Eating Disorder Recovery In The UK – Common Misconceptions

 What is an eating disorder?

According to the NHS website, “an eating disorder is a mental health condition where you use the control of food to cope with feelings and other situations.” Although most may associate the words ‘eating disorder’ with somebody who is underweight and avoids food, the term includes other unhealthy eating behaviours, such as binge-eating, eating things that are not food, and purging. The road to eating disorder recovery in the UK does vary depending on the symptoms that somebody has.

How do we educate people on this subject?

At Mental Health TV, we create educational video content on mental health. Although many might think that eating disorders are just about not eating enough and that recovery just requires you to get to a healthier weight, this is not the case. We have several programmes on eating disorders to educate patients, families, medical professionals and the general public on the nuances of eating disorders. It isn’t always just about the food.  Making educational content on eating disorders is helping to reduce stigma and misconceptions about eating disorders, and eating disorder recovery in the UK.

What are common misconceptions about eating disorders? #

• Common misconceptions are:
• Eating disorders are a choice
• Everyone who has an eating disorder is skinny
• Only women have eating disorders
• Eating disorders are all about wanting to be skinny
• Eating disorder recovery in the UK is just eating more

What is the truth about eating disorders?

Eating disorders are not a choice. There are many different factors that can contribute to developing an eating disorder. This includes life transitions (they may cause stress and anxiety, making somebody more susceptible to an eating disorder), psychological health in general, excessive dieting, body dysmorphia, family history, abuse, and extracurricular activities (e.g. ballet, swimming etc).

Men and women both can suffer from eating disorders, though the number of women that seek treatment is higher than the number of men who seek treatment. Men are more likely to have muscle dysmorphia (an obsession with becoming more muscular). This can lead to unhealthy behaviours e.g. taking steroids. Women are more likely to want to become thinner.

Eating disorder recovery in the UK starts with a visit to the GP. The GP will refer the patient to the local eating disorder recovery service. The treatment provided depends on the eating disorder.

What does eating disorder recovery involve?  

Eating disorder recovery in UK varies depending on the eating disorder. For those suffering with anorexia, there are talking therapies provided and often accompanied by advice from a dietician to help with nutrition. Focal psychodynamic therapy can also be offered to help find out what the unhealthy eating habits are related to. Some treatments don’t require staying away from home. However, if somebody has health complications that are serious, they may be admitted to hospital and only allowed to return home once weight has been restored and they’re deemed mentally well enough.

Treatment for bulimia usually requires guided help and talking therapy. During this treatment plan patients monitor what they are eating to try and change patterns in their behaviour, make meal plans, learn about their triggers and explore the underlying causes of their disorder.

Teaching About Alcoholism – Why it’s Important

 At Mental Health TV, we create educational content on mental health. Some might not realise that addiction ties into mental health heavily, and often those who are struggling with substance abuse benefit from therapy as well as help with withdrawal. With addiction there is a stigma, and it is our aim to help reduce this stigma.

What is alcoholism?

You may have heard people speak very badly of alcoholics. At points it can be dehumanising. However, someone suffering with alcoholism is still a human being and you have to take into account how they got to where they are. What happened to them? What is going on in their mind and body? An alcoholic is unable to control their drinking and would struggle to stop consuming it themselves.

What causes Alcoholism?

Alcoholism can be caused by a number of things. Family, home life, workplace, religion and culture can all play a part in it. Family is thought to be one of the main causes – if a child has a parent who struggles with alcoholism, it’s more likely that they will develop issues with alcohol themselves. Environmental factors also play a part in alcoholism. For example, somebody who lives near bars and pubs might drink more regularly, making them more susceptible to alcoholism. When it comes to psychological factors, some people may find relief from stress, anxiety and depression when they drink alcohol, making them more at risk of becoming reliant on the substance. People who drink alcohol on a very regular basis develop tolerance to it over time, meaning they have to drink more to feel the effects of it.

Why can’t alcoholics ‘just stop’?

Some may find that it is the habit of being intoxicated they struggle to let go of, while others may have progressed to the point that their body is physiologically dependent on the substance. At this stage, withdrawal is a problem, which may dissuade them from stopping their drinking. For those that self-medicate with alcohol for psychological or physiological reasons, it may feel more painful mentally or physically to stop drinking, than to be intoxicated.

Relapse

Some may feel like a failure if they relapse back into alcohol abuse. However, relapse is expected when recovering from addiction. Recovering from addiction is a big challenge. It takes a lot of hard work for an addict to learn and understand what their triggers are, and to learn to cope with difficult life-situations or feelings sober. Sometimes people can be triggers, and it can be hard to distance from them. According to alcoholrehabguide.org, old habits, stress and anxiety, social pressures, mental or emotional instability, anger, frustration, and temptation to feel drunk again are all reasons that people relapse.

Treatment

Treatment for alcoholism can be extremely helpful. It’s difficult to fight an addiction alone, for reasons listed above and alcohol dependency. Withdrawal symptoms can be extremely unpleasant – shaking nausea, and in severe cases when alcohol intake is cut off too suddenly, it can be life threatening. This is why it’s recommended that people who are dependent on alcohol have medical support to help them become sober.

Educational Content

If you want to learn more about alcoholism, the way it is treated and the way that it affects individuals, please visit our website – www.mental-health.tv – for educational content on the subject.