Myth Busters Weekly

Myth: Anorexia is the only serious eating disorder.

Eating Disorders are known to occur mainly in teenagers and young adults, mainly due to the influence current media has on their body image and self esteem. Anorexia nervosa is one of the most well-known eating disorders, being the process of starving oneself in various ways to achieve a certain body image.

However, both bulimia and OSFED(other specified feeding and eating disorders) have similar mortality rates. Bulimia involves the act of gorging on large amounts of food(bingeing) and subsequently forcing yourself to vomit it out(purging). OSFED includes the above acts at a less regular and intense scale.

It is important to be aware of the different types of eating disorders that exist, so that identification of symptoms becomes easier. Each of these above mentioned disorders thrives on negative thought patterns and behaviours that can have severe biological effects, which is why eating disorders have a high rate of mortality.