Let’s Talk About Eating Disorders

Quick stats:

• 8 million Americans experience an eating disorder at some point in their lives.
• Eating disorders have the second highest mortality rate of all mental health disorders, surpassed only by opioid use disorder.

Source: National Eating Disorders Association

 Eating disorders are behavioral conditions in which normal eating habits become disrupted and rewarded in an unhealthy way. They can affect a person’s physical and mental health, and often happen in combination with other psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety or substance use disorder. 

Anyone can struggle with an eating disorder. It can occur in any age group, gender, ethnicity or racial group. Eating disorders appear to be caused by both genetic and environmental factors. 

There are several forms of eating disorders:

• Anorexia nervosa, a form of self-starvation
• Bulimia nervosa, in which individuals engage in repetitive cycles of binge-eating alternating with compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting, laxative abuse, excessive exercise or fasting
• Binge-eating disorder, in which patients regularly engage in binge-eating episodes but do not engage in compensatory behaviors to avoid weight gain 
• Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder,in which people may have lack of interest in food, avoid certain textures or types of foods, or have fears and anxieties about consequences of eating, unrelated to shape or weight concerns, such as fear of choking, vomiting or abdominal discomfort
• Other specified feeding and eating disorders, which includes people who do not meet the criteria for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa but still have a significant eating disorder 

Johns Hopkins experts Angela Guarda, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Eating Disorders Program, and Colleen Schreyer, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, are available for interviews to provide insight about eating disorders, including the following topics: 

Men struggle with eating disorders, too.

Eating disorders can affect anyone. In fact, according to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), males represent 25% of individuals with anorexia nervosa. Guarda and Schreyer can discuss why the unhealthy emphasis on physical appearance and the social stigma of seeking psychiatric help may be some of the reasons why males go undiagnosed and untreated for eating disorders. 

Early intervention: The key to recovery.

Forming healthy eating practices at home and in social settings is a necessary component of recovery, but it’s not the only aspect of treatment. Guarda and Schreyer can discuss the importance of early intervention and treating the patient as a whole and not just the eating disorder. Some eating disorders, such as anorexia, are associated with significant and sometimes very serious physical and mental health conditions that may require the expertise of a variety of medical specialists and not just mental health professionals. 

Weight shaming and bullying may lead to eating disorders.

The pursuit of the perfect body image and the culture of thinness can contribute to weight shaming and bullying. According to NEDA, many individuals who struggle with eating disorders say bullying is one of their initial triggers. Guarda and Schreyer can discuss how dieting or changing eating and exercise behaviors can be used to manage a person’s feelings of distress caused by anxious social interactions, and how this can lead to disordered eating and excessive exercise, particularly in vulnerable young individuals.

Please contact Marisol Martinez ([email protected]) if you are interested in scheduling a time to interview our experts.