Disordered Eating

BridgePoint welcomes participants with disordered eating and diagnosed eating disorders. Wait! What is the difference?

Disordered eating refers to a wide range of abnormal eating behaviors, many of which are shared with diagnosed eating disorders. The main thing differentiating disordered eating from an eating disorder is the level of severity and frequency of behaviors. Most individuals who are diagnosed with an eating disorder start out by doing some kind of disordered eating. For example, people who diet are more likely to develop an eating disorder. It is important to recognize the signs of disordered eating and to get help before the problem gets worse. That way you may prevent an eating disorder from developing. The treatment of disordered eating and eating disorders works best when it is started early in the illness.

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Facts and Statistics in Canada

The ages at which the onset of eating disorders are reported

Anorexia NervosaAnorexia is generally characterized by a restriction of food resulting in severe weight loss. Despite possible low weight, you may often continue to regard yourself as being overweight, and will continue to restrict food intake or try to maintain that low weight.
Bulimia NervosaAs with someone with anorexia, with bulimia there is an extreme fear of becoming overweight, and in an effort to control weight, the person will engage in some form of purging behavior.
Binge Eating DisorderBinge eating disorder is in many ways similar to bulimia nervosa in that there is a sense of lack of control over eating, but there are no compensative behaviors.
EDNOSEating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) is a term used when a person shows signs of disordered eating but does not meet all of the diagnostic criteria for one of the three Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) recognized eating disorders, Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa or Binge Eating Disorder.

Did you know?

Only 10% of those with an eating disorder get help.

Do you know that of all mental illnesses, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate? Unfortunately, this is a true statement. What’s more, of people who have eating disorders, 10 to 20 percent eventually die from complications. Eating disorders kill... But they don’t have to. Data provided to the Standing Committee on the Status of Women for their Report on Eating Disorders Among Girls and Women in Canada (released November 2014) suggest that as many as 600,000 to 900,000 Canadians meet the diagnostic criteria for an Eating Disorder at any given time.

Approximately 3% of women will be affected by an eating disorder during their lifetime.

Eating disorders affect girls and women more than boys and men.

Factors believed to contribute to eating disorders include biological and personal factors as well as society's promotion of the thin body image.

Eating disorders carry with them a high risk of other mental and physical illnesses that can lead to death.

Since 1987, hospitalizations for eating disorders in general hospitals have increased by 34% among young women under the age of 15 and by 29% among 15-24 year olds.

Testimonials

Eating disorders are a lifetime struggle and I strongly believe in building and maintaining a strong positive support system. I am so thankful for the BridgePoint programs for planting the seed of self-acceptance that I needed at that time to begin my road to recovery.

I trust everyone and the confidentiality and the trust here. It's difficult at times, very emotional and it's hard dealing with a lot of feelings but it's what you have to do and it feels so better much and so supportive.

There's no comparison to anything else I've tried and it’s a real blessing and an opportunity to be able to come here and an opportunity not to be taken lightly. It's a privilege to be here and I know that I will leave here a different person.

I can identify the issues and accept them and be able to learn how to work with that. I think over time we can say goodbye to the eating disorder. There is freedom at the end of the tunnel, but it takes work.

It's not about being broken and getting fixed, it's that we are all individuals who have pain and we're learning how to cope in a very healthy way.

The fact that BridgePoint operates so differently than the traditional medical model was very refreshing, and proved to be vital to my experience and healing.

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Disordered Eating