Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses that can affect people of any age, gender, background or body size. They are often misunderstood and can present in many different ways, meaning experiences do not always fit neatly into one specific category or diagnosis.
Many people are familiar with anorexia, but there are several different types of eating disorders, including bulimia, binge eating disorder and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). Some people may also experience a combination of symptoms or may not meet every criteria for a specific diagnosis. In these situations, they may be described as having an Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED). This does not make their experiences any less valid or serious, and support is still important.
At SYEDA, we understand that every person’s relationship with food, eating and body image is unique. While we are not a diagnostic service and do not provide formal medical diagnoses, understanding the different types of eating disorders can help people identify the most appropriate support and services for their needs.
During assessments and support sessions, we focus on understanding your current experiences, eating patterns and challenges in a compassionate and non-judgemental way, helping us explore the support that may be most beneficial for you.
SYEDA do not formally diagnose eating disorders, and you do not need to have a formal diagnosis to access our support.
Binge Eating Disorder is characterised by periods of uncontrolled, impulsive or continuous eating that pushes you beyond the point of feeling uncomfortably full. Like Bulimia, binges are likely to result from a desire to ’swallow down’ unwanted emotions or to satisfy a need that cannot be met by food alone. Unlike Bulimia, if you are suffering from Binge Eating Disorder you will not purge after a binge although periods of binge eating may be interrupted by sporadic fasts or dieting.
Uncontrolled, impulsive or continuous eating until you are uncomfortably full.
Eating when you are not hungry.
Eating rapidly.
Periodically fasting or dieting.
Being secretive about what and how much you are eating, eating alone.
Hoarding food.
Eating irregularly.
Out of control and anxious around food.
Distracted by thoughts of food and eating.
Feelings of guilt and shame, especially after binging.
Feelings of helplessness and isolation.
Reduced self-esteem and confidence.
Self conscious when eating with others.
Increase in weight.
Poor skin condition.
Reduced energy and feeling of lethargy.
Problems with blood pressure, heart disease and lack of fitness.
A binge may be used initially to help you to deal with difficult emotions such as loneliness or anxiety or to ease tension caused by pressure or stress. It may help for a short while, but as you begin to feel full you are likely to experience feelings of guilt or shame. These feelings will add to the anxiety and distress that caused the binge pushing you into a vicious cycle. Discussing your concerns and behaviour with a loved one or professional may be hard at first but it will help you to untangle and escape this cycle.
Many people with Binge Eating Disorder will become over weight or obese. This can lead to problems with blood pressure and can cause heart disease and diabetes. In the majority of cases, the physical symptoms of binge eating disorder can be reduced or reversed once you are eating a healthy, balanced diet and taking regular exercise.
Admitting that you have a problem and seeking help can be frightening. You may feel ashamed and confused by your behaviour. Sufferers who have broken through these barriers often report feeling of relief to have everything out in the open. Dealing with Binge Eating Disorder on your own is far more terrifying than dealing with it with the support and help of loved ones and professionals.
Talking about your behaviour and the emotions related to it will help you to unravel and break the cycle of binge eating and emotional turmoil. The urge to binge will not disappear straight away; you will have good days and bad days. But every time you resist the urge you will learn a little bit more about yourself and the ways in which you might cope with life without your eating disorder.
Some suffers of Binge Eating Disorder have reported feeling more exposed and anxious as they lose weight and the emotional protection that the eating disorder provided. You may find that your mood is more erratic without the option of binging to help you to control your emotions. These feelings will pass over time as you develop your self-esteem and confidence and discover alternative ways of dealing with stressful situations and difficult emotions.
With regular and balanced meals you will see a decline in the physical symptoms of binge eating disorder such as poor skin and feelings of lethargy. It will take your body a while to get used to eating regularly and you may find that weight fluctuates until your metabolism settles and your body learns to expect food in certain quantities at certain times.
It can be difficult to know how much to eat and when to eat at first. A professional eating disorders specialist, dietician or you GP can help you with this. Once you have an outline diet, try to stick to it and be patient in waiting for your weight to settle and the physical symptoms of binge eating disorder to subside.
Bulimia (or bulimia nervosa) can affect anyone of any age, gender, or background. People with bulimia are caught in a cycle of eating large amounts of food (called binging), and then trying to compensate for that overeating by vomiting, taking laxatives or diuretics (water tablets), fasting, or exercising excessively (called purging). It is not uncommon for people to have symptoms which do not neatly fit with any one condition, and people with bulimia may also restrict what they eat. Bulimic cycles and the emotions linked to them vary from person to person. You may experience bulimic episodes monthly, weekly or several times a day. You may feel that it is not having a big effect on your life or you may be worried how often it is happening and be desperate to stop them. However you feel, bulimia is likely to be having a negative effect on your emotional and physical wellbeing.
