Fresh Insight

Disordered eating encompasses a range of unhealthy eating behaviours that don't meet the full diagnostic criteria for eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder. While eating disorders are clinical diagnoses with specific symptoms and severity levels, disordered eating is more about patterns of behaviour that negatively affect your relationship with food and your body. However, this is not to say that disordered eating isn't serious; it can significantly impact your well-being and overall functioning. Additionally, disordered eating may progress to a diagnosable eating disorder without intervention.

Common signs include:

- Frequent dieting

- Trying multiple weight-loss plans

- Strict food rules

- Feeling guilty or anxious after eating certain foods

- Skipping meals regularly

- Eating in secret or feeling ashamed about eating

- Exercising compulsively to compensate for food intake

- Constant preoccupation with food, weight, or body shape

- Basing self-worth primarily on body size or eating habits

Physically, disordered eating may result in nutritional deficiencies, fatigue, weakened immune functioning, digestive issues, hormonal imbalances, bone density loss, and cardiovascular problems.

Mentally and emotionally, it often contributes to anxiety, depression, social isolation, difficulty concentrating, obsessive thoughts about food and body image, and decreased quality of life.

Disordered eating develops from a complex interaction of factors, including:

- Psychological traits like perfectionism or difficulty managing emotions

- Societal pressures around body image and diet culture

- Family dynamics

- Environmental stressors

There's no single cause, and it's not about willpower or vanity. Understanding that multiple factors contribute can help reduce shame and encourage compassionate treatment.

If your eating patterns cause significant distress, interfere with your daily life, lead to physical symptoms, or make you feel out of control, anxious, or preoccupied with food, these may be signs of disordered eating rather than balanced health practices. "Normal" eating involves flexibility, enjoyment of food, eating when hungry, and stopping when satisfied without excessive guilt or rigid rules. If you're unsure, speaking with a therapist who specializes in eating concerns can provide clarity.

Therapy can help address both the behaviours around food and the thoughts and feelings behind them. Specifically, therapy can help you:

- Understand your triggers

- Challenge unhelpful beliefs about body, weight, and self-worth

- Develop healthier coping skills

- Improve self-esteem and self-compassion

- Create sustainable habits

For safety reasons, we are not able to provide outpatient support for individuals with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 16.5 or lower. This is considered a medical emergency, and care in a hospital or specialized residential program is recommended. Once medical stabilization is achieved, we can provide therapy and support for long-term recovery.