An eating disorder is when someone has unhealthy thoughts, feelings and behaviour around food.
Some of us may struggle with our weight or bodies, experience cravings, or comfort eat, but someone with an eating disorder will become so worried about this that they are unable to think about anything else.
This can affect other areas of their life, such as relationships with family, friends and work. It will usually prevent them from making healthy decisions about their physical health too.
What are eating disorders?
There are a number of different types of eating disorders:
- Binge eating disorder
- Bulimia nervosa
- Anorexia nervosa
- Other specified feeding or eating disorder
You can find out more about the different types of eating disorders at Mind.
What’s it like to live with an eating disorder?
Each person’s experience of living with an eating disorder will be unique to them, but some behaviours associated with eating disorders can include:
- Restricting their diet / giving themselves strict rules around eating
- 'Purging' food
- Binge eating
Where can I find out more?
Visit the Mind website to find out more about eating disorders, including information on diagnosis, symptoms, treatment and self-care.
You can also find information about personality disorders on the Rethink Mental Illness website.
