Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are psychological disorders that can affect your mind and body in various ways. At Avalon Malibu, we know there are many myths and stigmas surrounding the topic of eating disorders. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of how dangerous and complex eating disorders can be. We want to bring awareness about eating disorders and also assure you that if you are facing the challenge of an eating disorder, recovery is possible. You may be aware that if you have an eating disorder, some mental health issues can co-occur. We understand that challenging your eating disorder may seem intimidating. However, you are not alone, and recovery will be worth it.

Recovering from an eating disorder can be complicated and is different for everyone. It's essential to recognize that everyone has their own experiences and everyone is on a unique journey. One critical part of this journey is preventing a relapse of the eating disorder.

Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses that impact all ages of the population worldwide. One of the several things that make recovering from an eating disorder so tricky is the stigma, shame, and stereotypes connected to them. This can often prevent individuals from getting the treatment and support they need. Below are five common stereotypes that increase the shame and stigma attached to eating disorders.

Part of your recovery journey from an eating disorder may include relapsing — maybe once, twice, or possibly more. No matter how many times you relapse, you can still recover.

Many of us have experienced that extra scoop of ice cream or eating some more chips at the end of a long day. We may not do this every day, but occasional cravings for it happen. This happens to a lot of people – but does this classify as binge eating disorder? Not quite. There are some key differences between overeating at times and having binge eating disorder (BED). A lot of those differences lie in the amount of food consumed, how often these episodes occur, and the feelings experienced afterwards. By understanding the difference between overeating and BED, we can more correctly identify when our eating patterns are normal and when they may indicate a more serious health condition. Unlike overeating, BED produces feelings of shame, guilt, sadness, and regret. Many people with BED feel as though they have no control over their eating – they may eat when they aren’t hungry and may also eat alone because they are embarrassed of how much they eat. BED also causes many people to eat quicker than what is considered normal, often without taking any compensatory measures to make up for the large amounts of food consumed, such as purging, excessive exercise, etc. Americans tend to overeat, with emphasis placed on large sizes of fast-food and quick access to these selections. While our society perpetuates overeating, there is a clean difference between the overeating nature of many Americans and the eating associated with BED. If you have been diagnosed with BED, note that recovery is possible and there are some very effective methods of treatment for this disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to help many people with BED; it focuses on helping people change old, negative habits of thinking towards more positive, productive thoughts. If you haven’t yet, make the decision to reach out to a reputable treatment center today. There are many resources that you can use to be on your way towards a happier, healthier life. It’s never too late.

Binge eating is the most common eating disorder in the United States and is associated with eating large amounts of food at a time and then experiencing feelings of shame, guilt, or distress afterwards. Healthline notes that binge eating disorder (BED) affects nearly 2.8 million people in the United States each year. Whether you have experience with BED or not, there are likely some facts that you do not know:

If you have an eating disorder, you’re not alone. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, at least 30 million people have an eating disorder in the United States. Eating disorders impact the way a person thinks and feels about their body and food. Common traits of individuals with this disorder are having a low self-esteem, perfectionism, overachiever, anxiety, need for control, difficulty expressing emotions, need for acceptance, and depression. Many loved ones have difficulty understanding what it’s like to have an eating disorder but educating themselves on the struggles many people face can open doors for more love and support. The following are common obstacles people with an eating disorder face:

According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, approximately 8 million people in the United States have an eating disorder. Eating disorders are a serious mental illness that often accompany stress, depression, substance abuse, and more. Individuals with an eating disorder often experience a distorted body image and become obsessed with food and losing weight. The following are some facts that you probably didn’t know about eating disorders:

With McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, KFC and more, fast food is becoming easier to obtain than ever before. Dollar menus capture our attention by pleasing to the more frugal aspect of ourselves, and tasty sandwiches and French fries lend themselves to our stomachs freely on a long drive home from work or after a stressful day. Eating these processed foods may seem harmless on occasion or even a few times a week, but the damage may be bigger than you realize. The American Psychological Association has highlighted several studies that have shown that eating fast food, sugar, and soft drinks can contribute to depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and a host of other psychological problems. The documentary “Supersize Me” provides an extreme depiction of how fast food can affect someone’s mental and physical health; Morgan Spurlock consumes McDonald’s 3 times per day for 30 days and experiences weight gain, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, massive headaches, low energy and severe depression. What makes these foods so damaging to our holistic health? Serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates sleep and appetite, mediates our moods, and inhibits pain, is produced in our gastrointestinal tract. Our gastrointestinal tract is lined with a hundred million nerve cells, which explains why the food we place in our bodies impacts our sleep, eating, mood, and pain. Processed foods are high in unhealthy fats that are often hydrogenated, turning them into trans fats. When you typically consume food from fast food restaurants, the high fructose corn syrup and sugar serve as “empty calories” that have devastating effects on metabolism. Studies have shown that individuals who take probiotics, the bacteria that is good for your health, experience improved anxiety, perceptions of stress, and overall mental outlook. Speak with your doctor regarding the best diet for your health and what vitamins you can take to increase your chances of mood, sleep, and eating stabilization. Become more mindful of what you are eating and how it makes you feel. Doing this may help you to lead a healthier, more balanced lifestyle.

Seeking treatment can be challenging, whether you have an addiction or a mental illness. Identifying the right time to seek treatment, along with recognizing the symptoms and overcoming the fear of stigma within healthcare can all be enough to stop someone from seeking help. By avoiding treatment, we are placing ourselves at risk for worsening our symptoms and never developing the tools that we need to overcome and manage them. One population that’s experiencing trouble with seeking help are Asian Americans, regarding eating disorders specifically. A preliminary analysis conducted by researchers at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), involved an online survey of Asian Americans from late 2014 to early 2015 about eating disorders and other body image concerns. The study involved analyses of 212 participants, with approximately 77% of whom were female and an average age of 25. The study’s findings showed that:

Most of us experience negative script in our head; “I wish my arms were thinner” or “I don’t like my nose”. For some of us, these critical comments float right on by, and we give them no further importance or attention. For others, we cling onto these thoughts and soon enough, they grow into our self-esteem, our self-perception, and our overall self-image. Psych Central claims that 80% of women in the United States are dissatisfied with their appearance, and more than 10 million are experiencing eating disorders. Our negative self-talk can be detrimental to our mental, physical, and spiritual health, and here’s why: Body hate can hold you back from attending events, can consume your thoughts to the point of no longer enjoying the present moment, and can damage critical aspects of your relationships with others, such as intimacy with your significant other. If you are experiencing body hate, ask yourself these questions:

Eating disorders include extreme attitudes, behaviors, and emotions surrounding food. There are many common food disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and more – all of which come with their own set of stigmas. For example, many people believe that anorexia happens with celebrities because of the cultural stigma to be “thin” and “beautiful”. However, new research suggests that this popular viewpoint is incorrect – that there is much more than meets the eye on this topic. If you suffer from an eating disorder, knowing that it’s not just cultural stigma and more about your body and brain will hopefully bring comfort. In an article discussed by Kirsten Weir of the American Psychological Association (APA), binge eating disorder is explained as being associated with obesity. When someone suffers from this, they eat substantial amounts of food and eat even when they are not hungry, often feeling guilty and ashamed afterwards. Anorexia is defined by the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) as not consuming an adequate amount of food, leading to unhealthy weight. Bulimia is characterized as eating enormous amounts of food and then taking substantive efforts to avoid weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting. While these are the most common, all forms of eating disorders take a maladaptive approach to food. Many people find eating to be a pleasurable activity. However, The International Journal of Eating Disorders found that in people who suffered from anorexia, the release of dopamine (the reward center in the brain) in the dorsal striatum triggers anxiety rather than feelings of pleasure. Stigma also surrounds those who suffer from eating disorders as having strong willpower – but a Nature Neuroscience study suggests that it’s not willpower, it’s out of habit. In 2016, Dr. Kerr at the Laureat Institute for Brain Research scanned the brains of healthy women and women who had been diagnosed with an eating disorder, and found that those with an eating disorder had abnormal insula activity – what researchers later believed to affect their anxious temperament. Research is still be conducted to look further into brain activity to help us better understand the cause of eating disorders. However, scientists are getting a new perspective that it’s not just cultural stigma – they believe that part of the brain is likely to be different in those who suffer from an eating disorder than those who do not. By learning more about the research conducted in this area, we can correct stigmas around eating disorders and understand the neurobiological aspect of these disorders.