How you might behave
What you might feel
How you might be affected physically
Effects on your mood
A binge may be used initially to help you to deal with difficult emotions such as loneliness or anxiety or to ease tension caused by pressure or stress. It may help for a short while, but as you begin to feel full you are likely to experience feelings of guilt or shame. It is likely to be these feelings that lead to an uncontrollable urge to get rid of the food you have consumed by vomiting or using laxatives or to compensate by restricting your food intake or exercising. The action of compensating for the food consumed during a binge may bring you temporary relief but this is unlikely to last. Before long, the feelings that caused the binge in the first place will return and cycle will start again.
Bulimic cycles and the emotions associated with them will vary from person to person. You may suffer from bulimic episodes monthly, weekly or several times a day. You may feel that it is not having a great affect on your life or you may feel fearful of your bulimic cycles and be desperate to stop them. However you feel, bulimia is likely to be having a negative affect on your emotional wellbeing. Discussing you concerns and behaviour with a loved one or professional may be hard at first but it will help you to untangle and escape the cycle.
Bulimia can lead to an imbalance or low level of essential minerals that will have a significant affect on the working of vital organs. Repeated vomiting is likely to cause tooth decay and may lead to pain when swallowing, the drying up of salivary glands and rapture of the stomach. Excessive laxative use can cause serious and long-term bowel problems. In the majority of cases, the physical affects of bulimia can be reduced or reversed once the body is receiving the vitamins and minerals it needs regularly and in moderation.
Admitting that you have a problem and seeking help can be frightening. You may feel ashamed and confused by your behaviour. Sufferers who have broken through these barriers often report feelings of relief to have everything out in the open. Dealing with Bulimia on your own is far more terrifying than dealing with it with the support and help of loved ones and professionals.
Talking about your behaviour and the emotions related to it will help you to unravel and break the bulimic cycle. The urge to binge and purge will not disappear straight away; you will have good days and bad days. But every time you resist the urge you will learn a little bit more about yourself and the ways in which you might cope with life without bulimia.
With regular and balanced meals you will see a decline in the physical symptoms of bulimia such as headaches, poor skin and feelings of lethargy. It will take your body a while to get used to eating regularly and you may find that weight fluctuates until your metabolism settles and your body learns to expect food in certain quantities at certain times.
It can be difficult to know how much to eat and when to eat at first. A profession eating disorders specialist, dietician or you GP can help you with this. Once you have an outline diet, try to stick to it and be patient in waiting for your weight to settle and the physical symptoms of bulimia to subside.
Anorexia (or Anorexia Nervosa) can affect anyone and results in a person being of low weight due to limiting their energy intake. This means restricting food intake and is often coupled with excessive over-exercise to get rid of food that has been eaten. At times for some, this may be coupled with laxative/diet pill abuse, induced vomiting or cycles of bingeing (eating large amounts of food at once) and purging.
The way someone with anorexia sees themselves is commonly at odds with how others see them – they often have a distorted image of themselves, and think they’re larger than they really are. They experience a deep fear of gaining weight, and will usually challenge the idea that they should.
This mental illness often starts in the teenage years. However, it can develop at any age and continue into later life stages if support and treatment are not accessed.
Eating disorders, such as Anorexia, may occur after a traumatic ‘trigger’ event such as abuse, bereavement, school/work pressure, relationship difficulties/endings. Many people with anorexia have personality traits including perfectionism and a rigid thinking style which affects how they respond to certain difficulties. Their size, weight or shape may be seen as a focus of control, deflecting attention from the underlying issues.
It is likely that the person has developed anorexia as a way of coping with or controlling difficult thoughts and feelings. As time goes by, the eating disorder will start to take control. The chemical changes caused by reduced food intake will start to affect their emotions, distort their thinking and may make it hard for them to always see how much the problem is affecting them. This ambivalence, wanting to be free of the disorder but also being fearful of how life or they might be without it, is complex, and makes anorexia difficult to recover from. The added burden of depression affects decision making even further. The weight loss, which was originally seen as the solution, has now become a problem.
Anorexia can have serious long-term effects on physical health. The most common are infertility and osteoporosis. Other serious risks are as a result of starvation and poor nutrition affecting organ function and fertility. If caught early on in their development, these affects can be reversed with improvements to diet and a gradual increase of food intake.
Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any other psychiatric illness, with 20% of people dying every year as a direct consequence of their illness or by taking their own life.
Recovering from Anorexia is a not an exact science and often takes a long time, but is worth it. Whilst in recovery people may also experience extreme mood swings and feel more irritable. This is because they will be challenging anorexic thoughts, feelings and behaviours, whilst battling to hear the rational voice that knows recovery is the best option. The rational voice will not always win; they will have good days and bad days. This is recovery. For many people, starting to recover involves looking at what may have triggered the disorder, what emotions and thinking styles you have that may be keeping the disorder going and developing new coping strategies which are non-harmful, to replace the disorder. Ultimately, changing your relationship with food to move towards a balanced approach will allows that person to live a fuller life.
Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses and can be difficult to fit into distinct categories. Many people think of eating disorders as Anorexia Nervosa, which is an eating disorder but not the only type. Other eating disorders include Bulimia and Binge Eating Disorder. If you have some but not all of the diagnostic symptoms of an eating disorder or a combination of different eating disorder symptoms, you may be described as having an Other Specified Eating or Feeding Disorder – OSFED. This does not make your condition any less serious and you should still seek to receive help and support.
Disordered eating is a broad term for a range of unhealthy and often distressing eating behaviours. It’s not a clinical diagnosis like Anorexia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder or Bulimia Nervosa, but rather a pattern of thoughts and actions that don’t meet the full criteria for an eating disorder. These behaviours are often a sign of underlying psychological distress and can significantly impact a person’s physical and mental health.
Disordered eating can manifest in various ways, including:
Unlike a diagnosed eating disorder, disordered eating will not have a formal diagnosis. However, it can still cause significant distress and, if left unaddressed, can escalate into a serious eating disorder.
SYEDA is not a diagnostic service in that we do not formally diagnose you with a labelled eating disorder, however it is helpful to understand the different categorisations in order to explore what service or support can be most beneficial for you.
Muscle Dysmorphia is a specific type of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). It’s a mental health condition characterised by a person’s pathological preoccupation with the idea that their body is not muscular enough or is too small and underdeveloped. This persistent and intrusive thought process can lead to significant distress and impairment in daily life.
Obsessive preoccupation: Individuals with Muscle Dysmorphia are consumed by thoughts about their muscularity and physique, often perceiving themselves as much smaller or weaker than they actually are.
Compulsive behaviours: The obsession leads to a range of compulsive behaviours aimed at increasing muscle mass.
These can include:
Muscle Dysmorphia is sometimes colloquially referred to as “bigorexia” or “reverse anorexia” because the person is focused on getting bigger and more muscular, rather than smaller. It’s a serious condition that can have severe physical and psychological consequences, and it often co-occurs with other mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterised by a pathological fear of gaining weight, a severely distorted body image, and often a dangerously low body weight or dramatic weight loss over a short period of time.
For individuals with Anorexia Nervosa, compulsive exercise serves multiple functions within the illness:
The connection between exercise addiction and Bulimia Nervosa is a cycle of binging and purging. Bulimia Nervosa is characterised by recurrent episodes of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviours and restricting.
In this context, exercise addiction functions as a form of “purging”:
Individuals with Binge Eating Disorder experience recurrent episodes of eating large amounts of food, often feeling a loss of control. The illness is not necessarily about a fear of gaining weight, but about using food as a way to cope with strong emotions.
The connection to exercise addiction is more nuanced but still very present:
The compulsive nature of exercise addiction, combined with the psychological drivers of eating disorders, creates a concerning combination. Recognising the signs and seeking professional help is crucial for breaking this dangerous cycle and beginning the journey to a healthy relationship with both food and physical activity.
Eating disorders are complex illnesses that can be difficult to fit into distinct categories.
If you have some, but not all of the diagnostic symptoms of an eating disorder or combine behavioural characteristics of different eating disorders you may be described as having an atypical eating disorder or an EDNOS.
This does not make your condition any less serious and should still seek and receive help and support.
If any of the experiences described above feel familiar, support is available and you do not have to face things alone. Whether you are concerned about yourself or someone else, SYEDA can help you explore the support and services available.
SYEDA provided me with the most helpful and practical support I could have hoped for! I always felt safe and respected during the sessions- my therapist was fantastic and I felt understood. It was a hard and anxiety-provoking few months but it has really benefited me. I feel like I am starting to get my life back, I feel more in control with food and am more present in social situations that revolve around food. Thank you!
