By Regina Molaro
Within the last several years, there’s been an increase in mental health issues due to a variety of factors, from the pandemic, inflation and political divisiveness to social isolation, intense social media use and inadequate treatment.
One of the issues seeing an uptick is eating disorders – a mental health condition where people use the control of food to cope with feelings and situations. A lot of factors and traits play a role in the development of these conditions, which center around control, fear, perfectionism, dysregulation, distress and trauma.
The National Institute of Mental Health defines eating disorders as serious and sometimes fatal illnesses that cause severe disturbances to a person’s eating behaviors. Obsessions with food, body weight and shape may signal an eating disorder. Common disorders include binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa, which is less common but very serious.
Binge eating disorder is characterized by recurrent binge eating episodes during which a person feels a loss of control and marked distress over eating. Unlike bulimia nervosa, these episodes aren’t followed by purging, excessive exercise or fasting. As a result, people with binge eating disorder are often overweight or obese.
Bulimia nervosa is characterized by binge eating followed by a behavior that compensates for the binge, such as vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics, fasting and/or excessive exercise. People with bulimia can fall within the normal range for their weight, but also often fear gaining weight, want desperately to lose weight, and are intensely unhappy with their body size and shape.
Anorexia nervosa is characterized by a significant and persistent reduction in food intake leading to extremely low body weight in the context of age, sex and physical health; a relentless pursuit of thinness; a distortion of body image and intense fear of gaining weight; and extremely disturbed eating behavior. Many people with anorexia see themselves as overweight even when they are starved or severely malnourished.
According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, approximately 24 million people in the U.S. suffer from an eating disorder. Among the deadliest mental illnesses – second only to opioid addiction – they result in approximately 10,200 deaths annually.
Due to physical complications that emerge, people with eating disorders have a high mortality rate. They may suffer from cardiac arrhythmias, develop dental issues or gastrointestinal issues, and may be prone to fainting, low energy, foggy thinking, and even death.
“Eating disorders are complex and there are so many facets to how they develop, including personality traits, messages from parents, teachers or peers, media that may encourage rigid diets and exercise, and distorted thinking when it comes to weight gain,” said Keith Stowell, M.D., psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. This can be a lifelong condition, but there is hope with treatment.
Post-Pandemic Rise
Since the pandemic, there has been a significant uptick in eating disorders. Contributing factors include isolation, increased stress and unhealthy ways of dealing with stress. John Hopkins Medicine cited that during the pandemic, an increase in screen time and social media use led to a heavier focus on body image and body comparison.
“Over the past decade and a half, eating disorders have become more prevalent within adolescent and young adult age groups,” said Stowell. “They have a handheld device with them all day long and frequently look at images of individuals put forth as being the ‘ideal’ body size and shape. Through social media, they also receive a lot of messaging about distorted body images and perceptions of the ideal body or eating habits. It goes to the extremes, especially within a demographic that is very influenced by social media.”
Although significantly up in younger age groups, it’s important to note that eating disorders impact people of all ages, genders, races, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, body shapes and weights, affecting children, adolescents, young adults and adults throughout their lifespan.
Awareness and Treatment
Unfortunately, too many people with eating disorders go undiagnosed, lack access to prevention, or fall through gaps in care. “Eating disorders often go unrecognized by parents, peers and professionals. Raising awareness is key and we are doing better with education, not just in the medical community but also at schools and community events,” said Stowell.
An eating disorder can have a dramatic impact on a person’s life, but resources are available, and people can get help and get on the path to recovery.
“Eating disorders are not about vanity or extreme dieting, nor are they a lifestyle; they are serious, multifaceted illnesses that affect the mind and body,” said Meredith O’Brien, LCSW, founder of Meredith O’Brien & Affiliates, LLC in Fair Haven, which specializes in helping those with eating disorders. She is also the author of “Opening The Door – My Journey Through Anorexia to Full Recovery.
“Those who suffer struggle with isolation, shame and a constant mental battle between two parts of themselves – their healthy core self that is authentically them and the eating disorder self that has strengthened over time. One of the most important steps is to heal your healthy core self to ultimately put the eating disorder self out of a job. Recovery is a journey, and it is possible,” O’Brien said.
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset’s eating disorder program has recently expanded and includes both inpatient and outpatient services. Many other levels of care exist, including residential programs.
In the future, Stowell hopes to see more screening and awareness at primary care offices, especially during well visits, which would reach a wider range of people and ages. It’s also important for mental health experts to be aware of the potential for eating disorder symptoms in patients who may present initially with other conditions, such as anxiety and depression.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, contact a health care professional and get on the road to recovery. Hope is available, one step at a time.
The article originally appeared in the March 5 – 11, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
