Condition
Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are severe psychiatric syndromes that most likely result from, and are sustained by, sociocultural, psychological, and biological factors.
Three main conditions
Anorexia nervosa
Characterised by low weight, food restriction, fear of gaining weight, and a strong desire to be thin.
Bulimia nervosa
Binge-eating followed by purging behaviours (vomiting, laxatives, excessive exercise).
Binge-eating disorder
Recurrent binge-eating episodes with no purging.
What sits underneath
All three conditions share common features — weight preoccupation, food restraint, excessive body checking, and compensatory behaviour. Underneath them are deeper psychological factors such as a distorted body image and a disturbance in how the individual experiences their body and identity.
According to the cognitive behavioural theory, the over-evaluation of eating, shape, and weight — and their control — is the primary psychopathological factor. Most other clinical features can be understood as stemming directly from it: self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives or diuretics, over-exercising, various forms of body checking and avoidance, and preoccupation with thoughts about eating, shape, and weight.
Whereas most people evaluate themselves on the basis of their performance across various domains (academic, career, relationships), people who struggle with eating disorders judge themselves primarily through their eating, body shape, and weight.
How we treat this at IASO
Treatment begins with a thorough psychiatric assessment to understand the full picture — your history, your symptoms, and what you actually need. From there we build a plan around you: evidence-based, paced sensibly, and revisited as you progress.
Care may include psychotherapy, medication, or a combination — chosen and adjusted based on what works for you. Everything is discussed openly, and nothing is prescribed without a clear clinical reason.