What are eating disorders?

Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions that affect a person’s relationship with food, body image, movement, and often their sense of self. They are not just about food, weight, or appearance. Eating disorders are often ways people cope with overwhelming emotions, anxiety, perfectionism, low self-worth, loss of control, or difficult life experiences.

They can affect people of all ages, genders, body sizes, backgrounds, and identities. Someone does not have to “look sick” to be struggling..

Eating disorders are about more than food

At their core, eating disorders are often connected to deeper emotional pain and unmet needs. They may be tied to:

  • Anxiety

  • Perfectionism

  • Need for control

  • Trauma

  • Identity struggles

  • Social pressures

  • Life transitions

  • Difficulty coping with emotions

  • Low self-esteem or body dissatisfaction

Recovery is not just about changing behaviors. It is also about understanding what the eating disorder has been doing for you, building healthier coping tools, and reconnecting with your body and your life.

Eating disorders can show up in many ways

Eating disorders may involve:

  • Restricting food or skipping meals

  • Binge eating

  • Purging behaviors

  • Obsessive thoughts about food, weight, or body image

  • Compulsive or rigid exercise

  • Fear of gaining weight

  • Strong guilt or shame around eating

  • Difficulty trusting hunger/fullness cues

  • Feeling consumed by food rules or body checking

For some, these patterns are obvious. For others, they can be subtle, hidden, or explained away as “healthy habits,” discipline, or stress.

Common types of eating disorders

Anorexia Nervosa

Often involves restriction of food intake, intense fear of weight gain, and distress related to body shape or size.

Bulimia Nervosa

Includes cycles of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors such as vomiting, overexercise, fasting, or other attempts to “undo” eating.

Binge Eating Disorder

Involves recurrent episodes of eating large amounts of food, often accompanied by feeling out of control, shame, or distress.

ARFID

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder involves limited eating that is not driven by body image concerns, but may be related to sensory issues, fear of choking/vomiting, or low interest in food.

OSFED

Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder includes eating disorder symptoms that are very real and distressing but may not fit neatly into one diagnosis.

Signs that it may be time to seek support

You may benefit from support if you notice:

  • Food or body thoughts taking up a lot of mental space

  • Increased anxiety around meals

  • Avoiding social events because of food or body image

  • Feeling stuck in guilt, shame, or secrecy

  • Rigid routines around food or exercise

  • Frequent body checking or comparison

  • Feeling out of control around food

  • A growing sense that your life is being shaped by the eating disorder

You do not need to wait until things get “bad enough” to get help.

Recovery is possible

Healing from an eating disorder is possible. Recovery often looks like learning to nourish your body consistently, challenge the eating disorder voice, build trust with yourself, and develop new ways of coping with emotions and stress.

Therapy can help you better understand your patterns, reduce shame, strengthen your relationship with food and your body, and move toward a life that feels fuller and freer.

You deserve support

If you or your teen are struggling with eating disorder thoughts or behaviors, you are not alone. Support can make a meaningful difference, and reaching out is a brave first step.

Mental Health Resources

National Eating Disorder Association