I have seen these two terms on social media and it seems like sometimes people think eating disorders and disordered eating are the same thing, which is not true. It could also be that readers are confused which one they have. As someone who has been diagnosed with eating disorder, it did not help to see content about disordered eating. It made me question my diagnosis and sadly made me believe I am fine and I do not need help. First of all I wish I wouldn’t have taken online content so seriously, and secondly I wish people didn’t try to label me under anything. Nonetheless, it is important to know the difference between eating disorder and disordered eating and use them correctly.
What is an eating disorder?
Eating disorders are the mental and physical illnesses you most likely are aware of by now. Eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder to name a few. According to American Psychiatric Association, eating disorders are behavioural conditions, which often co-occur with other psychiatric disorders. These could be mood and anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, or alcohol and drug abuse problems. Common treatments for eating disorders are psychological and nutritional counseling and medical and psychiatric monitoring. Eating disorders are more complex than that and denial of a problem and anxiety about changing eating patterns are common.
What is disordered eating?
Unlike eating disorders, disordered eating is a descriptive phrase, not a diagnosis. This is not to say that disordered eating is not harmful. Disordered eating can include frequent diets, meal skipping, routines surrounding foods, poor body image, and food restriction to make up for bad foods eaten. Now you can see the connection between the two terms. Disordered eating behaviours may occur at a lesser frequency, however, these behaviours can lead to severe conditions (eating disorders). Generally disordered eating does not fit the narrow criteria of most eating disorders, so people do not get diagnosis or get diagnosed with “Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified“. Treatments can include assistance from registered dietitians and in some cases psychiatric consultation is needed.
Why do I hate these terms?
I wish I could track back to the exact moment I felt bad about how my body looked but I do not know, it was always there. I also can’t track back to know if I started with disordered eating behaviours because before dieting I already had a problem with my body image. The moment I was diagnosed with an eating disorder, I felt good but not good as in “now it is time to get help”. It simply felt good to have something to explain what I was doing. In a way it was harder to let go of something that was connected to me – officially on a paper. For years I felt like that diagnosis was me, and it would forever be me. That paper determined who I was, it was in the records after all. This is why I don’t like these terms. I don’t categorise myself under anything anymore. The best decision was to let go of my diagnosis, otherwise I would have have held on to that forever (not to say that I magically recovered overnight). I actually learnt that from my boyfriend. He told me to stop saying I have an eating disorder, which felt very offensive at first but now it makes sense to me. They say we become what we think about, don’t they? I still think social media shouldn’t take these two terms so lightly. And of course, to receive the help you need, diagnosis from your doctor is still important but don’t go on social media to figure out what fits you the best. It is great to bring awareness but the misuse, wrong information, and putting yourself in a category can be more harmful than helpful.