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So what is an eating disorder?

Firstly the term Eating Disorder is a bit misleading. People with an eating disorder do not have problems eating. They can put food in their mouth, chew and swallow it. Eating disorders happen for a variety of reasons, depending on the person involved, and has more to do with fear about the consequences of allowing food into the body than to do with the process of eating. The consequences that are feared are not always to do with weight gain, they can be related to emotional issues. For example, standing up to their natural feelings of hunger is, for some people, a way of gaining control over their lives. Therefore, if they succumb to their hunger, they fear they are losing control over their lives.

Developing an eating disorder is often a solution to another problem faced by that person. For example, a teenage girl my feel unable to cope with the expectations of being an adult woman, so to halt the process, she may try to prevent her body developing an adult shape. By restricting the amount she eats and exercising frequently she is able to retain a childlike physique. Therefore, in this example, not eating is the solution for this girl to the problem of feeling anxious about the pressures of adulthood. To help her manage her eating disorder it would be pointless to focus only on her eating habits - the underlying worry of becoming a fully developed woman needs to be addressed.

Broadly speaking the two predominant types of eating disorder are: Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. That being said, approximately 60% of diagnosed eating disorders are atypical. This means that 6 in every 10 people suffering from an eating disorder can not be neatly slotted into either of the above categories. Instead they display symptoms that may be shared by both disorders.

Anorexia Nervosa

Sufferers demonstrate significant weight loss which may become severe enough to be life-threatening. It tends to occur amongst teenage girls although boys can also be affected. Frequent exercising or vomiting as well as extreme dieting is used to accelerate weight loss.

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia tends to develop slightly later on than Anorexia, typically in late teens and early twenties. People suffering from Bulimia tend to have normal body weight but binge eat and then vomit to prevent an increase in body weight. Like anorexia, it is more common in girls than boys.

Coping with an Eating Disorder

Below are some suggestions:

· Make some decisions.

· Decide that things are going to change from now on.
· Decide that you are not going to be controlled by your eating disorder, instead you are going to control the disorder.

· Think carefully about your feelings and emotions. Tackle head on what is worrying you and try not to use food to deal with it.

· Speak to people close to you and ask them to help you in your fight against your eating disorder. Its never easy asking for help, but it is a strength, not a weakness and you will be surprised how supportive others can be.

· Be prepared for it to take a while to make changes happen.

· Really focus and congratulate yourself on even the smallest step you take in the correct direction.

Who can help?

Your Doctor, who can refer you onto the Community Mental Health Teams or Child & Family Services, who can then involve the NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly eating disorder service.

Cornwall Eating Disorder Association (CEDA) - this charity provides help and support to all those affected by eating disorders in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

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