Eating Disorders

Disclaimer:

This publication is based on a Mind UK publication and the original version may be found here: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/a-z-mental-health/

Thank you to Mind UK for sharing their valuable content with us. Content included in Mental Health A-Z is made available free of charge and does not form part of any commercial activity. The adaptation has been done independently by Mind HK and is intended for general information purposes only.

What causes eating problems?

There is no single cause of eating problems, and this may make it hard to understand why it has become an issue for you. The causes of your eating problem may be complex and confusing, and entirely different from the causes of the next person’s eating problem. The following will cover difficult life experiences, family issues, personality traits, physical and mental health problems, and social pressures as possible explanations for your eating problem.

Who can be affected by an eating problem?

While you may feel that an eating problem is unusual or shameful, you are not alone.

Eating problems can affect anyone, regardless of age, sex, or background. While eating problems are most common in women, many men have eating problems too. Unfortunately, because eating problems are often associated with women, especially young women, it can be harder for men and older people to seek support for their eating problems.

Difficult life experiences

Often, the beginning of eating problems can be linked to a stressful event or trauma. This can mean physical, emotional or sexual abuse, the death of someone very close to you, divorce or serious family problems. It could also be pressures at school or work, such as facing exams or being bullied.

Eating problems often develop at the same time as you are going through a major life change, such as puberty, going to a new school, working out your sexuality, or leaving home for the first time. Other people may not understand this, as they may not experience the major life change to the same degree as you do, even if they are close friends or family members. As a result, to others, your eating problem may seem to have appeared suddenly, without any obvious cause.

“My eating problem began when I was younger and was bullied a lot. I lost my appetite through stress and felt like people would like me more if I was thinner and seemed more in control. I associated eating with feeling like I was losing control.”

Family issues

Your eating problems can be caused or made worse by childhood experiences. For example, if your parents were particularly strict, or home didn’t feel like a safe or consistent place, you may have begun to use food as a way of gaining more control over your life. If people in your family had very high expectations of you, you may have developed personality traits like perfectionism and self-criticism that can make you vulnerable to eating problems. Alternatively, if people in your family were dieting, over-eating or experiencing an eating problem, that may also make you vulnerable to eating problems.

You may find that your family has difficulty understanding your eating problems. This may place additional pressure on you and in some cases make the eating problem worse. If you are able to, and it is safe for you to do so, you may want to show them the ‘How can friends and family help?’ section.

Personality traits

There is no specific type of person who develops an eating problem. However, people with eating problems often share common personality traits which make them more vulnerable to eating problems, for example:

  • Perfectionism – wanting everything you do to be perfect and rarely being satisfied with what you have done
  • Being very critical of yourself
  • Being very competitive
  • Obsessive or compulsive behaviour
  • A lack of confidence in expressing yourself

Physical and mental health problems

If you have physical or mental health problems, you may also develop eating problems. Having a physical health problem can make you feel powerless, so you may be using eating as a way of feeling in control.

Eating problems can begin because you experience a mental disorder such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or body dysmorphic disorder. These mental disorders can be linked to feelings of low self-esteem, worthlessness or powerlessness, and you may turn to eating as a way of dealing with those feelings, making you vulnerable to developing an eating problem. Having an eating problem can also cause you to experience these mentioned mental disorders.

Eating problems are also sometimes linked to self-harm. You may see your eating problem as a form of self-harm, and you may hurt yourself in other ways too.

If you are losing a lot of weight or are becoming physically unwell because of your eating problem, you may have thoughts about death or suicidal feelings. You may feel that you want to die, or that it is the only way to escape your eating problem. This can be very frightening and make you feel alone.

Social pressure

Most of us are affected by social and cultural pressure, even if we’re not always aware of it. This includes messages about our bodies and how we should look. Films, magazines, social media, adverts and peer pressure constantly tell us that women should be thin and men should be muscular and strong.

All of us are affected by social pressures, even if we’re not always aware of it. There are significant social pressures towards thinness, especially for women, expressed through films, magazines, social media, and adverts. As all of us are affected by these social, it is likely that these pressures will reach us through our family and our peers as well.

The of idealized body shape is not actually achievable by most people, and often these images have been deliberately manipulated to have a particular effect on us, for example to make us buy a product, watch a film or click a link. Despite knowing this, being constantly exposed to the social pressures towards thinness can make one feel that they are not good enough, and can have an negative impact on body image and self-esteem.

Although social pressures probably don’t cause eating problems, they may contribute to or maintain them. As there is so much social importance placed on appearance, you may find yourself comparing yourself to the unrealistic images and feeling bad about yourself as a result. You may associate thinness with positive qualities, such as fame, fortune and success, and even begin to evaluate yourself based on your weight and appearance. If you are overweight, this social pressure toward thinness can make you feel even worse about your own body and cause significant emotional distress.

