Eating disorders include conditions such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. These can have serious health consequences and they are sometimes fatal. Eating disorders can damage the heart, digestive system, dental health, bones, and cause other medical problems. Eating disorders are often associated with other mental health issues, including substance use issues. While there is much more awareness of eating disorders than there used to be, many misconceptions still exist. Here are some common ones.
Only girls and women have eating disorders.
It’s true that eating disorders are more common among women, but they are more common in men than most people would think. About a third of people suffering from eating disorders are men. Although we typically hear about the pressures of body image on women, many men feel similar pressure. While women feel pressure to be thin, men feel pressure to be lean and muscular to conform to media images of the ideal man. This can lead to obsession with “macros” and working out, trying to cut fat and gain muscle. What’s more, since eating disorders are often seen as a “girl thing,” men suffering from eating disorders are less likely to seek help. Eating disorders affect men for other reasons too. Athletes cutting weight for sports such as wrestling, boxing, olympic weightlifting, or other sports with weight classes often habitually resort to unhealthy means of cutting weight for competition.
You can tell by looking if someone has an eating disorder.
Most people assume that anyone with an eating disorder will be extremely skinny or extremely fat. That’s often not the case. Eating disorders are characterized by an unhealthy preoccupation with food and body weight. Someone with bulimia, for example, might look average, but still have an unhealthy relationship to food. The athletes mentioned above often look extremely fit despite being constantly preoccupied with calories and weight.
Eating disorders are caused by controlling parents.
This is a popular idea that doesn’t appear to be true. Most of a person’s risk for developing an eating disorder is genetic. Genes seem to account for between 50 and 80 percent of the risk. If you have a close relative with an eating disorder, you are more likely to develop one. You are also at greater risk if you suffer from anxiety, depression, OCD, or a substance use disorder. Families can be a major asset in overcoming an eating disorder.
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or an eating disoder, we can help. Recovery Ways is a premier drug and alcohol addiction treatment facility located in Salt Lake City, Utah. We have the resources to effectively treat a dual diagnosis. Our mission is to provide the most cost-effective, accessible substance abuse treatment to as many people as possible. Request information online or call us today at 1-888-986-7848.
