Question : I fee I have an eating disorder, but I’m not sure. Please guide me!
Dear Teentalker,
The first step to figuring things out is recognizing that you’ve got a problem, and you’ve come to the right platform. If you’re feeling like your eating habits are suddenly out of control, don’t fit the “normal” eating habits of everyone around you, or are causing a stream of seemingly unrelated problems, it’s possible that you do have an eating disorder.
Let’s explore a few things about your eating disorder:
- Is there an obsession with food- either avoiding it or craving it?
- Is there pressure to look a certain way, weight or shape?
- Is a need for strict food control accompanied with or without excessive exercising interfering in your daily life?
First, what do you think has caused this obsession with food – either avoiding it or craving it? Some people develop eating disorders because they feel pressure to look a certain way, or have a certain weight. The underlying thought is: I am not good enough. I can only be good enough if I have some kilos, otherwise, I am worth nothing. So they watch every bite and count calories obsessively. Often it becomes an obsession so that even if their ideal weight is reached, the habit carries on and takes over their lives, often pushing their weight down to alarmingly low numbers. This strict food control can be accompanied with or without excessive exercise. Because the person ingests an excessively small amount of calories, this disturbs the brain which causes problems in concentration, feeling restless, tired, and lacking energy. The lack of minerals and vitamins causes hair to fall out and skin to become unhealthy.
On the other hand, some people have the same underlying thoughts, triggered by the same feelings of shame and inadequacy about their bodies but their process of getting to their ideal goal weight or size is through a different method: they eat, sometimes excessively binge, and then they vomit. As this takes over their lives, the constant binge-vomit cycle creates kidney and liver problems and the acid from the vomiting rots their teeth. This is called Bulimia, and as with every eating disorder, it is accompanied with the feeling of self-disgust and shame. To break the eating disorder process into manageable parts, start asking yourself what’s causing these feelings of shame, inadequacy and low self-worth. What are the specific thoughts that go through your head just before the actual binge/ vomit/ food control?
Second, what parts of your life has been affected? Your friendships, being able to talk to your family about it, your ability to concentrate and enjoy other activities?
Lastly, consider reading the question “I over-eat and hate my body and it’s making me depressed” for a more detailed understanding of the process of turning the eating disorder into a question of choice as opposed to feeling like it controls you and your life. Learning to view the eating disorder as something you choose because of certain thoughts you have about yourself can be a very empowering process and can make you feel less guilty and ashamed.
The most important thing here is not to self-diagnose. Always go to a professional who will do a detailed and thorough clinical evaluation after taking your history. The above is a general check and could differ from person to person and is not a replacement for medical diagnosis.