The Dark Truth

I want to start with something that is hopefully obvious... Eating disorders should NOT be glamorized.

Some of the stuff in here is well known but other stuff isn't as obvious unless you deal with or have dealt with them in the past.

For starters, I had to add that part in the beginning because for a long time, pro-ana (pro-anorexia) and pro-mia (pro-bulimia) sites and pages on social media were very common and easy to access no matter your age. When I was in middle school and hating myself, I went to as many pro-mia pages as I saw on Instagram. My feed was filled with ways to purge. These sites made it seem amazing to be sick with this mental illness. (Spoiler: it is a living hell!)

What led me to get to the point of developing bulimia was wanting control over something in my life, anything. I can't control my physical health causing me to not have control over any aspect of life. I lost the freedom to even take walks around the neighborhood because of having seizures and no warning of when it will happen. I lost the ability to do what I enjoyed so I found a different way to take control. In my mind, it was always, "I have control so it's okay." That couldn't be further from the truth. Another common cause of eating disorders is having trauma. It seems rare (based on people I know) that eating disorders were caused by just hating how they look. There's almost always more to it.

What it seems like many people don't realize is that eating disorders don't give you control in the long term. You start it feeling like you have the power but you very quickly lose that power because they are an addiction. They begin to consume you mentally. I can't speak for everyone but in my case, when my relapse got to its most severe point, all I could think about was "how am I going to skip meals without people knowing" and "if I eat, will I be able to purge."

Signs of a few types of eating disorders (these are not all the signs of any, just a few major ones):

Anorexia - extreme thinness, intense fear of gaining weight, distorted body image or self image, denial about being severely underweight

Bulimia - chronically sore throat, swollen salivary glands, worn tooth enamel, gastrointestinal problems, severe dehydration, electrolyte imbalance

Binge Eating Disorder - eating fast during binge episodes, eating until you're uncomfortably full, eating alone or in secret to avoid embarrassment, feeling distressed ashamed or guilty about your eating

This next part is going to be warnings of the physical aspects of what can happen due to three of the more well-known eating disorders...

Anorexia - thinning of the bones, anemia, muscle weakness, growth of fine hair on the body, decreased body temperature, infertility, brain damage, organ failure, damage to the structure and function of the heart, and death

Bulimia - heart problems (such as participations or arrhythmia), feeling cold all the time, low blood pressure, damaged esophagus (sometimes to the point of it bursting, requiring immediate surgery), acid reflux, hormonal issues, other GI issues, tooth decay, muscle weakness

Binge Eating Disorder - heart disease, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, cancer, arthritis (all of these are caused by overeating and therefore, becoming obese), death

All of these disorders negatively affect mental health. They can cause depression and anxiety. 

Sources:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/eating-disorders

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/eating-disorders/bulimia-nervosa/bulimia-effects-body

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/eating-disorders/binge-eating-disorder/health-problems-binge-eating

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If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, please reach out for help. Just know, you are not alone.