Disordered eating is an umbrella term for a variety of irregular eating behaviours and relate to someone’s food choices, eating habits, and motivations around eating. These behaviours are often linked to eating-related issues such as dieting, emotional eating or eating disorders.

Emotional eating, also referred to as comfort eating, refers to eating large quantities of food in response to our feelings rather than being hungry. This means that food is being used to ‘stuff down’ unpleasant emotions, such as anger, anxiety or shame, or used to comfort feelings of emptiness, loneliness or boredom. It’s likely that every single one of us have had occasions when we’ve overindulged and should be able to relate to this for various reasons. However, if this eating pattern becomes a regular occurrence, it can intensify emotional triggers and, not only worsen mental health and self-esteem, but also have a negative effect on someone’s physical wellbeing.

An eating disorder can develop when an unhealthy relationship with food, and persistent concern about body weight, becomes all-consuming and affects health and wellbeing. The most common eating disorders include Anorexia Nervosa (AN), Bulimia Nervosa (BN) and Binge Eating Disorder (BED). Research indicates that certain people may be more genetically predisposed to developing an eating disorder; however, there are also various environmental and sociocultural factors at play.

Anorexia nervosa is defined as “an eating disorder characterized by restriction of food intake leading to low body weight, typically accompanied by intense fear of gaining weight and disturbed perception of body weight and image”. People with this condition can become very secretive and manipulative (and I say that from personal experience). They tend to make excuses around meal times, hide food so that they don’t have to eat it, and develop ways of making it appear that they have eaten. This becomes an obsession and greatly affects their quality of life; and may even result in death.

Bulimia nervosa is defined as “an eating disorder characterized by regular, often secretive bouts of overeating followed by self-induced vomiting or purging, strict dieting, or extreme exercise, associated with persistent and excessive concern with body weight”. People with this condition may avoid eating in public or will go to the bathroom for a long time following a meal. An important note is that there is a high crossover between anorexia and bulimia. Research published in the American Journal of Psychiatry indicated that 20-50% of anorexics will develop bulimia over time.

Binge Eating Disorder is a condition where people regularly lose control of their eating so continue to eat until they are uncomfortably full or feel nauseous. After a binge-eating episode, people tend to be overwhelmed with intense feelings of shame and guilt. Unlike bulimia nervosa, these episodes are not followed by purging, excessive exercise, or fasting. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) frequency and duration criteria for binge-eating disorder is at least 1 day a week for 3 months.