Stereotypes

• That the only types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa
  Although these are two of the more widely known types of eating disorders, there are so many more including…
  1. Binge Eating Disorder (BED) which involves recurring episodes of binge eating followed by high periods of distress however; a person won’t indulge in compensatory behaviours.
  2. Pica which is characterised by an appetite for substances with no nutritional value such as paper, hair, paint, glass or metal.
  3. Rumination which involves the bringing back up and re-chewing of partially digested food that has already been swallowed.
  4.  Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is where the consumption of certain foods is limited based on the food's appearance, smell, taste, texture, or a past negative experience with the food, such as choking.
  5.  The diagnosis of Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED) is given when a person may present with symptoms of other eating disorders however, they don’t meet the full criteria to be diagnosed with these disorders.
  6. Orthorexia, although not clinically recognised in the DSM-5, it involves developing an unhealthy obsession with ingesting only healthy food.
• That you’re not sick until you’re emaciated
  Weight is merely a psychical symptom to a mental illness. A person’s weight does not determine how sick they are. A person’s weight does not illustrate how much they’re suffering. This belief is what drives sufferers deeper into the illness, making sufferers believe that they’re not “good” at being “sick enough”, and leading to an increase in self-destructive behaviours.
• That when you reach a healthy weight, you’ll automatically have a healthy mindsetWeight restoration is extremely important in furthering a person’s recovery, however as eating disorders are complex psychiatric illnesses, it takes a lot more than a healthy weight to remove all thoughts and behaviours.  Just because someone in recovery is a healthy weight and eating all their meals, doesn’t mean their cured or not struggling. They’re just simply further along in their recovery.
• That a person with anorexia doesn’t eat at allThis is complete and utter bullshit. If someone with an eating disorder ate absolutely nothing they would be dead within a few weeks. Sufferers of anorexia do eat, however the portion is small and the food is usually low in calories. Eating behaviours are extremely individualised.
• The assumption that a person’s illness was caused from a dysfunctional family environmentThere is no evidence that particular parenting styles are a direct cause of eating disorders. In fact, there is no identifiable cause for the development of an eating disorder, only a variety of predisposing factors such as genetics and certain personality traits.
• That you’re only struggling and malnourished if you’re extremely underweightA person’s struggle is not defined or shown by their weight, and neither is their state of nourishment. Malnutrition is defined as the insufficient, excessive or imbalanced consumption of nutrients. It can occur at ANY weight when a person’s diet doesn’t contain the right amount of nutrients, whether it be undernutrition (lack of nutrients) or overnutrition (more nutrients than needed).
• That people with eating disorders only eat “healthy” foodNot everyone with an eating disorder lives off healthy food. Some may eat candy bars in the morning and nothing else all day. Others may eat lettuce and mustard every 2 hours or only condiments. Every case is different, however, in the case of orthorexia; it’s slightly different as it consists of the obsession with only eating foods which are considered healthy.
• That all eating disorders stem from body image issues and vanityBody image and self-esteem issues may contribute to the development of an eating disorder however; that is not what drives them. They are usually related to emotional issues such as control and low self-esteem and often exist as part of a dual diagnosis of major depression, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is a way to cope with unpleasant and overwhelming emotions in the short term.
• Eating disorders only affect white, middle class females
  Eating disorders do not discriminate. Both males and females from a range of socioeconomic, sociocultural and religious backgrounds can suffer from an eating disorder during any stage of life. Although it’s mostly common in females, an estimated 10% to 15% of males suffer from anorexia or bulimia and another 40% exhibit BED, with the percentage continuing to increase.
• That eating disorders are a choice 
  No one on earth would choose to have an eating disorder. They’re not a choice, they’re complex psychiatric conditions that develop over time and require a range of treatments to address the underlying issues.
• That people with eating disorders are deceitful and manipulative In order to cover the shame and protect their eating disorder, some sufferers may lie about their behaviours. This is their illness and not the person themselves. On the other hand though, there are others who will be completely honest about their behaviours however, due to this stereotype, health professionals will generally believe the sufferer is just lying about everything.
• That it’s all about food
  Eating Disorders are basically coping mechanisms. By focusing on food and weight a person is able to repress or numb painful feelings and emotions.
  
• That Binge Eating Disorder (BED) isn’t a serious eating disorder
  Binge Eating Disorder is just as serious and dangerous as any other eating disorder. Binging episodes often result in intense guilt, shame and self-hatred resulting in crippling depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicidal tendencies.
• That one admission will cure an eating disorderThis varies with each sufferer. Some individuals may only need one admission; some may need multiple over a period of years. Recovery is very individualised the one method won't work for everyone.
• That every person with an eating disorder counts caloriesIncorrect. Each sufferer struggles with different aspects of things surrounding food and weight. One may count calories in everything they consume while others may go purely off size and what’s considered “safe” and some might not care at all. Not everyone counts the exact amount of fat, sugar and carbs in what they’re consuming. It doesn’t make a person’s illness any less valid if they don’t struggle with this specific behaviour.
• That sufferers of anorexia don’t get hungry
  Anorexia isn’t defined by some mysterious absence of hunger, it’s the denial of hunger, not its absence. Everyone gets hungry, it's human, however, when your body is screaming at you not to eat, you learn to ignore the feeling of hunger.
• That everyone with anorexia excessively exercise to lose weight
  Another myth. Some sufferers may struggle with excessively exercise however, not everyone does. Some sufferers will hate exercise with a passion (like me!). This does not make a person’s illness any less valid. 
• That purging is only throwing up
  Purging can occur in a range of ways including self-induced vomiting, fasting, the use of laxatives, enemas and diuretics, insulin abuse and excessive exercise. Each of these methods are as dangerous as each other and can lead to a serious medical emergency.
• That you have to be clinically diagnosed to suffer from an eating disorder
  Many sufferers can go undiagnosed for years due the will to protect the disorder, the stigma surrounding it and the denial that there is even a problem. If someone identifies with a majority of the symptoms of a disorder, it doesn’t make their illness any less valid. An estimated 20% of females in Australia live with an undiagnosed eating disorder.