Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are serious, treatable mental health conditions that affect people of all ages, genders, body sizes, and backgrounds. They involve complex relationships with food, body image, emotions, and self-worth, and they often co-occur with anxiety, depression, trauma, or obsessive thoughts.

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Eating disorders are about so much more than food.

Eating disorders are often misunderstood as problems with food or weight, but in reality, they are about much more than what someone eats. At their core, eating disorders reflect how a person is coping with emotions, stress, identity, control, and self-worth. Food becomes the visible focus, but it is rarely the true source of the struggle.

For many people, disordered eating develops as a way to manage overwhelming feelings, quiet anxious or obsessive thoughts, or regain a sense of control during times of uncertainty or pain. Others use food to numb difficult emotions, cope with trauma, or meet deeply ingrained beliefs about worth, perfection, or belonging. Over time, these behaviors can become automatic, driven by brain-based patterns that are hard to interrupt without support.

Eating disorders also affect how the brain processes reward, fear, and body awareness. This means that even when someone wants to eat differently or stop harmful behaviors, their nervous system may be sending powerful signals that make change feel frightening or impossible. This is why eating disorders are not a matter of willpower—and why recovery requires more than simply “trying harder” or following a meal plan.

Understanding eating disorders as complex mental health conditions allows space for compassion, effective treatment, and real healing. When care addresses the emotional, psychological, and neurological factors – not just food itself – people can begin to rebuild trust with their bodies, their minds, and their lives.

What Causes Eating Disorders?

Eating disorders typically develop due to a combination of factors, including:

Biological factors, such as genetics, brain chemistry)
Psychological factors, like perfectionism, anxiety, low self-esteem, and trauma
Social and cultural influences, including diet culture, weight stigma, and social pressure)
Life stressors, like transitions, illness, loss, bullying, or major change)

Eating disorders are illnesses – not failures or personal shortcomings – and they can affect anyone.

Common Types of Eating Disorders

Anorexia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa
Binge Eating Disorder
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders (OSFED)

What Are The Symptoms?

Because eating disorders can present in different ways and varying degrees, symptoms can also vary widely. They can also be physical, emotional, behavioral, or a combination. Common signs include:

Preoccupation with food, weight, calories, or body shape
Restricting food, skipping meals, or rigid food rules
Binge eating or feeling out of control around food
Purging behaviors (vomiting, laxatives, excessive exercise)
Anxiety or irritability around meals
Changes in mood, depression, or social withdrawal
Fatigue, dizziness, gastrointestinal issues, or menstrual changes

You do not need to have every symptom—or be under a certain weight—to need help.

Do I have an eating disorder?

The SCOFF Questionnaire is a five-question screening tool designed to raise suspicion of a possible eating disorder. It indicates that an eating disorder might exist rather than makes a diagnosis, but it helps to identify the need for a more comprehensive clinical evaluation .

PLEASE NOTE: This self-test is not a replacement for professional evaluation. If you are experiencing concerning symptoms, please call us at 310-360-7200 for an appointment.

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The easiest time to cure an illness is before it is accepted as a part of the self-image.

– Jane Roberts

How Are Eating Disorders Treated?

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to eating disorder treatment. The right care looks different for everyone, and it often involves a team working together to support both your mental and physical health. Depending on what you’re dealing with, treatment may include a combination of the following:

Psychiatric Care and Medication Management

Many people with eating disorders also struggle with things like anxiety, depression, OCD, or mood symptoms. Medication can help calm some of the underlying mental health patterns that keep eating disorder behaviors going, making it easier to engage in therapy and recovery.

Therapy

Therapy focuses on more than food. It helps address the thoughts, emotions, and experiences driving the disorder. This may include cognitive behavioral therapy specifically designed for eating disorders (CBT-E), family-based treatment for adolescents and young adults, trauma-informed approaches, and work around emotion regulation and body image.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

TMS is a non-invasive brain-based treatment that’s FDA-cleared for depression and OCD—conditions that frequently overlap with eating disorders. Research suggests it may help reduce obsessive thoughts about food or weight, compulsive behaviors, and mood symptoms that can interfere with recovery. TMS is usually used alongside therapy and psychiatric care, not on its own.

Nutritional Support

Healing also means supporting your body nutritionally. Registered dietitians who specialize in eating disorders help restore nourishment, rebuild trust with food, and support metabolic and physical recovery in a safe, non-diet-focused way. Patients requiring nutritional support typically need a higher level of care, like a partial hospitalization program (PHP) or intensive outpatient program (IOP), and some may need hospitalization or residential treatment.

Higher Levels of Care

Sometimes additional structure is necessary to achieve recovery from eating disorders. If symptoms are more severe or treatment is just getting started, you may need care at higher level centers, such as intensive outpatient programs (IOP), partial hospitalization programs (PHP), or residential or inpatient treatment.