Eating Disorders

We live in a world that can sometimes be super stressful. Sometimes it can feel like it’s really hard to manage anxieties and stresses. And sometimes all that pent up anxiety can turn into an eating disorder. Sometimes an eating disorder will just creep quietly up on you, after being unwell, or for all sorts of other reasons. But since you are on this page, let’s assume you are wondering… so here’s some info:

What’s an eating disorder?

Basically it’s having an unhealthy pattern of eating or not eating. It can be:

Bulimia. Often this looks like eating too much in an almost uncontrolled way, then feeling bad about that so deliberately vomiting, over exercising, or using laxatives to try and “get rid of it”. Feeling out of control about food, then trying to take excessive control of it. Often this can reflect a person’s emotions: feeling like their emotions are out of control, then trying to control them.

Anorexia. Mainly this looks more like not eating enough, or doing lots of stuff to “burn off” calories to lose weight or maintain a very low weight.

ARFID. Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. Fancy name, but sometimes some people find themselves restricting the types of foods they eat. Some children on that Autism Spectrum or with sensory processing disorders may dislike certain textures, colours, or tastes, and this can impact on what they eat. Or there may be other reasons…

Our bodies need food. The vital organs in your body (heart, brain, eyes, kidney, liver etc) are a collection of cells, which burn energy to power your vital functions. Food provides energy – the raw materials that your mitochondria (little powerhouses inside your cells) burn to keep you healthy.

The trouble is that when we start to starve, our brain becomes dysfunctional and can’t think straight. Then the “not eating” can get out of control, and people can cause damage to their vital organs, This is bad because they are kind of… vital… for you to stay alive and be able to do cool stuff.

There are lots of causes of eating disorders, and there are genetic as well as environmental and health issues that can contribute to their development. Fortunately there are some good resources for self-help, as well as specialist clinicians if you need one. There’s not much point just rewriting another resource, so this brief article is going to point you at some of the best resources we know of, and we will add more as we find them. The CCI resources are pretty awesome, all based on research, and with lots of really good info. If you think you may have an eating disorder – look up that site. The link is below. But read on first…

Also: Eating Disorders have a scarily high death rate. Because when people do not get enough food it can starve their vital organs, and they are called vital for a reason… you really do not want your heart and eyes to start cannibalising their own cells in order to try and keep themselves alive. The outcomes are predictably not at all good, you can end up with lifelong damage, or a shorter life. We would like you to be happy, healthy, and alive.

If you think you may have an eating disorder, it is really really super important that you tell somebody, see a doctor, and get your health checked. Then get some support with it. The earlier you get help with an eating disorder, the better the outcomes usually are.

Here’s a link to the awesomeness that is the Centre for Clinical Interventions:

https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/Resources/Looking-After-Yourself/Disordered-Eating

There’s info, a whole heap of modules that you can work through, and resources etc…..

SEE YOUR GP! You should also definitely go see a GP just so they can check your physical health. As in

“make an appointment and get yourself there”. A GP can also make a referral to ICAMHS for young people with eating disorders, and they have access to the specialists at the Specialist Eating Disorder Service (SEDS): who are super knowledgeable and really helpful

Some other really useful links

EDANZ A helpful website with information for carers about eating disorders and how to access help for your young person. https://www.ed.org.nz/

And because SEDS specialise in this stuff, we asked them if they had any useful resources,

and they sent us this lot:

Helpful websites for Families and Whānau (from SEDS Waikato)

https://nedc.com.au/ National Eating Disorder Collaboration Australia –Facts about Eds, & resources for support people

https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/get-information-and-support/support-someone-else/your-role-in-treatment/ BEAT is the UKs national charity for eating disorders

For young people:

https://www.feast-ed.org/info-for-parents/ F.E.A.S.T: the global support and education community of and for parents of those with eating disorders

https://edfa.org.au/about-index-edfa/about-eating-disorders-families-australia/ Eating disorders families Australia

http://www.maudsleyparents.org/

https://anorexiafamily.com help for parents of children and teens suffering from anorexia and other eating disorders

What is Family Therapy?:

https://mccaed.slam.nhs.uk/young-person-and-families/our-services/our-treatments/family-therapy/ A summary of MFBT by the Maudsley Centre for Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders. Time to watch: 6.04

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9a-amopqcI An audio recording from leading researchers and experts discussing the evidence base for MFBT. Time to listen: 15.57

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPyiddgWlfE Explaining Family based treatment and its evidence. Time to watch: 14.20

Navigating meal times:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVhKXh0gLGc&list=PLVgyQbyKQSBHUbIDLlc7t3v7bN0lmLcve&index=2

YouTube: How to help you child when they get stuck with eating Time to watch: 21.10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O9nZAWCkLc&list=PLVgyQbyKQSBHUbIDLlc7t3v7bN0lmLcve&index=1

YouTube: Helpful things to say during meal times. Time to watch: 05.25

See also the little pdf that SEDS have supplied, by way of brief tips for parents

PDF

For professionals, primary care providers, and others working with young people:

WHARAURAU https://wharaurau.org.nz is a provider of training to help upskill professionals working with young people. They provide training around eating disorders as well as other areas of mental health.

NICE The UK’s National Institute for health and Care Excellence has guidelines for professionals working with eating disorders, and the latest iteration of these can be found at:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng69

All views expressed in this information sheet are those of the author, however based on broad research and clinical experience. Any feedback may be directed to the author: Steve Williams, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Director: C&A Hub.