Eating disorders have very many effects on the sufferers. The effects can be divided into mental, spiritual and physical.

The mental effects can be associated with different levels of anxiety (from moderate to very severe), depression, and difficulty to focus on tasks, low span of attention, lethargy or impulsivity and distortion of thoughts.

One of the very specific effects of eating disorders is a distorted body image when people see a wrong picture of themselves and others. This mental problem is called “broken eye syndrome”.

This is when the sufferer sees in the mirror a much fatter reflection of themselves then they actually are. And when they look at other people they judge them according to the person’s weight and body looks. Other people can also look bigger to them then the person really is.

Spiritual effects of eating disorders can be associated with loss of self-identity or insight, inability to maintain healthy relationship with people and loss of coping strategies.

Eating disorders become a way suffers see themselves. When you ask a person:” Please, describe yourself. Who you are? And what do you do?”, the sufferer describes her/his eating disorder and how they feel about food and other things associated with food or their eating behaviors. It means that the eating disorder replaces their insight completely and they become incapable of relating to the things other then food and eating.

Also anorexics -bulimics loose their ability to be close or intimate with people. They can’t connect to another human being on a spiritual level because their spirit (soul) is taken over by food and distorted feelings. Many sufferers even feel disgusted in relation to opposite sex or some other people.

Some of them even say:”My best friend is always here with me.” By “my best friend” they mean their eating disorder.

Coping strategies with everyday stress disappear or significantly diminish and get replaced with food and abnormal feelings about food and eating. For example, a bulimic response to stress, boredom or other uncomfortable feelings would be an increase in the binging-purging behavior cycles.

Anorexics will starve themselves and exercise more then usual in relation to the same feelings.

Eating disorders effects on a body could be differentiated by organs being affected. Kidney damage often occurs especially in long standing cases. The heart can slow its rhythm or become irregular and can even stop resulting in death in severe cases of anorexia-bulimia.

Teeth get eroded. Skin becomes dry, fragile and old looking. Bones loose their density resulting in broken bones easily. Immune system deteriorates making a person become susceptible to many infections and other illnesses.

In conclusion, eating disorders effects are harmful and can be lethal. To avoid the worst, one should start doing something immediately.

By: Irina Webster

About the Author:

Mayla asked:


i seriously need help. my binge eating has been going on nonstop for about 8 months. i just do not know what to do anymore. i want to tell my parents and ask for help, but i don’t know where to start. i’ve come so close to telling them several times, but somehow something always seems to stop me. i just cannot control myself and i need someone to tell me what to do. if you have any suggestions please let me know as soon as you can. thanks!

lognonzoanetpascalrufin asked:


I really want a flat stomac and to be generally thin but not stick like, i want too loose about 15 pounds at least im around 145 puonds and im about 5.5 whats the fastest way i can loose my wieght, is anorexia the best way to go?
any suggestions ??
Help please

vwmad1 asked:


I know that eating disorders are to do with the way that you control what you eat, or the lack of control if you over eat, but is it possible that its to do with your mindset, even if you eat normally? EG: Anorexia: Person eats normally,but thinks that they need to lose weight and that they should stop eating to achieve this.

(This question is not meant to offend, and is not for personal use. I am studying a psychology course at the moment).

Thanks for all your answers

Lus asked:


i keep finding it difficult to distinguish between them
what is the difference between Bulimia and Anorexia ?
i still can’t see anything different ??!!!
do u throw up when having Anorexia or it’s just Bulimia?

Alix asked:


I’m having problems relapsing with an eating disorder- and ive been through everything before, and i really want to stop this early. I was wondering if there are any treatment centers that would take someone who wasnt extremely sick, but still needed help getting on the right track again

Samantha H asked:


A family member had her baby almost two months ago and he was born with a hole in his back. They’ve now realized he has Hydrocephalus. Assuming it was caused by the Spinabifida. She has been bulimic for a while so.. we’re curious whether it was a cause or played a part in this. There is no family history of Spinabifida or Hydrocephalus.

Lindsay Lou Who asked:


I am currently in treatment recovering from anorexia, and I am noticing that my stomach is expanding, and other places are not. I am getting more self conscious every day. Will the weight redistribute amongst my body? How long will this take? Is this normal?

liveurlife167 asked:


I had unprotected sex and i think i might be pregnet and i have been struggling with eating disorders since i was in 8th grade and now im a junior. I am now struggling with binge eating. I want to know if it is bad if you binge eat and its early in a pregnacy?

obaidkarki asked:

Obaid Karki An Outcast Spinoziste Pantheon Hexalingual Automath Former UAE Under Secretary Independant Street-Knowledge Urban Talkshow Guru. Unaffiliated to any State, Organized Religion Group, Sect or Kin. Anti Tribal Gentile eating over eating obesity seconds Scholarly articles for binge eating over eating obesity Binge eating disorder in extreme obesity Hsu Cited by Overcoming Binge Eating Fairburn Cited by Subthreshold binge eating disorder Striegel Moore Cited by Sweet tooth linked to …