It’s important to mention the fact that the most common eating disorders are bulimia, anorexia and binge eating disorder. And if you want to help someone dealing with an eating disorder, you should find out the main characteristics of each of these conditions.
How to Help Someone with an Eating Disorder: Anorexia
As previously mentioned, anorexia is one of the most common eating disorders. People that deal with it tend to starve themselves because they fear they might become fat. Furthermore, these people believe that they aren’t thin enough and can resort to purging, even though the reality is different.
Helping someone with an eating disorder isn’t easy, however, here’s what you should have in mind. It’s recommended to be honest with your friend that struggles with anorexia. Try to talk as openly as you can and express your concerns. Moreover, it would be best to get informed about this eating disorder and separate the myth from reality.
How to Help Someone with Bulimia Eating Disorder
Bulimia can be characterized by an unhealthy cycle of purging and bingeing. Sometimes, people facing this disorder tend to overeat. They can feel guilty and this leads to drastic measures, such as purging themselves of those extra calories.
If you want to learn how to help someone with bulimia eating disorder, you should show your friend that you care about his or her wellbeing, nevertheless, stay firm. You should avoid making promises or rules that at some point can be broken. For example, you should stay away from phrases like ‘I promise not to tell your family about this’. Instead, try to explain to your friend that they should be responsible for their actions and their consequences.
How to Help Someone with Binge Eating Disorder
The binge eating disorder means that you can compulsively overeat and thus consume a lot of calories in a short amount of time. In addition to this, people dealing with this condition claim that they can’t control their cravings, even though they feel guilty or ashamed afterwards.
When it comes to helping someone with binge eating disorder, you might want to tell someone who’s specialized in this field. You should seek the help of a specialist and provide them with all the necessary pieces of information that can help your friend. If this disorder happens to be in its beginning stages, it will be easier for your close one to cope with these issues.
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