As a teacher, you see your students almost as much and, in some cases, more than their parents. You have a duty of care, not only in terms of their education but also their mental health and wellbeing. One of the most insidious issues that can arise, especially with adolescents, is eating disorders. These can be difficult to identify and even harder to broach, as weight loss is often seen as a healthy part of growing up and weight gain can be seen as a ‘phase’.
There are several different types of eating disorder and how you should deal with these will vary from student to student. However, being able to identify the warning signs can be incredibly helpful. In this post, we will outline some of the various kinds of eating disorders as well as how to spot the early indicators.
Types of eating disorders
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Anorexia nervosa
This is when a person tries to keep their weight as low as possible, usually by not eating enough food or exercising too much. Often it is a combination of the two -
Bulimia
This is when a person binges on a lot of food in a short period of time and then makes themselves sick or uses laxatives to get rid of the weight. These binges can also often be followed by periods of restricting food intake and over-exercising -
Binge eating disorder (BED)
When a person loses control of their eating on a regular basis and consumes a large amount of food until they feel uncomfortably full. This is usually followed by feelings of sadness and guilt
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Other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED)
This is the least clearly defined but also the most common disorder on the list. The NHS defines it as ‘when symptoms don't exactly match those of anorexia, bulimia or binge eating disorder, but it doesn't mean it's a less serious illness’
Causes
Despite what popular culture and some online sources may claim, we don’t know exactly what causes eating disorders. However, there are some common factors that can influence a person’s likelihood of developing one. Often, if a family member has a history of eating disorders, depression, or alcohol or drug addiction, an eating disorder is more likely to arise.
Criticism of eating habits and body and weight-shaming from others as well as pressure to be slim from society or your job can also trigger eating disorders - especially in careers where it is part of the job, such as ballet dancers, models or athletes. People who suffer from anxiety, low self-esteem or have an obsessive personality are susceptible too, as are those who have been sexually abused.
Signs
There are signs that indicate someone may be suffering from an eating disorder and these include:
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· Dramatic weight loss or gain
· Lying about how much and when they've eaten, or how much they weigh
· Eating a lot of food very fast
· Going to the bathroom a lot after eating, often returning looking flushed
· Excessively or obsessively exercising
· Avoiding eating with others
· Cutting food into small pieces or eating very slowly
· Wearing loose or baggy clothes to hide their weight loss
· Perfectionism in other areas, such as excessive neatness, increased anxiety about making errors
· Self-harm
· Difficulty concentrating, tiredness and irritability
Obviously, some of these are easier to spot in in a school environment than others and you can find more information about individual eating disorders here. However, teachers are often in the perfect position to notice these warning signs earlier. There are resources for teachers that offer advice on what you should do once you have noticed an eating disorder, which you can find here.
Resources
There are various UK charities that offer support to those suffering from eating disorders, which you can find below:
