Sometimes, it can be confusing to differentiate between disordered eating and a full-blown eating disorder.
Many people might assume that if you struggle with your relationship with food, it’s automatically an eating disorder. However, this isn’t the case, and there are several important distinctions to make between the two.
In this blog post, we will analyze what separates disordered eating from a diagnosable eating disorder while highlighting signs that could indicate something more serious.
What Is a Disordered Eating?
Disordered eating is a general term that describes any type of abnormal behavior or thought process around food and body image.
It involves behaviors that diminish decision-making abilities and limit food intake to the point of discomfort and a lack of control, which leads to negative emotions such as guilt or shame.
Disordered eating typically involves cycles of restrictive eating, over-exercising, calorie counting, obsessing over weight loss, and/or using “quick-fix” diet plans to reach unrealistic goals. It can also include skipping meals, binging, or purging.
A disordered eating is not listed in the authoritative Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Instead, this expression describes an unusual pattern of dietary habits that transpires regularly and can become hazardous if left without proper attention.
Main Types of Disordered Eating
Disordered eating encompasses not only abnormal behaviors but also those strikingly similar to the habits of someone with an eating disorder.
Here are some of the most prevalent types of disordered eating:
- Fad diets
- Overeating
- Binge eating
- Calorie counting
- Skipping meals
- Orthorexia (an obsession with healthy eating)
- Food restriction
- Excessive exercise
- Social withdrawal
- Body shamin
These are just a few examples of disordered eating that can greatly impact one’s mental and physical health.
Common Symptoms of Disordered Eating
Disordered eating can exhibit signs and symptoms similar to an actual eating disorder but are less severe or occur fewer times than required for a diagnosis.
Here are the most prevalent signs and symptoms to look out for:
- Preoccupation with food, weight, and body image
- Extremely restrictive eating
- Skipping meals
- Binge eating episodes
- Abusing diet pills, laxatives, or other weight-loss supplements
- Compulsive exercising
- A distorted body image, with feelings of guilt or shame after eating
- Avoiding social situations or eating with friends because of food issues
- Engaging in self-sabotaging behaviors, like eating more after a binge
- Obsessive thoughts about food, weight, and body
Overall, disordered eating can manifest in many different ways, and it’s important to remember that everyone experiences this differently.
What Is an Eating Disorder?
An eating disorder is a severe mental and physical health condition that involves abnormal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors about food, body weight, and shape.
It is characterized by a preoccupation with dieting, weight loss or gain, and an extreme fear of becoming overweight.
Unlike disordered eating, this disease is recognized in the DSM-V, and the most common types are anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and bulimia nervosa.
So, an eating disorder is a diagnosable mental illness that requires treatment from a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals.
Main Types of Eating Disorders
An eating disorder is quite a serious mental and physical health condition affecting how people think, feel, and act around food. The most common types are the following:
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa, or anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by severe caloric restriction and relentless pursuit of thinness. Those with anorexia have a distorted body image and feel they are overweight despite being dangerously underweight.
Anorexia is associated with a range of physical and mental health complications, including an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, osteoporosis, infertility, and depression.
Binge Eating Disorder (BED)
Episodes of compulsive overeating characterize binge eating disorder (BED). People with this disease eat large amounts of food quickly and cannot stop until they feel uncomfortably full. They also experience feelings of guilt, shame, and distress about their eating.
BED can lead to a range of serious physical and mental health issues, including obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and depression.
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia nervosa, or bulimia, is an agonizing eating disorder where individuals engage in recurrent episodes of consuming vast amounts of food followed by purging behaviors like self-induced vomiting, the misuse of laxatives, and excessive exercise.
Bulimia causes numerous physical and mental health issues, such as dehydration, electrolyte disparities, and depression.
Common Symptoms of an Eating Disorder
While there are many types of eating disorders, there are some common signs and symptoms to look out for.
People with an eating disorder may experience the following:
- Preoccupation with food, weight, and body image
- Extremely restrictive eating
- Skipping meals
- Poor self-esteem
- Only eating on their own or avoiding social situations where food is present
- Self-criticism and negative body talk
- Binge eating episodes
- Using diet pills, laxatives, or other weight-loss supplements
- Excessive exercising
- Wearing baggy clothes
Disordered Eating vs. Eating Disorder: What’s the Difference?
Disordered eating is an umbrella term for abnormal or unhealthy eating habits and behaviors ranging from mild to severe. These may include restrictive diets, overeating, skipping meals, emotional eating, and other unhealthy behaviors.
While disordered eating can lead to physical and mental health issues, it does not meet the criteria for an eating disorder as defined in the DSM-V.
On the other hand, an eating disorder is a serious mental health condition that involves abnormal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors about food, body weight, and shape. It is characterized by a preoccupation with dieting, weight loss or gain, and an extreme fear of becoming overweight.
Eating disorder is recognized in the DSM-V as a severe disease and requires professional treatment from a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals to recover. Its most common types are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Eating disorders
So, the distinction between disordered eating and eating disorders lies in the severity of symptoms. Although many similar behaviors are present, they occur less often or not as severely with disordered eating.
Bottom Line
Disordered eating and eating disorders are distinct, although they may share similar characteristics. Disordered eating does not meet the criteria for an eating disorder as defined in the DSM-V. It may be less severe than an eating disorder.
Treatment for disordered eating is generally simpler and more straightforward than treatment for an eating disorder. Still, both conditions can lead to physical and mental health complications if left untreated.
If you suspect that you or someone close to you has an eating disorder, seek help from your health professional. With the right support and treatment, recovery is possible.
