight
- Restricting food intake
- Compulsive exercise
- Dissatisfaction with body parts
- Striving for perfection
- Vomiting behaviors
- Overeating
These attitudes and behaviors can be damaging to both mental and physical health, and it is important to seek help if you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of an eating disorder. Treatment for eating disorders may require a multi-disciplinary approach, but counselling can greatly improve quality of life.
Which therapies can help?
- Cognitive-behavioral counselling
- Dialectical behavior counselling
- Cognitive analytic counselling
Our team at Hypoworry Online Counselling is highly trained and experienced in providing effective treatment for individuals with eating disorders
