What is an eating disorder?
An eating disorder is a mental illness, where people tend to use food as a way to manage their feelings. Eating disorders are characterised by a disturbance in individuals behaviours. Things such as body weight or shape, thoughts and attitudes towards food and eating. Individuals who suffer from eating disorders will have an unhealthy relationship when it comes to food; it will cause them to eat too much, too little or binge eat. It may sometimes become an unhealthy obsession with food causing people’s eating patterns to drastically change over time. According to National Eating Disorders Collaboration (N/A) “ Eating disorders are common and increasing in prevalence. There is a lifetime estimated prevalence of 8.4% for women.”
What causes eating disorders in women?
While anyone can develop an eating disorder the majority of people who will develop eating disorders are women. All women are unique so they will all experience eating disorders in different ways. They can be difficult to pinpoint one cause for it to start. These factors may include:
Genetic- When a woman has a change of hormone levels it can sometimes cause eating disorders to start. Another type of genetics that can cause eating disorders is due to the woman’s family genetics. Family history of eating disorder, depression, or substance misuse there’s a chance they will develop an eating disorder.
Personal Experiences- Women who have experienced traumatic events may tend to use their food as a coping mechanism whether. This may be by eating more food, or not eating enough to sometimes not eating at all. There are many traumatic events that cause this such as starting puberty. As well as someone close to them dying, starting a new job and leaving home.
Low Self Esteem- A low self esteem is a big cause of eating disorders. Women who use social media such as instagram may look at other women’s bodies and compare themselves. Consequently causing them to think their body is not good enough. This can lead to a change of mood. Changing of mood can cause individuals to become depressed wanting to change their body by minimising the food they eat. It also happens through bullying, people making comments on their body such. Things such as: ‘you are so skinny, or you have gained a bit of weight’.
What eating disorders do women get?
There are a variety of eating disorders women can develop. Some are life threatening but there is always a way it can be helped. Here is a list of eating disorders that women tend to develop more often:
Anorexia nervosa- Anorexia is when people try to keep their weight as low as possible. They may think that they are ‘fat’ or ‘overweight’ regardless of how many people tell them differently. Women struggling with anorexia fear gaining weight and will dismiss any ideas that will help encourage them to eat more. Due to anorexia many women stick to a strict diet. They calculate the amount of calories they intake everyday excessively. Trying their hardest to stay away from fattening and unhealthy foods and only eating low calorie foods.
People sometimes do not acknowledge anorexia until it becomes visible. This is because women who have anorexia will try and avoid eating with people. They might start hiding their food as they want to convince others that they are eating. Women struggling may lie when you ask if they have ate.
Bulimia nervosa- Bulimia is a potential life threatening eating disorder, as it may cause an unhealthy eating cycle. Individuals who suffer with bulimia will tend to have episodes, where they will binge eat. Eating a large amount of food and then purging; when an individual forces themselves to lose calories in an unhealthy way. This may be through forcing themselves to vomit, misusing laxatives, or overdoing exercise. People with bulimia tend to be preoccupied with their body shape and their weight. This is because a big number of people with bulimia have a fear of gaining weight.
Pica- Pica is a compulsive eating disorder that involves eating items that do not contain significant nutritional value. Things such as, hair, chalk, clay, paper and many more. Women will most likely get pica as an eating disorder while pregnant. There is no explanation for why women get pica. According to Healthline (2019) it may have something to do with deficiency in iron. This is why pregnant women tend to get pica; when a pregnant woman’s iron levels drop it causes anaemia. Which then slowly causes the pica to appear.
How to help women struggling with eating disorders?
There are many ways to help women with eating disorders. The best way to start is to contact the individual’s GP. Doctors and nurses will help give people struggling with eating disorders. They will give tips on how to get their eating patterns back to normal. Family members and friends can also help, here is a list of ways:
Letting them know you are there-
This is one of the most important things to do when it comes to helping an individual. It reassures the individual that they are not alone;they have someone they can talk to as well as someone who will listen to them. It’s better to not rush them into talking about their eating disorder. It takes time and patience as they might be scared to open up. Just keep reminding them that you are there and always ready to listen when they are ready to talk.
Help bring self esteem up-
Sometimes the simplest thing such as telling them how much of a great person they am can help. They may feel ashamed or embarrassed in themselves. So a little lift to their self esteem might help them feel more confident.
