Provincial Eating Disorder Services

What is an eating disorder?

An eating disorder is a medical and psychiatric illness that affects how you think and feel about food, your body, weight, and exercise. It changes the way you make choices about eating and can prevent you from getting the nutrition your body needs to stay healthy.

Eating disorders are serious but treatable. Without treatment, they can lead to severe medical problems—even death. The sooner an eating disorder is identified, the better the chance for recovery.

Who can be affected?

Eating disorders can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or body shape.

They can impact:

• How you see yourself
• Your relationship with food and exercise
• Your physical health (such as bone, heart, and digestive health)
• Your mental health (including anxiety, depression, and self-esteem)

Common eating disorders

Anorexia Nervosa

• Restriction of food intake leading to very low body weight
• Intense fear of gaining weight, even if underweight
• Difficulty recognizing the seriousness of low body weight
• Two subtypes:
  • Restricting type – no bingeing or purging
  • Binge–purge type – episodes of binge eating followed by purging

Bulimia Nervosa

• Recurrent binge eating (large amounts of food in a short time at least once a week for 3 months)
• A sense of lack of control overeating during the episode
• Feelings of guilt, shame, or distress after bingeing
• Purging behaviours (vomiting, laxatives, excessive exercise) to prevent weight gain
• Self-worth is strongly tied to body weight and shape

Binge Eating Disorder

• Recurrent episodes of binge eating, in a discrete period of time (under 2 hours at least once a week for 3 months)
• Feeling that one cannot stop eating or control how much one is eating
• Eating more rapidly than normal, eating until feeling uncomfortably full, eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry, eating alone because of feeling embarrassed by how much one is eating and/or feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed or very guilty afterwards
• No compensatory behaviours such as purging or restriction occurs during episode

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

• Limited interest in food or eating or avoidance of foods due to appearance, taste, smell, or fear (such as choking or nausea)
• Significant weight loss or nutritional deficiency
• Dependence on enteral feeding or oral nutritional supplements
• May interfere with daily life and activities

Other eating disorders

• Atypical Anorexia Nervosa – all the symptoms of anorexia, but weight may remain in the “normal” range
• Purging Disorder – purging without bingeing

Treatment and support available in PEI

Community Mental Health and Addictions provide services for people of all ages experiencing eating disorders.

Outpatient treatment

• Family-Based Treatment (FBT) – for adolescents and their caregivers. Focuses on helping families support their child’s recovery.
• Family-Based Treatment for Transition-Aged Youth – for young adults (16–25) who live with or share meals with their parents/caregivers.
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy–Ten (CBT-T) – a short-term therapy (up to 10 sessions plus follow-ups) for people who are not underweight. Focuses on changing eating behaviours, body image concerns, and related thoughts.

Inpatient care

In severe cases, hospitalization may be needed to stabilize medical or psychiatric symptoms before returning to outpatient treatment.

How to get help

Talk to your primary care provider if you are concerned about yourself or a loved one.

You can also:

• Speak with a registered dietitian
• Attend an appointment at a Mental Health and Addictions Open Access Counselling Clinic
• Make a self-referral to your local Community Mental Health and Addictions clinic

The earlier an eating disorder is recognized, the easier it is to treat.

If you are worried about yourself, your child, or someone you care about, help is available. Call Community Mental Health and Addictions to make a referral. For locations and contact information, visit Mental Health and Addictions Open Access Counselling.