Life After an Eating Disorder - Does One Ever Truly Recover?

Many people wonder, "Do you ever truly get over an eating disorder?" While the recovery experience is different for everyone, there are some general answers to this question. Even if "recovered," there will often be certain mind-sets that will never completely disappear from the minds of most people who have once suffered from an eating disorder.

Without treatment, as many as 20 percent of those with series eating disorders die (www.anred.com). Mortality rates for untreated anorexia are even higher, at about 25 percent.

Treatment can be quite effective in the recovery of eating disorders. With proper treatment, about 60 percent of those with eating disorders recover (www.anred.com). Treatment is not fail-safe, though. Even with treatment, about 20 percent of eating disordered patients only make partial recoveries from their eating disorder.

Additionally, 20 percent do not recover, even with treatment. These patients are seen repeatedly in emergency rooms, eating disorders programs, and mental health clinics. These are sometimes the extremely fragile, skeletal women you see on television talk shows.

Even those who "recover" from an eating disorder often have lingering thoughts related to their eating disorder. A women with a history of an eating disorder will still have a poor body image. Women with eating disorders, particularly those with anorexia suffer from a distorted body image. Most people know this as "thinking they are fat when they are skinny." Well, this is a general idea of distorted body image, but it is more complicated than that. These women (or men- I use women simply because the vast majority of eating disorder patients are women) may continue to view themselves differently than others. Instead of seeing their overall shape, they may focus on a certain body part that is larger. They may think they are bigger or flabbier, or something, than the rest of us see them.

After an eating disorder, women (or men) may continue to have a tendency to become anxious or otherwise uneasy around food or situations surrounding food. The previously eating disordered person may still not like people to watch them eat.

Dieting is very dangerous for the person with a history of an eating disorder. Sometimes a person may think they need to lose weight, and maybe they do. This is always a tricky situation before, because once that eating disorder mentality is there, it is very easy to slip back into the eating disordered thinking. This may lead to a relapse. Other dangerous times are pregnancy and the post-partum period, especially. For more information on this, refer to my article listed below on Pregnant With an Eating Disorder: Now What?

The body will also likely have lasting effects left over from the eating disorder. The extent of this greatly depends on the disorder, as well as the length and severity of the eating disorder. Patients with a history of an eating disorder should always mention to new doctors that they have had an eating disorder.

These are just some of the lasting effects a person who once suffered from an eating disorder might face. Eating disorders have been likened to addictions. The eating disordered patient will always have to deal with food, though. This can make a full recovery very difficult.

Every person's eating disorder is different. Some recover from their eating disorder more fully than others. The important thing to realize, though, is that you can become a much healthier, "recovered" from your eating disorder. However, the mind usually does not completely go back to normal.

Sources and additional links:

ANRED: Anorexia and Related Eating Disorders http://www.anred.com/stats.html

Pregnant With an Eating Disorder: Now What? http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/165446/pregnant_with_an_eating_disorder_now.html

www.something-fishy.org