Eating disorders are mental health conditions marked by an intense preoccupation with food and weight, which can pose serious health risks. Conditions such as binge eating, anorexia, and bulimia can significantly harm one’s health and require prompt attention and treatment. Bindu Gopal Rao explores these disorders with insights from experts and health professionals to shed light on their effects and how to address them effectively.
Learn about eating disorders
Decoding Disorders
Binge Eating Disorder is characterized by recurrent episodes of consuming large quantities of food in a short period, accompanied by a feeling of loss of control. This behaviour often leads to significant distress and can have adverse effects on both physical and emotional well-being. “Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image, resulting in extreme calorie restriction and often excessive exercise or purging behaviours. Bulimia nervosa involves cycles of binge eating and then ridding the body of the extra food (purging) by self-induced vomiting, taking laxatives or diuretics, fasting, exercising excessively, or a combination of these. People with bulimia nervosa usually have a normal weight. In contrast, people with anorexia are usually underweight,” explains D. Bindoo Jadhav, Professor & Head of the Department of Psychiatry, K. J. Somaiya Medical College & Hospital, Sion, Mumbai.
The Causes
Binge eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa are all complex mental health conditions with various underlying reasons. Binge eating disorder often stems from emotional triggers like stress or boredom, alongside restrictive dieting practices or genetic predispositions. “Anorexia nervosa commonly arises from intense body image issues, societal pressure for thinness, and a desire for control over one’s life. Genetics and biological factors may also contribute. Bulimia nervosa frequently develops as a coping mechanism for stress or negative emotions, often triggered by dissatisfaction with one’s body.
Additionally, cycles of dieting followed by binge eating episodes can play a role. These disorders are multifaceted, influenced by a combination of psychological, social, and biological factors unique to everyone,” says Garima Dev Verman, Certified Nutritionist and Medical Content Analyst, The Healthy Indian Project (THIP) – A Health Literacy Platform. Overemphasis on sleek body type leads to many practices by women, which may end up in an eating disorder. Dr. Pooja Pushkarna, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Apollo Hospitals, Ahmedabad, adds, “Three factors play a role in the onset of eating disorders- genetic, environmental, and social factors. Genetic factors are when it is inherited by one or both parents. Environmental factors include the kind of surroundings and culture a patient lives in. For instance, movies gave many female viewers the idea that zero figure is the ideal body type, which became the norm for many. This is how the environment around patients leads to eating disorders. Furthermore, the societal expectations of the way a woman should look is another factor leading to eating disorders.”
Watch Out
Eating disorders can manifest in various ways, but some general warning signs can be helpful across different conditions. For binge eating disorder, watch out for someone rapidly consuming large amounts of food even when not hungry, hiding or stockpiling food, and experiencing intense shame or guilt after eating. “Bulimia Nervosa can show signs like frequent disappearances of large amounts of food, repeated trips to the bathroom after meals, physical signs of self-induced vomiting (swollen cheeks or damaged teeth), and misuse of laxatives or diuretics. Remember, these are just some potential signs, and the severity can vary,” says Avneet Bhatia, CEO and Founder of NatureFit.
Negative Impact
Eating disorders are increasingly prevalent today, accompanied by the emergence of many non-communicable disorders. Emotional volatility and deeply buried traumatic memories often underlie eating disorders, leading to overeating and undernourishment due to unhealthy food habits. Dr Mayur Agrawal, endocrinologist and co-founder of health-tech start-up DocOsage, says, “Eating disorders can have severe physical, emotional, and social consequences. Physical complications include malnutrition, electrolyte imbalances, gastrointestinal issues, osteoporosis, and, in severe cases, organ failure or death. Psychological effects like depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and social consequences can lead to difficult relationships, isolation, and difficulties in work or school.” Dr. Karthiyayini Mahadevan, Head of Wellness and Wellbeing, Columbia Pacific Communities, adds, “Overweight and obesity, along with impaired glucose metabolism resulting in type II diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular diseases, are common health issues. Physical inactivity due to excess weight also contributes to musculoskeletal problems, leading to strain on the skeletal frame.”
Take Care
It is essential to educate the youth, especially about the importance of a good and healthy body. “Our youth is so much under pressure for certain physical appearance and under pressure to be accepted that they put themselves through this mental stress. We need to address these issues very sensitively. It needs counselling with healthy eating habits to get them out of this,” says Dr. Parina Joshi, HOD, Dietician and Nutrition, Surya Hospital, Mumbai. Dietician Prernna Kalra adds, “Now coming to solving the biggest issue of eating disorder in adults, especially in teenage, we need to focus on giving counselling and therapy sessions to the patient through dieticians, psychiatrists, doctors, family members wholeheartedly support, and with the help of some medications. This wouldn’t be a one-day process; patients will need time, support, patience, and love to overcome this disorder.” As eating disorders can affect a patient physically and psychologically, medication is one of the options for treatment. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) or psychotherapy combined with medication can also help.
