Steven James Counselling

Eating disorders can affect anyone at any time, irrespective of age, religion, sex, cultural or racial background. Those most likely to be affected are young women between the ages of 12-25.

What is an eating disorder?

Food and the eating of food are crucial parts of our lives. We often try different foods and may even experiment with new food routines, such as becoming a vegetarian or just a new diet to improve your health. There is no problem with this, however some extreme eating patterns can be very damaging and even life threatening if not treated efficiently and correctly.

A disorder happens when you start seeing food as a coping mechanism during times of anxiety, sadness, loneliness and other emotions. Usually, it is not a single emotion but a combination of causes that lead to an eating disorder, from death of a loved one and low self-esteem to family relationships and problems at work.

Types of eating disorders

Anorexia Nervosa means ‘loss of appetite for nervous reasons’. In reality, this is slightly ambiguous, it really means that you have lost the ability to allow yourself to satisfy your appetite – it is not a loss of appetite but a serious perception disorder.

Bulimia Nervosa is another psychological eating disorder and you constantly live with the fear of weight gain. You binge-eat and then get rid of the food by vomiting or taking laxatives, by starving yourself, or by working off the calories with exercise.

Binge-eating Disorder is characterised by eating large quantities of food in a very short perios of time. It is very similar to bulimia except you don’t use any form of purging following a binge and therefore you are likely to gain weight.

What do I do next? Call Steven James Counselling.

We arrange a convenient time to meet up and talk about your concerns and needs and together we plan a way forward.