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As someone who has personally walked through anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder, I know how overwhelming it can feel to search for trustworthy information and support. I created this page to serve as a simple, one-stop starting place for foundational education on eating disorders — clear, approachable, and rooted in both truth and compassion.​

Let's tackle ED recovery together!

ED Ed. 

Looking for more support? Explore our Mental Health Resource Page 

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What is an Eating Disorder?

A disturbance in eating or weight control behavior resulting in clinically significant impairment of physical health or psychological functioning, not secondary to another medical condition [1]

There are MANY types of eating disorders specified by the DSM-5 [or psychiatry's bible] :

Anorexia Nervosa

Bulimia Nervosa

Binge Eating Disorder

Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified 

Pica 

Rumination Disorder

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder 

Unspecified Feeding or Eating Disorder

Other: Muscle Dysmorphia, Orthorexia Nervosa Proposed Criteria 

Girl half in mirror in a Pacific Northwe

However, not all of these deal with disturbance in body image or alterations in weight. There are three main disorders that fall into this category, and one disorder that is a sort of "catch all:" 

1

Anorexia Nervosa

[AN]

An aversion to food leading to a pattern of caloric restriction, or the ridding of calories by purging; an intense fear of weight gain and severe body image disturbance is present.

Signs and Symptoms [2]:

  • Restricted diet 

  • Thinness

  • Brittle hair and nails

  • Growth of fine hair 

  • Low blood pressure

  • Constipation

  • Organ Damage

  • Amenorrhea [loss of menstruation]

  • Cold Sensitivity 

  • Bone Thinning

  • Compulsive Exercise

2

Bulimia Nervosa

[BN]

One eats vastly more calories than another might in the same discrete time period, and follows these binges with the use of compensatory behaviors i.e. vomiting, laxative use, or exercise; severe body image disturbance present.

Signs and Symptoms [2]:

  • Sore throat

  • Swollen salivary glands

  • Worn tooth enamel

  • Scars on knuckles

  • Acid reflux

  • Gastrointestinal problems

  • Dehydration

  • Electrolyte imbalance

3

Binge Eating Disorder

[BED]

One eats more calories than another might in the same discrete time period, but does not follow these binges with the use of compensatory behaviors.

Signs and Symptoms [2]:

  • Eating when full or not hungry

  • Eating very quickly

  • Eating until uncomfortable

  • Eating alone to avoid embarrassment

  • Guilty or ashamed of eating

  • Frequent dieting without weight loss

The "catch all" diagnosis is Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified [EDNOS] and is used to diagnose those people who display definite signs of disordered eating but do not meet all the specified criteria to be diagnosed with one of the above disorders. It is no less serious and may eventually morph into another form of disordered eating. 

* Please note eating disorders CANNOT be self - diagnosed. The only way to properly determine if you or a loved one has developed an eating disorder is to seek a thorough health examination from a qualified medical professional.

"The BIGGEST lie I ever believed was that a smaller me was a better me....

A smaller you is not a better you. It is a different you. And I can confirm, it will not make you happier."   - jessijeannn

Eating Disorder Risk Factors

[a risk factor is something that increases a persons likelihood of developing a disease]

Those factors pertaining to the body, such as [4]:

  • Genetics

  • Family History of Mental Illness

  • The Presence of Certain Medical Conditions

 

The Causes of Eating Disorders

***no, eating disorders are NOT about food or vanity***

If you think about an eating disorder in terms of a thistle, food disturbances and frustrations with body image are the prickly plant peaking through the dirt, however, there are emotions, desires, and thoughts at the heart of ED that lead to its development and are the root of the problem.

Also known as the eating disorder voice or EDV.

It is the inner voice, that berates, demeans, scolds, and belittles. The inner critic, but worse. While not everyone who experiences an eating disorder will describe an EDV, it is a commonly mentioned aspect, and is starting to gain some interest in scientific literature. Although the nature of the eating disorder voice [EDV] varies among testimonies, sometimes defined as multiple voices versus one, and differs in content by disorder, all agree it is hostile and has great influence over their view of self [6]. The origin of this great mystery is not agreed upon, however, it is generally known to be internally generated and acting in a manner that is incongruent with the mind and person it inhabits [6].

