National Eating Disorders Awareness Week

• Written by Nidhi Goyal

  Reviewed by Akhil Pillai

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Food and Mood go hand in hand,

One needs the other to feel just grand.

Food must be right, in amount and kind,

To keep Mood happy and peace of mind.

Eating disorders are complex mental health and behavioural conditions that often require professional support. They involve a persistent disturbance in eating behaviours, leading to stressful thoughts and emotions. This disruption can lead to preoccupations with anxiety or concerns about the effects of eating certain foods. Such behaviour may include restricted eating, binge eating, laxative misuse or avoidance of certain foods. 

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is a campaign designed to increase understanding and awareness of eating disorders, promote body positivity, and support those affected. Eating disorders mainly affect women between 12 and 35. Most people worldwide may be experiencing an eating disorder without realising it. Considering the issue's sensitivity, National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (NEDAW) will be observed from February 24 to March 2, 2025. 

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week Theme

The theme for 2025 is ‘The Time Is Now.’ This theme highlights the importance of early detection, sharing knowledge, and supporting ongoing research. 

Various organisations choose unique themes. like The Eating Disorder Foundation's choice of this year’s theme, “Unifying through Community & Connection.” The aim is to provide hope and visibility to individuals with an eating disorder and their loved ones, spread awareness about eating disorders, and support them in every way possible. 

6 Types of Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are mental health conditions that disrupt healthy eating patterns, causing individuals to eat too little or too much. Eating disorders have the second-highest mortality rate among all mental health conditions, which makes open discussion crucial.

Anorexia nervosa

It involves extremely low to zero calorie intake due to intense fear of gaining weight. Individuals with this disorder are preoccupied with constant thoughts of food and continuously collect recipes. Eating in public can be challenging, and symptoms of OCD may develop. Over time, the body lacks essential nutrients, leading to brittle nails & hair, thinning bones, and infertility. 

Two subtypes of anorexia

• Restricting type: Weight loss through fasting, dieting, or excessive exercise.
• Binge eating/purging type: Individuals may alternate between periods of very low food intake and excessive eating (binging). Binge eating episodes may be followed by purging behaviours like laxative or diuretic use, vomiting, or excessive exercise.

Bulimia nervosa

Bulimia nervosa is characterized by uncontrollable binge eating episodes, often to the point of painful fullness. To compensate and control their weight or body image, individuals then engage in purging behaviours. This may include forced vomiting, fasting, laxatives, diuretics, and enemas.

Bulimia nervosa often leads to an inflamed and sore throat, worn tooth enamel, swollen salivary glands, acid reflux, gut irritation, and dehydration.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

Stress leads to secretly eating a lot of food until uncomfortably full, without hunger. People with BED don’t engage in purging behaviours, like vomiting or excessive exercise. They don’t cut their calories and may consume ultra-processed foods rather than whole foods. Hence, their risk of complications such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke increases.

Pica

Pica is an eating disorder in which individuals eat non-edible items like dirt, soil, chalk, pebbles, paper, cloth, hair, wool, and laundry detergent. Intellectual disabilities, schizophrenia ( a mental health condition), or neurodevelopmental conditions like autism may lead an individual to develop Pica. Pica can be fatal and have a high risk of gut injuries, poisoning, infections, and nutritional deficiencies.

Rumination Disorder

Rumination disorder involves the repeated regurgitation of food they have already swallowed. The food is brought back into the mouth to chew, re-swallow, or spit out. This is not due to a medical condition like reflux or GERD. It can occur multiple times a day without much physical discomfort. It can cause emotional stress and raise physical health and dental issues.

ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder)

This disorder leads to a lack of interest in eating and avoidance of specific tastes, textures, colours, tastes or temperatures. This causes severe restrictions on the type and amount of food options. Common symptoms are nutrient deficiencies, dependence on supplements, weight loss, avoidance of eating with others, and calories. 

ARFID is often linked to negative past experiences with food or sensory sensitivities, which can create anxiety around eating.

How Is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week Celebrated?

NEDA is an annual event celebrated both online and offline. In the USA, well-known landmarks will honour the awareness week's observance and illuminate in signature blue and green colours. Various educational campaigns, social media outreach, storytelling events,  and fundraising drives are organised through different mediums to educate people about eating disorders.

Importance To Be Aware of Eating Disorders

Approximately 10,200 deaths occur each year due to eating disorders. 

We can highlight the seriousness of the disease with other eating disorder facts. 

1. Over 70% of people with eating disorders develop co-occurring conditions like anxiety and mood disorders. 
2. People with eating disorders are 11 times more likely to attempt suicide than others who don’t have such a condition. 

Eating disorders can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or appearance.

Treatment options, such as psychotherapy, talk therapy, and medical monitoring, can be costly. Visiting a psychotherapist may cost you Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 per session. In severe cases, one may develop gastric issues, which come with expensive treatment. Eventually, a financial burden accompanies a disease. So, it is advised to have a health insurance plan to avoid monetary-related stress during illness.

Why do Eating Disorders Occur?

Genes and heritability are the two most common reasons behind eating disorders. However, people without such family medical history can also develop them. Moreover, precipitating factors such as dieting, excessive exercise or stressors like loss, trauma or illness can trigger the disorder. Frequent dieting is a major risk factor.

How Eating Disorders Affect Physical and Emotional Health?

Several psychiatric disorders accompany eating disorders: OCD, anxiety, mood swings, and alcohol disorders. They impact you physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Here’s how:

1. Impact on Physical Health:

• Gastrointestinal Problems: Consistent purging or binge eating can cause constipation, gastritis, stomach ulcers, damage to the esophagus or other GI problems.
• Weakened Organs: Malnutrition can weaken the vital body organs and also create serious complications, such as kidney failure, arrhythmias, and even death.
• Hormonal Imbalances: Insufficient food intake can create an imbalance of hormones, affecting menstrual cycles, bone density, and overall body growth and development.
• Nutrient Deficiency: Many eating disorders cause people to limit their food intake, eventually leading to malnutrition. It weakens the immune system and increases the risk of infections.
• Electrolyte Imbalances: Vomiting, a purging behaviour after binge eating, can cause loss of electrolytes and imbalance, leading to seizures, heart arrhythmias, and kidney damage.

2. Impact on Mental Health:

• Obsessive: Compulsive Behaviour: Individuals with eating disorders may develop OCD around appearance, food, or exercise, causing a constant feeling of insecurity.
• Mood Swings: Food and mood are directly linked. Eating disorders can overwhelm you and cause problems in coping with difficult emotions or trauma. Negative self-image, low self-esteem and body dysmorphia are other results of eating disorders.
• Social Withdrawal: Loss of weight and rumination can cause guilt, shame, and fear of judgement, affecting relationships and leading to loneliness and depression. The person might also engage himself in self-harming activities like cutting.

The Time for Change is Now

Though eating disorders are severe but treatable mental health conditions, eating patterns must be corrected otherwise, balancing life would become a challenge. There’s nothing wrong with seeking help one should do anything to change our consciousness from eating disorders to eating happily and naturally. Any eating disorder is curable with proper attention and treatment. 

Change must start ‘today.’

>> Also Read: Best Food Items to Keep Your Immune System Strong

Disclaimer: The above information is for reference purposes only. Kindly consult your general physician for verified medical advice. The health insurance benefits are subject to policy terms and conditions. Refer to your policy documents for more information.