FAQ

Q”What is the history of eating disorders?” 

A “Eating disorders are not a new disease; they have been around many years. Ancient Romans would over indulge at feasts and purge themselves in a “vomitorium” - a lavatory created for the purpose of being sick in, so people could continue eating at the feast. There are also descriptions of disorders such as anorexia and bulimia described in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.”
 
Q”Who is at risk at developing an eating disorder?”
 
A “Eating disorders can affect anyone at any ages. The most common age that an eating disorder will occur is during teenage years because a lot of change is taking place, other life changing events can also trigger an eating disorder so people going through things such as bereavement, divorce or moving away are more at risk of developing an eating disorder. Not only women develop eating disorders, about 10-25% of eating disorder cases are male. Like with women, this can happen at any time in their lives.”
 
Q"What effect can an eating disorder have on a person’s health?”
 
A “Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate out of all psychological illnesses. If not stopped, starving, stuffing, and purging can lead to irreversible physical damage and even death. Eating disorders can affect every cell, tissue, and organ in the body. The following is a partial list of the medical dangers associated with anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder:
  • Liver damage (made worse by substance abuse), death
  • kidney damage, death
  • Destruction of teeth, rupture of oesophagus, loss of muscle mass
  • Damage to lining of stomach; gastritis, gastric distress
  • Disruption of menstrual cycle, infertility
  • Stunted growth due to under nutrition. Even after recovery and weight restoration, person may not catch up to expected normal height
  • Weakened immune system
  • Icy hands and feet
  • Swollen glands in neck; stones in salivary duct. "Chipmunk cheeks."
  • Excess hair on face, arms, and body
  • Irregular heartbeat, cardiac arrest, death
 
Q”Are eating disorders hereditary?”
 
A”Recent research proves genetic factors account towards the risk of developing an eating disorder. Further research is still being carried out to explore and understand the connections. This is not to say that everyone who has an incidence of eating disorders in their family will develop an eating disorder, but simply that there is a need for further exploration between genetics and eating disorders."
 
Q”Do the media contribute to the development of eating disorders?”
 
A"Actors and models who are young, toned, and thin are portrayed as happy & successful, stylishly dressed, with perfect hair and makeup.  This sets us up to believe that we must pursue unrealistic appearance to be happy. When we can’t produce that appearance, some may turn to abnormal and unhealthy eating distresses."
 
Q”How is an ideal weight calculated?”
 
A” An Ideal body mass index (BMI) is in between 20 and 25 however this is not always accurate, especially for people with a large muscle mass. An ideal healthy weight is one at which you feel as though you have the energy to live a healthy life and do the things you enjoy. However, it is important to remember that there is normally not one main cause of an eating disorder, and genetic, social, family and psychological factors have a large part to play in the development of eating disorders."
 
Q”Can men develop eating disorders?”
 
A “Eating disorders can affect anyone. Its estimated that between 10- 25% of eating disorder cases are men, but due to the nature of eating disorders, and the secrecy involved it is difficult to know the exact amount.”
 
Q”How can you tell if I, or someone I know, has an eating disorder?”
 
A” Here is a short list of behaviours and beliefs that may mean an individual is susceptible to developing an eating disorder, with serious physical and emotional consequences.
  • Preoccupation with food, eating habits, weight.
  • Belief that thinness equals happiness.
  • Perception of being overweight despite others' appraisal of low or normal weight and even in the face of verifiable weight loss.
  • Experience that eating or weighing on a scale can determine one's emotional state, leading to the use of food to control emotions.
  • Frequent use of a harmful or ineffective method of weight control - diet pills, fad diets, laxatives, diuretics, starvation, or vomiting.
As well as the illness identified, eating disorders can often be non-specific when they include symptoms from a number or different illnesses. Disordered eating can take many different forms. Do not dismiss a problem just because someone does not fit within a particular ‘label’.”
 
Q”What are the treatments for eating disorders?”
 
A “Support groups, like First Steps. On Thursday groups it is open to everyone, so friends and carers can come along to if they feel they need support or want to gain knowledge on eating disorders. On a Wednesday group this is just for people aged between 12 and 25, we cover topics that people in the steering group, who are all service users, believe will benefit most. We also do alternative therapies such as yoga, reiki and laughter therapy. We can also ensure you know what you’re entitled to with NHS care.”
 
Q” If someone I know has an eating disorder how can I help?”
 
A “Support them and be there to listen, eating disorders are a very personal thing and it may take people a long time to admit they have a problem or trust someone enough to tell them.
Try not to lecture them, don’t use statements such as “if only you would eat” because it’s not as simple as that and this may cause a person to stop talking to you about the problem.
Try not to make comments on weight, if someone if getting better avoid saying things such as “you look well” as this often translates into “you look fat” for someone with an eating disorder.
Don’t blame yourself. It’s a disease, its no-one’s fault; blaming people will not help the situation.
Be a positive role model; try not to talk about losing weight and dieting as this may make the problem worse.
Seek help, eating disorders are difficult to fight alone, as a parent, carer or friend you may also fell you need support and the groups on a Thursday are open to you as well.”
 
If you have any other questions that you would like answering, please do not hesitate to contact us.