The Purpose of the Eating Disorder
What is the purpose of the eating disorder? So often those who are unfamiliar with eating disorders assume they are based in a quest for thinness. Even those who struggle with one may believe it is about weight or body size.
Do not be fooled. No matter what happens with weight, the disorder will continue. If weight is lost, one will continue to want to be lower and lower, regardless of what preset ‘goals’ they had in mind.
Eating disorders serve a much deeper purpose for the individual. Like any ineffective coping strategy (perfectionism, alcoholism, drug addiction, etc.), they regulate emotions in a destructive way. These individuals are unaware of the emotional aspect of the disorder.
Following is a list of functions of the eating disorder, adapted from the book The Eating Disorder Sourcebook by Carolin Costin.
- Comfort, soothing, nurturance
- Numbing, sedation, distraction
- Attention, cry for help
- Discharge tension, anger, rebellion
- Predictability, structure, identity
- Self-punishment or punishment of ‘the body’
- Cleanse or purify self
- Create small or large body for protection/safety
- Avoidance of intimacy
- Symptoms prove ‘I am bad’ instead of blaming others (for example, abusers)
Often clients will tell me they don’t know what they are feeling. This is the numbing aspect of the disorder. Restriction, purging and binging (or emotional eating) all bring an emotional numbness to the individual. This prevents one from feeling bad, but also inhibits any positive feelings. People report just feeling sort of ‘flat’.
Eating disorders can be a cry for help. The sufferer may not even realize they are not okay. They do not have the ability to reach out for help, so the body ends up being the expression. I have had many clients who were relieved to be ‘caught’ in their disorder so they could finally get help out of it (and ultimately get help for whatever was underlying the behaviors).
Identity plays a major role in eating disorders. In those who do lose weight, there is a sense of being special because they are thinner than others. Often they receive compliments (to a point), and this really fuels the drive. Many of my clients struggle with the fear of not knowing who they are without the eating disorder.
There are many purposes an eating disorder can serve, but its purpose is never really about weight. Those who are struggling with these issues must receive professional help to recover. Though some people have managed to stop the behaviors on their own (atypical), the underlying issues are never addressed. This leads to other ineffective coping habits. When seeking help, insist the therapist, dietitian, and psychiatrist are experienced in treating those with eating disorders. This is a highly specialized area, and it requires considerable experience to provide appropriate care.
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