Eating disorders are widely misunderstood. Many people think they’re caused by vanity, selfishness, or issues with self control, none of which could be further from the truth.
As a psychiatrist who works with eating disorder patients every day, I feel it’s important for everyone to know that eating disorders are serious and dangerous psychiatric illnesses. Yes, they include problems with food and disturbed eating behaviors, but the root of the issue is something much more complicated and, so far, difficult to treat successfully over the long term.
What’s an eating disorder?
Before I delve into the causes and consequences, let’s make sure we’re on the same page about the term “eating disorders.” The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Anorexia nervosa always involves weight loss, and both bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorders include eating large quantities of food quickly. Purging behaviors such as vomiting, compulsive exercise, and laxative dependence, as well as severe food restriction, can occur in both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
Of course, there are other eating disorders and many more symptoms associated with these disorders, but these are the most prevalent among the 30 million people in the United States who suffer from eating disorders.
Health consequences
These disorders are dangerous in many ways, but, put simply, every part of the human body requires a consistent supply of calories, nutrients, vitamins, and minerals to survive. The gastrointestinal tract, the reproductive system, the bones, and the heart are most commonly damaged as a consequence of an eating disorder— problems that can be deadly.
Is there any good news here? The answer is yes. Modern research is helping us understand these disorders better, and we are able to dive deeper into the more complicated etiology I mentioned earlier.