Eating Disorders: Causes, Signs, and What Really Helps

When we talk about eating disorders, serious mental health conditions that involve unhealthy relationships with food, body image, and weight. Also known as feeding and eating disorders, they’re not about willpower—they’re about brain chemistry, trauma, and deep emotional pain. Too many people still think it’s just about being too thin or too obsessed with salads. That’s not even close to the truth.

Anorexia nervosa, a condition where someone severely restricts food because of an intense fear of gaining weight doesn’t always look like someone who’s visibly underweight. Some people with anorexia are in normal weight ranges but still starve themselves mentally. Then there’s bulimia nervosa, a cycle of bingeing followed by purging through vomiting, laxatives, or excessive exercise. It’s often hidden—people with bulimia might be your friend, coworker, or even someone you live with. And binge eating disorder, the most common eating disorder, where people eat large amounts without purging, often feeling shame afterward—it’s not laziness. It’s a neurological response to stress, restriction, or emotional numbness.

These aren’t just "phases" or "attention-seeking." They’re life-threatening. Anorexia has the highest death rate of any mental illness. Bulimia can destroy your teeth, kidneys, and heart. Binge eating can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, and severe joint pain. And all three can be triggered by diet culture, social media pressure, past trauma, or genetics. You can’t just "eat more" or "stop being so hard on yourself." Recovery needs professional help—therapy, nutrition support, and sometimes medication.

What you’ll find in the posts below isn’t a list of "10 tips to fix your eating habits." It’s real, evidence-based information on how these disorders affect the body, how treatments actually work, and what’s been proven to help people rebuild their lives. From how antidepressants like sertraline can ease symptoms to how certain medications impact metabolism, this collection cuts through the noise. No myths. No quick fixes. Just what science and patients have shown works.