From the outside looking in, it may be obvious this "voice" is lying, but from the inside looking out the truth can get hazy due to the intense and repetitive nature of the lies. This can be related to the illusory truth effect - the idea that repeated information often becomes known as truth by the one listening. One patient describes the EDV and her attempts to escape this way, denoting the power of the eating disorder in one's life: “The voice claims me. I see therapists. These people challenge the voice, the thoughts. My intellect begins to understand the illusion. But, the moment I begin to sense the almighty damage I am doing to myself… the voice becomes angry. It warns me of a dangerous world and reassures me how much safer I am within its net” [5] 

In response science has turned to research on identity and positive reframing to help those suffering from the EDV change the inner critic and find meaning outside of the eating disorder.

The Eating Disorder Noise

Eating Disorder Facts [3]

In the US 28.8 million will suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their lives

The best known environmental influence on ED development is the sociocultural idealization of thinness

Many with ED's experience co-occurring conditions, the most common being mood disorders [i.e.  depression]

Eating disorders often develop in adolescence and early adulthood

Eating disorders are linked to some of the highest levels of medical and social disability of any psych disorder

By age 6 girls begin to express concern with their body image and weight, this often endures for life

Eating disorders have the 2nd highest mortality rate amongst mental health disorders

Up to 50% of individuals with ED's abused drugs or alcohol 

Nutrition 101

Food is scary for those with eating disorders. However, sometimes getting to know food and its purpose in our bodies can be helpful in overcoming our fear. Visit each box below to learn some nutrition basics as you begin your recovery journey!

Cheeseburger

CALORIE

a unit of energy equal to that needed to raise the temp of 1g of water by 1 degree celsius 

Image by Stephanie Harvey

CARBS

Your digestive system breaks carbohydrates down into glucose which is then used for energy for cells, tissues, and organs. 

Image by 青 晨

PROTEIN

This guy is in every living cell in your body. It is used to build and maintain muscle, bone, and skin. It also supplies all of the amino acids your body cannot make on its own.

Macro of oil bubbles in water with a flo

FATS

These are essential in providing energy, helping with vitamin absorption, and creating necessary cholesterol in the body.

Food was not intended to be divided into good and bad. God created our bodies to use food, in its various forms, to fulfill certain biological needs. Your hunger signals are the body's way of informing you that it requires energy, and food is that necessary energy source. It is society that has labeled food good and bad based on certain idealizations. We need to trust our maker, not His creation.

Want More?

There is TONS of research that can be found on google scholar or in the resource pages linked below. For now, watch this TEDx video which was played in my intensive outpatient program to provide some education on eating disorders for the parents. It contains information on the pathophysiology, eating disorder voice [one of the best demonstrations I have heard], and some wonderful tidbits of information in between!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEysOExcwrE

Sources

  1. Fairburn, C. G., & Harrison, P. J. (2003). Eating disorders. Lancet (London, England), 361(9355), 407–416. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(03)12378-1

  2. “Eating Disorders.” National Institute of Mental Health, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/eating-disorders. Accessed 24 July 2023.

  3. “Statistics & Research on Eating Disorders.” National Eating Disorders Association, 14 July 2021, www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/statistics-research-eating-disorders.

  4. “What Is an Eating Disorder: Types, Symptoms, Risks, and Causes.” Eating Disorder Hope, 25 Mar. 2023, www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/eating-disorder.

  5.  Ekern, Baxter. “My Abusive Eating Disorder.” Eating Disorder Hope, 18 Mar. 2023, www.eatingdisorderhope.com/blog/my-abusive-eating-disorder.

  6. Pugh, M. (2020). Understanding ‘Ed’: a theoretical and empirical review

  7. “Definitions of Health Terms: Nutrition.” MedlinePlus, medlineplus.gov/definitions/nutritiondefinitions.html. Accessed 25 July 2023.

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