About eating issues

While eating issues are being increasingly discussed in our community, there is still quite a bit of misinformation out there.

Why ‘eating issue’ and not ‘eating disorder’?

Isis prefers to use the word ‘issue’ rather than ‘disorder’ because an issue is something to be discussed, not by just one person and their therapist, but also amongst families, the media, politicians and the community in general. More about Isis: About us

What do we know about eating issues?

the common age of onset is during adolescence
there are no known biological causes of eating issues
eating issues occur predominately within Western countries

What causes an eating issue?

As mentioned above, there is no known biological cause for an eating issue. Despite this, the past has seen eating issues primarily being responded to as a medical problem. It is now widely recognised that eating issues are caused by a complex interplay of individual, family, and social factors.

5 key factors can contribute to - and maintain - eating issues.

These are:

1.    Society & culture
       Culture, community attitudes, influence of schools, workplaces, religion, etc.

2.    Gender
       Influence of perceptions, expectations and experiences around being female/male, or not fitting into gendered
       categories.

3.    Family & personal relationships
       Influences from family, domestic situation, genetics, relationships, expectations and experiences etc.

4.    Individual  Influences
       of your personality, thinking, your body, perfectionism, personal experiences etc.

5.    A complex interaction
       of some or all of the above factors

Why does someone have an eating issue?

The eating issue can be an attempt to deal with and address a larger and more substantial trauma or conflict. Through listening to those who come to us for help, we hear them talk about their lives, their difficulties with food, and their sense of themselves.

Each story is unique, yet there are some important common areas:
1.    There is a fundamental and deep-seated loss of self-esteem
2.    They experience loss of power and control over their lives
3.    Contradictions and conflicts exist in their lives

About women and eating issues

The majority of those identified with eating issues have been women. This is why Isis has a strong history of feminism and helping women in particular with eating issues. See: Feminism and eating issues

Would you like more information about eating issues?

Eating issues

Feminism & eating issues

What does a ‘feminist approach’ to eating issues mean?

A feminist approach recognises that eating issues are caused by a complex interaction of socio-cultural, familial, individual and gender related factors.

While there is much that is unknown about eating issues, four key aspects have been identified. These are:

Anorexia

Bulimia

Where does bulimia fit with health and other eating issues?

Compulsive eating

What is compulsive eating or binge eating?

Similar to bulimia nervosa with frequent episodes of excessive eating but without purging behaviours. It is often accompanied by a sense of loss of control and, in many cases, weight gain.

Where does compulsive eating fit with health and other eating issues?

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

What is body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)?

Body Dismorphia is the experience of being overly concerned with defects, either real or imagined, in a person’s appearance to the extent that the time spent thinking about or looking at their perceived defect interferes with daily functioning and can lead to avoiding social interactions.

Other Eating Issues

What do we mean by ‘other eating issues’?

There is a wide range of other disordered eating patterns and not all people with eating issues have a clear-cut diagnosis. For example, anorexia and bulimia may co-exist, or one may develop into the other, or some people may have a very restricted food intake without fulfilling all of the criteria for anorexia nervosa. These conditions are no less serious; intervention and attention are still required.