What is iACT Service?

Improving Access to Community Therapies (iACT®) is one of the services from Mind HK. Trained Wellbeing Practitioners will offer initial assessment and early intervention for people dealing with mild to moderate symptoms of depression, anxiety, or other emotional difficulties.

 

The service includes 6-8 sessions of low-intensity psychological support, the flexibility of the service allows individuals to receive free and timely support when needed.

If you’re aged between 18 – 65 and are facing some emotional challenges, we would like to invite you to take an online assessment for us to gain a better understanding of your current emotional struggle.

 

If you’re eligible, we’ll get you connected with a Wellbeing Practitioner within two weeks to sort out the next steps.

The service runs for about 3 months and includes 6-8 support sessions, tailored to your needs.

 

We encourage you to attend all sessions and actively practice the tips and exercises provided by your Wellbeing Practitioner.

We take your privacy seriously. Your chats with the Wellbeing Practitioner are confidential.

 

We won’t share any of your info unless you’ve provided consent or if there are risks detected.

This programme isn’t suitable for people facing emergencies, major setbacks, or those diagnosed with serious or complex mental health conditions.

 

If you’re having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, this programme might not meet your needs, so please seek help right away. You can check out Mind HK’s “Find Help Now” page for immediate information and services.

Most of our Wellbeing Practitioners have backgrounds in psychology or counselling and are passionate about mental health. They’ve gone through about 140 hours of intensive training and completed at least 120 hours of supervised clinical practice over 9 months to ensure the quality of service.

 

They’re trained by accredited local experts in the mental health field, including clinical psychologists, counselling psychologists, counsellors, and psychiatrists. Plus, we regularly check how effective our services are. All service outputs and performances are subject to consistent monitoring.

Who is suitable for participating in this programme?

This programme welcomes anyone between the ages of 18 and 65 who may be feeling lost or facing emotional difficulties. Please note that this programme is not suitable for individuals diagnosed with severe or complex mental health conditions.

This programme is not suitable for individuals diagnosed with severe or complex mental health conditions, but suitable for those who experience mild to severe moderate anxiety, mild to moderate depression, or other emotional challenges. If you are currently experiencing a major setback or even having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, please visit the “Find Help Now” page on our Mind HK’s website for immediate information and services.

After signing up, our Wellbeing Practitioner will contact you within two weeks to schedule a convenient time for a 45-minute conversation, either via video or phone call, according to your preference. During the conversation, the Wellbeing Practitioner will understand your current situation and help you gain a better understanding of your emotional state based on the questionnaire you filled out during application. Additionally, they will provide recommendations for appropriate community resources based on your needs, helping you take an important first step in taking care of your mental health.

Although the intervention procedure is mostly standardised, Wellbeing Practitioners will work flexibly with clients to address individual presenting problems and unique characteristics.

Our Wellbeing Practitioners are trained to support people who experience mild to moderate mental health difficulties primarily. This programme is not suitable for the situations mentioned above. If you are currently experiencing a major setback or even having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, please visit the “Find Help Now” page on our Mind HK’s website for immediate information and services.

Your conversations with the Wellbeing Practitioner are absolutely confidential. Any information about you will not be shared with anyone without your consent unless you or others are at immediate risk or the Wellbeing Practitioner has reason to believe that you may be in imminent danger.
Supervisors will monitor trainees’ development throughout the placement to ensure that they are meeting the required level of competency to pass the training course at the end of the placement.

Yes, it is necessary to book an appointment in advance by filling out the form. Additionally, you can select one of the five stores yourself. We will allocate clients to different Wellbeing Practitioners based on their chosen location.

Before having the conversation, we will ask you to fill out a basic questionnaire for preliminary screening assessment. This screening process aims to ensure that the training received by the Wellbeing Practitioners is sufficient to meet the needs of the individuals receiving the service. If it is determined after the screening assessment that the service is not suitable for you, Mind HK will provide alternative recommendations to ensure your safety and support.

For adults who are suitable for this service, all Wellbeing Practitioners have received training on how to identify and respond to safety and risk issues. If you have any concerns about the support process, the Wellbeing Practitioners have appropriate measures in place and will develop response plans based on the urgency of the situation. They can also access support from clinical practitioners from Mind HK or participating organisations.

What private training does Mind HK provide?

Mind HK provides 4 themes of mental health training, including: Supporting Self, Supporting Others, Family Wellbeing and DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion).

 

Check out the brochure here for more information.

Mind HK provides a wide range of standardised mental health training, which can be tailored to different circumstances. Chat with our team to explore more

Our trainers come from a diverse, accredited pool of clinically experienced professionals. Check out our trainers’ biographies here.

