Eating Disorders: Why Getting Better is Not That Simple

“Why don’t you just eat a cheeseburger?” ? “You’re not fat. How can you even think that?” ? “You make yourself throw up? Why don’t you just stop?” ? “If you just had a little self-control …” ? “If you just focused on the good things in your life …” ? “If you just stopped focusing on your appearance …” ? “If you just had enough faith and could focus on God …”

It Is Not Easy

If you suffer from an eating disorder, you will understand that it is not that easy.

Diagnostically grouped under feeding and eating disorders, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the most commonly discussed eating disorders, though separate disorders and variants of these two disorders are also found. With increasing prevalence rates of 0.21% and 0.81% respectively, these disorders are relatively common in the general population. (Qian et al., 2013) Individuals with eating disorders will typically begin to develop symptoms during adolescence. This is widely believed to be due to the social, physical, and cognitive changes that combine to create a vulnerability to eating disorders during the adolescent developmental phase. Though females are far more likely to develop eating disorders, the number of males who are developing eating disorders is increasing.

A Decreased Quality of Life

Eating disorders can be somewhat complicated to diagnose, as their symptoms can be displayed along a continuum. For example, bulimia can appear quite similar to anorexia, due to the equivalent underlying causes and maintenance factors. The symptoms of these disorders can also overlap and appear to be quite similar. These symptoms can include severely limiting one’s caloric intake, extreme exercising, binge eating, purging, and constant weight checking, amongst other symptoms. However, these behaviors are secondary to underlying ideas about ideal weight, an over evaluation of body size, and an over-valuing of “the ideal body.” (Silber, 2005) Physical complications of these disorders are extremely prevalent and can range from minor complications to deadly. Eating disorders are further characterized by a decrease in one’s quality of life that affects many domains, including social, cognitive, and financial domains. (Peterson et al., 2007)

Treatment is Crucial

As anyone who struggles with an eating disorder knows, they are extremely complicated. They are not easy to just “get over” or “fix.” This is because they are a disorder – just like diabetes or depression. Eating disorders are particularly worrisome due to research that shows that these disorders have higher physical mortality rates than any other mental disorder. (Bulick et al., 2006) Eating disorders frequently present together with other disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. Treating eating disorders is crucial due to the high impact they have in multiple domains within an individual’s life and the fact that they are often found together with other psychiatric disorders.

Christian Counseling for Eating Disorders

Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

Matthew 6:25

Eating disorders can take many forms and display extremely diverse symptoms. However, one thing remains true: They are life-altering and complicated. You do not have to confront them on your own. Seeking out therapy can offer you treatment options that take you and your specific symptoms into account. Christian counseling can offer you the opportunity to experience growth and healing in your relationship with God, while healing from an eating disorder. The therapists at Tacoma Christian Counseling are here to help you begin, or continue, on your journey to healing and a healthy relationship with both food and your body.

In the following articles in this series, I will expand on the causes of eating disorders, discuss treatment options, and consider the maintenance factors and compensatory behaviors that make overcoming them so very difficult. Overcoming an eating disorder is not simply about self-control. It is not all about finding the magic fix. It is not just trying harder on your own. We will talk further about what treatment entails, why it works, and why it is so very important.