Event | Eating Disorder Awareness Talk

Eating disorders have become more prevalent worldwide. They are health conditions that affect both one’s physical and mental health. These disorders involve issues related to one’s thoughts towards food, views about their weight and body, and their eating behaviors. The various symptoms of each eating disorder significantly impact one’s overall health, emotional regulation, and ability to function in important areas of life. Without close clinical attention and care, eating disorders can become more complex, life threatening, and challenging to treat.
There are three commonly diagnosed Eating Disorders including:
° Anorexia Nervosa
° Bulimia Nervosa
° Binge Eating Disorder
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa is the most lethal of all mental disorders, as it is a disorder of self-starvation in pursuit of thinness. Individuals with such a disorder have intense fear of gaining weight, or manifest persistent behavior that prevents weight gain, even though they are at an alarmingly low weight. Over time, what begins as a refusal to eat becomes an inability to eat, which puts anorexic patients in great danger. 

Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa is a more widely prevalent eating disorder, and it entails recurrent binges, that is, the rapid consumption of large quantities of food in a very brief period. Usually carried out secretly, these binges feel out of control. Following the binge, comes the purge, which is an attempt to prevent weight gain. The purge may involve self-induced vomiting, and may also involve misuse of laxatives, diuretics, fasting, or excessive exercise. 

Binge Eating Disorder
In a third eating disorder, binge eating disorder, binges take place without efforts to purge or to compensate for the excessive food intake, and this often leads to feeling out of control, weight gain, and a more negative body image. 

All these three eating disorders tend to begin during adolescence or young adulthood and could be triggered by stressful life events. Despite the severity of these disorders, the good news is, recovery is feasible through proper treatment. The treatment of eating disorders often involves a full assessment and clinical interview that may take multiple sessions, and requires collaborations among primary physician, psychiatrist, counselor, and nutritionist.

If you know someone that suffers from eating disorders, try to show your support with a stance of acceptance and care, and also have a resource in mind. If they are still not in a place to make changes, try to respect their autonomy and be willing to accept a rejection of your help. At UFH, we have fully equipped professionals to help patients start the journey of recovery from all forms of eating disorders. Please consider making an appointment with us and let the healing begin.