February 28, 2020
** If you or someone you know, is struggling with an ED please reach out for help. This article is meant to provide information and is not a substitute for any professional help**
This is a question I get so often as a registered dietitian working with individuals who struggle with eating disorders (ED) and disordered eating. I think it is important to talk about the differences and clarify what disordered eating is. In this article, you will learn the differences between the ED and disordered eating, as well as what to do if you suspect you, or someone you know, may be struggling. I also added a self-assessment questionnaire to help you assess your current relationship to food. Okay, let us dive in!
Eating disorders (ED) are serious mental illnesses related to one’s relationship to food and eating behaviours that interferes with many aspects of their lives such as thoughts, behaviours, beliefs, feelings, body and relationships. EDs have the highest rate of mortality of any mental disorders and need to be taken very seriously. EDs have specific diagnosis criteria establish in the DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) from American Psychiatrist Association. EDs can only be diagnosed by a physician or psychiatrist. There are 5 types of ED: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, Avoidant and Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and Unspecified ED. To learn more about the specifics – check out this article on ED.
When someone struggles with an ED, getting support from health professionals is essential to recovery. Depending on severity of ED, the individual may require an inpatient program to fully recover.
Often in ED, eating behaviours can be used as a coping mechanism and/or can be the symptoms of another issue. It is about the food, but not about the food. The mental illness runs deeper than “just the food”, and there are often psychological factors.
In the social environment we live in, disordered eating has unfortunately become the norm. This normalization of unhealthy eating behaviours makes it more difficult to realize someone may be struggling and receive adequate help. In my experience, I would say that 90% of people have some sort of disordered eating behaviours. Disordered eating cannot be diagnosed as it is not an official illness and has no diagnosis criteria (which again, makes it hard for people to get help!)
Literally EVERY diet is disordered eating. I have not come across any diet that is not disordered in some way. Disordered eating often comes from the desire to change body composition or lead by emotions.
Every person struggling with an eating disorder has disordered eating. However, people struggling with disordered eating do NOT necessarily have and eating disorder.
Here are a few examples of disordered eating behaviours
Although disordered eating is not a mental illness per say, it is very harmful to the individual who is struggling as it can lead to many health issues. Disordered eating can lead to the development of ED, increase risk of depression and/or anxiety, decrease bone density, GI problems, social isolation, decrease quality of life and social isolation.
Yes and no! It is important to know that eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that are life threatening and surpass disordered eating. However, disordered eating is very harmful and should also be taken seriously. I tend to see ED and disordered eating on different level of the same spectrum.
Both ED and disordered eating require the support of health professionals to recover and normalized eating habits. This meaning that you DO NOT need to wait to be sicker to get help.
The diet culture normalizes, promotes and even celebrates disordered eating (sorry this makes me feel nauseous). This makes it challenging for individuals to know if their behaviour is disordered. Here is a quick self-assessment, ask yourself these questions.
**This is NOT a diagnostic tool – I created this to being more awareness to disordered eating behaviours – if you suspect you may be struggling with an ED or disordered eating, please reach out for help**
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you are most likely having disordered eating behaviours.
Although there are significant differences between eating disorders and disordered eating, both can be very harmful to your overall health. If you are struggling with your eating behaviours and it is affecting your health, confidence, self-worth and/or quality of life, PLEASE REACH OUT.
As a registered dietitian specialized in psychology, I know the importance and value of getting help during your recovery to finally find food freedom and body confidence. I am here to support you.
I hope this article was helpful.
The Balanced Practice is a team of professionals specialized in eating disorder outpatient treatment. We strive to provide evidence based nutrition counselling to support you, or your loved one, in achieving full recovery. Schedule a connection call now.
Marie-Pier Pitre-D’Iorio, RD, B.Sc.Psychology Lead Registered Dietitian and Founder at The Balanced Practice
If you are looking for more support from our team - We are happy to help
Every month, The Balanced Practice offers a low-cost workshop on topics related to eating disorders/disordered eating. Check out the next one coming up!
We offer different services in order to meet you exactly where you are at and provide you with the most appropriate level of support to reach your goals (no one-size-fits-all here). Our team works closely together and with other healthcare professionals to make sure we can provide you with the very best care.
Here at The Balanced Practice, we get it. We believe that you deserve more joy, more connection, and more fulfillment. After all, life is meant to be experienced fully (and not spent feeling stuck in our own heads). And we want to help, our team is available during the day and into the evening!
