𝟯 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝘂𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗔𝘁 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗻 𝗘𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿

Eating disorders can be hard to understand.


It's a word that gets thrown around a lot and is often used as a blanket term for issues with food or body image.


However, it's not always clear what that means.


𝗦𝗼, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀?

Eating disorders are mental health conditions that involve an unhealthy relationship between food and your mind or body.


Eating disorders happen when your relationship with food is out of balance it's not just about what you put in your mouth,


But also about what you feel and think about yourself because of your relationship with food.


Although eating disorders can happen at any age, they're most common among young adults aged 18-24.


𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀?

Well, I can't tell you exactly why it happens.


It's complicated and there isn't one single cause.


But I do know that some things increase the likelihood of developing an eating disorder.


So, here are 3 risk factors to keep in mind:

𝟭. 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝘀

If you have family members who have struggled with disordered eating behaviors, there's a chance that you might also struggle with an eating disorder.


𝟮. 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮 (𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹)

Childhood trauma can manifest itself as eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia later in life.

If you experienced trauma at an early age, then your brain may have been altered by those experiences and created certain pathways in your brain that could lead to an unhealthy relationship with food in adulthood.


𝟯. 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲

While it is normal to have some level of dissatisfaction with your body.


When this dissatisfaction interferes with your ability to perform your day-to-day living activities then you may be at risk of developing an eating disorder.


𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝘆

Eating disorders are complex conditions that present with a variety of symptoms and may require a combination of treatment options.

It is important to seek professional help if you have any thoughts of becoming preoccupied with food or weight and have lost control over your food intake.

If you're concerned about your health or the health of someone close to you, please contact your primary care physician for further evaluation and diagnosis.