Though early accounts of eating disorders are attested from ancient Greece and Rome, their psychological component was not fully recognized until the 1970s when Hilde Bruch published “Eating Disorders: Obesity, Anorexia Nervosa, and the Person Within” detailing several case studies. In it, she argued that abnormal eating and hunger patterns were a direct result of the “absence or paucity of appropriate and confirming responses to signals.” Today, our interpretation of these disorders is much more nuanced (involving psychological, environmental, and genetic factors) and not simply ascribed to conditioning. Still, Bruch’s work was the beginning of a global conversation on the relationship between eating and mental health.

Anorexia was categorized in the DSM-I as a “Psychophysiologic gastrointestinal reaction” similar to peptic ulcers and as a “Special Symptom” of “feeding disturbance” in the DSM-II. However, it wasn’t until 1980, when rates of anorexia and bulimia began to skyrocket, that eating disorders received their own diagnostic category in the DSM-III. Some attribute this increase to the dawn of modern diet culture and a widespread obsession with thinness, which became more prevalent in the 70s and 80s. Conversely, the body-positivity movement, which has gained traction in the past decade, attempts to change how we think about our bodies and our relationship to food.

As our understanding and knowledge of eating disorders evolve, we must continue to lead with the utmost empathy, compassion, and qualitative care. For more information and resources for treatment, visit the following websites:

1.   https://nedic.ca/
2.   https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
3.   https://nied.ca/
4.   https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng69

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