Yes, the Mental Health First Aid class of Mind HK is internationally accredited by the MHFA International. The content and certification is delivered by trainers certified from the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong. You can find out our trainers accreditation here.

We are here to support your mental health education journey! Reach out to us and chat with our team.

Causes of Eating Problems

What causes eating problems?

There is no single cause of eating problems, and this may make it hard to understand why it has become an issue for you. The causes of your eating problem may be complex and confusing, and entirely different from the causes of the next person’s eating problem. The following will cover difficult life experiences, family issues, personality traits, physical and mental health problems, and social pressures as possible explanations for your eating problem.

Who can be affected by an eating problem?

While you may feel that an eating problem is unusual or shameful, you are not alone.

Eating problems can affect anyone, regardless of age, sex, or background. While eating problems are most common in women, many men have eating problems too. Unfortunately, because eating problems are often associated with women, especially young women, it can be harder for men and older people to seek support for their eating problems.

Difficult life experiences

Often, the beginning of eating problems can be linked to a stressful event or trauma. This can mean physical, emotional or sexual abuse, the death of someone very close to you, divorce or serious family problems. It could also be pressures at school or work, such as facing exams or being bullied.

Eating problems often develop at the same time as you are going through a major life change, such as puberty, going to a new school, working out your sexuality, or leaving home for the first time. Other people may not understand this, as they may not experience the major life change to the same degree as you do, even if they are close friends or family members. As a result, to others, your eating problem may seem to have appeared suddenly, without any obvious cause.

“My eating problem began when I was younger and was bullied a lot. I lost my appetite through stress and felt like people would like me more if I was thinner and seemed more in control. I associated eating with feeling like I was losing control.”

Family issues

Your eating problems can be caused or made worse by childhood experiences. For example, if your parents were particularly strict, or home didn’t feel like a safe or consistent place, you may have begun to use food as a way of gaining more control over your life. If people in your family had very high expectations of you, you may have developed personality traits like perfectionism and self-criticism that can make you vulnerable to eating problems. Alternatively, if people in your family were dieting, over-eating or experiencing an eating problem, that may also make you vulnerable to eating problems.

You may find that your family has difficulty understanding your eating problems. This may place additional pressure on you and in some cases make the eating problem worse. If you are able to, and it is safe for you to do so, you may want to show them the ‘How can friends and family help?’ section.

Personality traits

There is no specific type of person who develops an eating problem. However, people with eating problems often share common personality traits which make them more vulnerable to eating problems, for example:

  • Perfectionism – wanting everything you do to be perfect and rarely being satisfied with what you have done
  • Being very critical of yourself
  • Being very competitive
  • Obsessive or compulsive behaviour
  • A lack of confidence in expressing yourself

Physical and mental health problems

If you have physical or mental health problems, you may also develop eating problems. Having a physical health problem can make you feel powerless, so you may be using eating as a way of feeling in control.

Eating problems can begin because you experience a mental disorder such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or body dysmorphic disorder. These mental disorders can be linked to feelings of low self-esteem, worthlessness or powerlessness, and you may turn to eating as a way of dealing with those feelings, making you vulnerable to developing an eating problem. Having an eating problem can also cause you to experience these mentioned mental disorders.

Eating problems are also sometimes linked to self-harm. You may see your eating problem as a form of self-harm, and you may hurt yourself in other ways too.

If you are losing a lot of weight or are becoming physically unwell because of your eating problem, you may have thoughts about death or suicidal feelings. You may feel that you want to die, or that it is the only way to escape your eating problem. This can be very frightening and make you feel alone.

Social pressure

Most of us are affected by social and cultural pressure, even if we’re not always aware of it. This includes messages about our bodies and how we should look. Films, magazines, social media, adverts and peer pressure constantly tell us that women should be thin and men should be muscular and strong.

All of us are affected by social pressures, even if we’re not always aware of it. There are significant social pressures towards thinness, especially for women, expressed through films, magazines, social media, and adverts. As all of us are affected by these social, it is likely that these pressures will reach us through our family and our peers as well.

The of idealized body shape is not actually achievable by most people, and often these images have been deliberately manipulated to have a particular effect on us, for example to make us buy a product, watch a film or click a link. Despite knowing this, being constantly exposed to the social pressures towards thinness can make one feel that they are not good enough, and can have an negative impact on body image and self-esteem.

Although social pressures probably don’t cause eating problems, they may contribute to or maintain them. As there is so much social importance placed on appearance, you may find yourself comparing yourself to the unrealistic images and feeling bad about yourself as a result. You may associate thinness with positive qualities, such as fame, fortune and success, and even begin to evaluate yourself based on your weight and appearance. If you are overweight, this social pressure toward thinness can make you feel even worse about your own body and cause significant emotional distress.