{"id":10756,"date":"2017-10-16T15:26:44","date_gmt":"2017-10-16T15:26:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bferrign.wdev.rochester.edu\/uhs\/?page_id=10756"},"modified":"2021-12-22T17:57:32","modified_gmt":"2021-12-22T17:57:32","slug":"disordered-eating-basics","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/uhs\/ucc\/online-screening-resources\/disordered-eating-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"Disordered Eating Basics"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Why do people get eating disorders?<\/h2>\n

Eating disorders are profoundly complex and they vary a great deal from person to person, but there are some common themes in the stories of people who struggle with them. Often there is some kind of negative affect \u2013 depression or anxiety or rage or grief, etc \u2013 that the person wants to be able to control. They may also have internalization of the “thin ideal”, along with strong body dissatisfaction. They may feel that everything else in their life is out of control, but one thing they can control is food and fat. And so they begin to manage their negative affect with dangerous behavior around food.<\/p>\n

So disordered eating isn’t really about the food, it’s about the underlying feelings; and recovery often involves learning more positive ways to manage those feelings, as well as healthy ways to manage food and physical activity. People recover from eating disorders! It takes time and patience, but recovery happens!<\/p>\n

I think my friend (or I) might have an eating disorder! How can I tell?<\/h2>\n

There are three basic patterns to disordered eating:<\/p>\n