Other specified feeding and eating disorders (OSFED)

Having awareness about eating disorders and the warning signs and symptoms can make a marked difference in the severity and duration of the illness. Seeking help at the first warning sign is much more effective than waiting until the disease is in full swing.

The warning signs of OSFED can be physical, psychological and behavioural. Someone with OSFED can display a combination of these symptoms.

Physical Signs:

Weight loss, weight gain or weight fluctuations

Loss of or disturbance of menstrual periods

Decreased libido in men

Compromised immune system (e.g. getting sick more often)

Signs of damage due to vomiting include swelling around the cheeks or jaw, calluses on knuckles, damage to teeth and bad breath

Fainting and dizziness as a result of dehydration

Psychological:

Preoccupation with food and eating

Preoccupation with body shape and weight (in men, this can be a preoccupation with increasing muscle bulk)

Extreme body dissatisfaction

Having a distorted body image (e.g. seeing themselves as overweight even if they are in a healthy weight range for their age and height)

Sensitivity to comments relating to food, weight, body shape or exercise

Heightened anxiety and/or irritability around meal times

Depression, anxiety or irritability

Low self-esteem and feelings of shame, self-loathing or guilt

‘Black and white’ thinking – rigid thoughts about food being ‘good’ or ‘bad’

Behavioural signs:

Dieting behaviour (e.g. fasting, counting calories/kilojoules, avoiding food groups such as fats and carbohydrates)

Evidence of binge eating (e.g. disappearance or hoarding of food)

Frequent trips to the bathroom during or shortly after meals, which could be evidence of vomiting or laxative use

Compulsive or excessive exercising (e.g. exercising in bad weather, continuing to exercise when sick or injured, and experiencing distress if exercise is not possible)

Eating at unusual times and/or after going to sleep at night

Changes in food preferences (e.g. claiming to dislike foods previously enjoyed, sudden preoccupation with ‘healthy eating’, or replacing meals with fluids)

Obsessive rituals around food preparation and eating (e.g. eating very slowly, cutting food into very small pieces, insisting that meals are served at precisely the same time every day)

Anti-social behaviour, particularly around meal times, and withdrawal from social situations involving food

Secretive behaviour around food (e.g. saying they have eaten when they haven’t, hiding uneaten food in their rooms)

Increased interest in food preparation (e.g. planning, buying, preparing and cooking meals for others but not consuming; interest in cookbooks, recipes and nutrition)

Increased interest and focus on body shape and weight (e.g. interest in weight loss websites, books, magazines or images of thin people)

Repetitive or obsessive behaviours relating to body shape and weight (e.g. weighing themselves repeatedly, looking in the mirror obsessively and pinching their waist or wrists)

Increased isolation, spending more and more time alone and avoiding previously enjoyed activities

The risks associated with OSFED are severe. People with OSFED will experience risks similar to those of the eating disorder their behaviours most closely resemble:

Inflammation and rupture of the oesophagus and stomach from frequent vomiting

Chronic constipation or diarrhoea

Kidney failure

Osteoporosis – a condition that leads to bones becoming fragile and easily fractured

Irregular or slow heart beat which can lead to an increased risk of heart failure

Loss of or disturbance of menstrual periods in girls and women

Increased risk of infertility in men and women

While the goal of diagnosis is to describe symptoms and seek the right help for them accurately, a large number of people have other significant eating and feeding issues and distorted body image, which are not covered by these categories.