The Mental Side of an Eating Disorder

When you think of an eating disorder we clearly think of the physical process of cooking food and eating it.  Many times our minds go straight to things like bulimia being a physical sickness, because of the physical act of eating and then vomiting the food up after.  Although someone who suffers from a disorder like bulimia is looks like their disorder is very much affecting only their physical well being, it also greatly affects their mental health as well.  Many times eating disorders begin because of someones altered mental state.  They see themselves looking very different in their eyes than someone else sees them.  Their brain is telling them they’re not beautiful or they weigh too much, when of course they are beautiful no matter what.  But they don’t see that they might actually be extremely under weight and unhealthy due to these kinds of illnesses.

You would think an eating disorder where someone didn’t want to eat or was throwing their food up after they eat it, would be so simple to treat.  Because someone like me or you who doesn’t suffer from an eating disorder and maybe LOVES a good meal, wonders why someone wouldn’t want to eat.  But it’s not that simple.  We can’t just tell someone suffering that they really need to be eating in order to give their bodies what it needs and in order to stay as healthy as possible.  According to Mental Health America one of the most effective treatments for eating disorders is some form of psychotherapy.  The psychotherapy can help the now patient who is trying to recover from these types of illness realize that there may be some underlying personal issues that lead to this diagnosis.  Very Well Mind talks about how a nutritionist is another very important professional in the recovery process from one eating disorder.  A nutritionist can help to establish a good healthy relationship with food and to make sure that the proper nutrients and vitamins are getting into the body to start the process towards a healthier lifestyle.  A lot of times we don’t realize how much of a role mental health plays in just about any diagnosis that someone could be given.