Eating disorders representations in the media have sparked conversations regarding the accuracy of their demonstration in films and television series. When we think about “eating disorders in the media”, most of them include mainly young, Caucasian, women struggling with the disorder. They also focus on the commonly known eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia, although the spectrum includes other overlooked disorders such as binge eating.
A common downfall of eating disorders representation in the media is solely due to the limited screen time it takes to efficiently capture the true nature of eating disorders. Movies tend to display a quick onset of the disorder (and often, it is related to a traumatic event) and they also don’t have the time to show the complications of the treatment process. The treatment process for an eating disorder is one of the most complex processes as it should take a multiple disciplinary approach which involves therapists, psychiatrists, and nutritionists. However, the media tends to reduce this complexity to a simple revelation that leads the characters to finally “heal” from their disorder.
The movie “To the Bone” revolves around Ellen’s journey with anorexia nervosa. Ellen is a 20-year-old anorexia nervosa patient who is seen in the movie to be significantly underweight and is struggling to remain in treatment for a consistent amount of time. Both her divorced biological parents have abandoned her and have become no longer present in her life. The only people who were seen supporting her were her stepmother and sister who pushed Ellen to attend a treatment centre run by a doctor with unusual treatment methods. There Ellen meets a group of patients also diagnosed with eating disorders including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The movie takes us through Ellen’s time in the treatment centre and her interactions with other patients.
While the movie showcased a variety of eating disorders, we will be focusing on the disorder displayed by the main character (Ellen), which is anorexia nervosa. In the movie, Ellen displayed the main symptoms of anorexia nervosa, as well as other physical signs of the disorder, including:
Among the symptoms of anorexia nervosa displayed by Ellen in the movie are her obsessions regarding her calorie intake and her ability to tell how many calories are present in everything she eats, including calories in the IV fluids she takes, as we see her trying to check the IV packages of another patient for the calorie intake information. We also see Ellen take apart her food into small pieces and avoid eating any carbs. She would restrict herself to eating small amounts of protein. Sometimes, she is also shown to chew and spit out the food she takes when going out with one of the other patients in the treatment center. She would measure her weight loss progress using her fingers on her arm.
When Ellen experiences any stress or anxiety, whether it is related to her weight gain fears or not, she resorts to exercising in order to burn off calories. Excessive exercise causes yellow patches on her back from the pressure she puts on it.
Although the movie did not delve deeper into the factors that influenced the onset of the disorder, there are a few circumstances that may have led to its development.
Among these circumstances are her relationship with her parents and the stress caused by their divorce and abandonment. During this time, there were few events that weren’t in her control, which could mean that she engaged in her eating disorder behaviors as a way to regain some control over her life. It’s not uncommon for people struggling with eating disorders to want to feel a sense of autonomy amidst the uncertainties in their lives.
Another stressor for Ellen had to do with her parents not being entirely involved with her treatment process and her stepmother’s lack of understanding and awareness regarding her disorder, despite their best intentions to help her out. Ellen’s support system was more focused on finding someone to blame for her situation instead of focusing their attention on supporting her journey to recovery, which added to her stress and contributed to her deteriorating mental health.
Anorexia nervosa entails an intense fear and preoccupation with the control of one’s calorie intake and their weight gain. Someone suffering from AN may lean towards exercising excessively and following an incredible strict diet in order to have some control over their body weight. A person with AN may view their body through an inaccurate lens and may truly believe that they are overweight, when in fact they are more likely to be underweight.
The symptoms of anorexia nervosa include:
Restricting type: This involves restricting food intact through dieting, fasting, and/or excessive exercise, without binge eating or purging.
Binge-eating/purging type: This includes recurrent episodes of binge-eating and/or purging behaviour (i.e., self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas).
While the signs of anorexia nervosa may be subtle at the beginning, they are likely to develop gradually. If you think that you or someone you know may be struggling with anorexia nervosa for a consistent and prolonged manner, these are some signs to look out for:
Someone suffering from bulimia nervosa will experience frequent episodes of binging significantly large portions of food and then proceeding to purge what they had consumed. Bulimia nervosa also leads to an intense preoccupation with food as well as an inaccurate picture of their body image.
If you think that you or someone you know may be struggling with bulimia nervosa for a consistent and prolonged manner, these are some signs to look out for
A person who is struggling with a binge eating disorder will experience episodes of bingeing a large portion of food in a short period of time, however, he or she will not purge afterwards. With time, this may cause them to become overweight with time.
If you suspect someone you know is suffering from binge eating disorder, there are some warning signs to look for:
Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder causes one to avoid certain foods because of their texture, smell, taste, or color. A fear of weight gain is not a risk, but avoiding certain foods may cause failure to meet the minimum daily nutritional requirements.
Rumination disorder is characterized by the backward flow of recently consumed food from the individual’s stomach to their mouth. After that, the food is re-chewed, re-swallowed or spat out. Rumination involves an unintentional stomach muscular contraction and it may be initiated by a viral infection, stress, or a medical condition or injury. The symptoms are not related to another eating disorder or mental health condition.
Pica involves the constant eating of non-nutritive non-foods such as paper, paint, soap, chalk, or clay. Individuals are generally less likely to avoid foods, but are at risk for intestinal blockage or toxic effects from ingested items. These behaviors do not occur as a part of a cultural or social practice and do not occur in the context of another mental disorder.
Disordered eating is not considered a disorder or diagnosis, however, it’s important to distinguish it from eating disorders as it’s easy to confuse them. Disordered eating contains behaviors that are common with behaviors displayed in eating disorders; however, they come in a less frequent and less intense manner. A person showing patterns of disordered eating does not necessarily mean they will develop an eating disorder; however, an unhealthy eating pattern, if it becomes too severe, may contribute to the development of an eating disorder.
While both eating disorders and disordered eating can be distinguished, they are connected in some way. A person struggling with an eating disorder will likely display disordered eating behaviors, but not everyone displaying disordered eating will be diagnosed with an eating disorder.
If you have any reason to believe that you or someone you know is struggling with any of the eating disorders mentioned above, it’s critical to seek professional help as soon as possible to ease the symptoms, catch it early on, and work on its further development.
