Eating Disorders Awareness Week is observed every year during the last week in February to spotlight eating disorders. This year, it takes place from February 20 to 26. The main objectives of the week are to educate the public about the realities of eating disorders and to provide hope, support, and visibility to individuals and families affected by them.
Every diagnosis of an eating disorder can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, body size, or sexuality.
What is an eating disorder?
Eating disorders, as the name suggests, are a range of psychological conditions that cause unhealthy eating habits to develop. They might start with an obsession with food, body weight, or body shape.
In severe cases, eating disorders can cause serious health consequences and may even result in death if left untreated. In fact, eating disorders are among the deadliest mental illnesses, second only to opioid overdose.
Symptoms
Different types of eating disorders have different symptoms. There are various mental and behavioural signs, but all of them involve issues related to food and eating.
Most mental and behavioral signs may include: dramatic weight loss, intense fear of weight gain or being “fat”, concern about eating in public, severely limiting and restricting the amount and types of food consumed, denying feeling hungry etc.
While some physical symptoms may include: gastrointestinal symptoms, stomach cramps, calluses across the tops of the finger joints (a sign of inducing vomiting), dry skin and nails, poor immune system function, dizziness etc.
Types of eating disorders
There are 6 common types of eating disorders. It includes:
anorexia nervosa
bulimia nervosa
binge-eating disorder
pica
rumination disorder
avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder.
If you have an eating disorder or know someone who might have one, you can seek help from a healthcare professional who specializes in eating disorders.
