Eating Disorders: What You Need to Know 

Written By Lauren Rizzo

Trigger warning: This blog may contain triggers about eating disorders. If this is not the time for you to read this blog, please take care of yourself first. You can catch another blog of ours instead or come back to this one another time. 

What are eating disorders? 

Eating disorders are widely misunderstood mental health conditions. With so many different terms, diagnoses and treatment approaches, learning about eating disorders can sometimes feel overwhelming or confusing. Unfortunately, this confusion can also become a barrier to seeking help. 

In this blog, we will explore some of the key information that we believe everyone should have access to. 

Eating disorders are mental health conditions that can affect a person’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours around food, eating, body image and weight. When people think of eating disorders, they may picture someone severely restricting their food intake or vomiting after eating. While these can be characteristics of some eating disorders, eating disorders can look very different from person to person. 

You or someone you love may be experiencing distressing thoughts or behaviours around food and wondering: 

“Does this mean I have anorexia or bulimia?” 

The answer is not always straightforward. Importantly, you do not need to meet the full criteria for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or another well-known eating disorder to be experiencing an eating disorder or to deserve support. 

You may have heard the term disordered eating, which describes a range of concerning eating behaviours and thoughts. This may include restricting food, binge eating, vomiting or other compensatory behaviours, rigid food rules, intense anxiety around eating, or persistent preoccupation with food, weight or body shape. 

When these thoughts and behaviours become persistent, distressing or begin to interfere with a person’s physical health, emotional wellbeing or daily life, they may indicate an eating disorder, even if the person does not appear to fit the stereotype. 

You do not have to be or look “sick enough” to seek help. If your relationship with food, eating or your body is causing distress or impacting your life, support is available. 

What can you expect from treatment?

Eating disorder treatment usually involves a team of health professionals rather than just you and your psychologist. A typical team supporting an eating disorder might look like: 

  • A General Practitioner (GP) 

  • A psychologist 

  • A dietician  

Why these professionals? 

A GP 

  • Can monitor the physical health challenges that can arise with an eating disorder like heart health, bone and muscle health, gastric health etc. 

  • Can help determine medical weight indexes to better understand and track the progression or recovery from an eating disorder  

  • Can connect clients with the right allied health and other professionals 

A psychologist 

  • Can treat the behaviours and thoughts around eating and body image 

  • Can spend a longer time working with clients to address the barriers and successes towards recovery  

  • Works with the client about their triggers and what drives the eating disorders 

  • Can take the time to understand the whole person, not just the eating disorder 

A dietician  

  • Can guide clients around meal plans 

  • Assess nutritional intake and establish a routine with eating 

  • Providing education about food and how it responds to the body 

It’s a combination of these services that work together for positive change and recovery! 

What should I do? 

If you or someone you know experiences disordered eating, wants to improve your/their relationship with food and body image, here are the options you might consider doing next. 

  1. Have a conversation with a loved one about now being the time to get help. This could be for yourself or someone else. You don’t have to do this alone. If there is no one right now, that’s okay too. Skip to the next step. 

  1. Book a GP appointment. Start by telling them what you’ve noticed and answer all their questions. If that’s not an option, skip to the next one. 

  1. Look at community resources available.  

  • Eating Disorders Victoria 

  • The Butterfly Foundation 

  • Headspace  

  • Reach Out  

If symptoms have become significant and a threat to life, you can  

  • Emergency department (adults) 

  • Emergency department (Royal Children’s Hospital for children/adolescents) 

  • Call 000 

Just remember, you don’t have to do this alone. We work Better Together! 

Lauren Rizzo

Clinical Psychology Registrar

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Your Child’s First Psychology Session: What Parents Can Expect