Expert: Joanne - 9/23/2006

Question
Hi holly,
i'm 18, 6ft tall, 144lbs and i think i may have an eating disorder. In the past 5 years I have gone through a cycle of eating very little and losing a lot of weight, then going through a phase of binge-eating. I see myself as very fat, even though everyone tells me i am thin. I usually start to lose weight when something distressing happens and i think psychologically i feel i need some kind of control in my life. The last time i started losing weight was when my mum died and i did badly in my exams. I will lose weight until my weight is in the 120s-130s and often my period stops and i feel very weak a lot of the time. Then the bingeing takes over and it will be so extreme that i will eat as much as 4000 calories a day and will go to ridiculus lengths to get food (including stealing), and my weight shoots up to the 150s-160s.  
I don't appear to fit the criteria for any of the eating disorders, so do i actually have an ED do you think? I identify with people who have eating disorders because of my eating habits, and because ive also got depression, an anxiety disorder, have self-harm problems, experienced child abuse and have low self-esteem.
I don't want to live in this way anymore. Whether i have an eating disorder or not, what could i do to improve my eating and become healthy?

Answer
I do believe that you sound as though you have an eating disorder.  There are eating disorders that are just classed as EDNOS (eating disorder- not otherwise specified).  These are eating disorders which don't fit the criteria for one, but a mixture of a few, or have a few characteristics, but not all.

If you use food to control your emotions (you seem to?!) then that is when your considered to have an eating disorder.  Although what you are doing is physical, the reasons for these behaviours are emotional or psychological.  Although you feel now as though you want to lose weight, it normally has nothing to do with losing weight and more to do with trying to fit in somewhere, or a subconscious cry for attention or help when you feel that you are losing control.  You don't want to ask for help, so subconsciously it's easier to do something that will make people offer you help.  I am in NO WAY saying that you are attention seeking or anything like that!!!

Are you seeing anyone for your other problems?  If you are, I think that you should bring up the eating issues with them.  If not, I think that you should go to your Dr and ask to be referred to a professional.  These disorders are far too hard to overcome by yourself, and even the strongest of people need support and the professional know-how in order to deal with these.

I hope that this has been of some help, and if you have any further questions, please feel free to come back

All the best
Holly