Eating disorders and disordered eating

Blue gradient abstract

Your body and mind are closely connected. Eating disorders and disordered eating are about more than food, they’re also about how you feel about yourself, and can be a way of coping with negative feelings and challenging situations. Eating disorders are not choices. They can affect people of all genders, ages, races, ethnicities, body sizes, sexual orientations and socioeconomic statuses.

What is the difference between an eating disorder and disordered eating?

Eating disorders

An eating disorder is a complex mental illness with physical effects (e.g., anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge-eating disorder)
Eating disorders are serious and can have life-threatening complications, but they are also treatable illnesses.
Approximately one million Canadians meet the diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder.

Disordered eating

Disordered eating is a broad term that includes extreme concerns related to eating behaviours, body size and body image.
Disordered eating shares signs and symptoms with clinically diagnosed eating disorders, but not all individuals who display disordered eating behaviours have eating disorders.

When to seek help

If you or someone you know has signs or symptoms of disordered eating, you should get help from a medical professional. Getting help early is important for a full recovery.

Signs and symptoms of disordered eating include:

Strict rules around eating and exercise
Restricting the types of food you eat without a medical reason
Unhealthy weight control behaviours, such as skipping meals, using diet pills, vomiting after eating, or abusing laxatives
Exercising too much or too often
Feeling out of control when eating
Eating large amounts of food in a short time
Feeling guilty about eating

Getting help

Children and youth

About Kids Health - SickKids
About Kids Health - Eating disorders - SickKids
About Kids Health for teens - SickKids
Body Brave: Eating disorder treatment
- Body Brave is a charity that provides eating disorder treatment and support. Services are virtual and available for people aged 17+, free of charge or covered by OHIP. A diagnosis is not required to access services. Weight inclusive and 2SLGBTQIA+ friendly.
- Phone: 905-312-9628
Child and youth telemental health - SickKids
- Provides telepsychiatry for children and youth up to 18 years of age and their families living in remote and rural communities. To enter this program, a referral form must be filled out by a primary care provider or mental health agency worker.
- Phone TeleLink: 1-877-507-7301
Children and Youth Eating Disorders Clinic (Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Hotel Dieu site)
- Provides assessment and treatment for children and youth with eating disorders. Referrals are coordinated with the Maltby Centre, and a referral form must be completed by a health care provider.
- Phone: 613-544-3400, ext. 3406 or 2554
Danielle's Place: A place for every body
- Provides in-person and virtual prevention and early intervention services for children and youth between the ages of 8 and17 that are at risk of developing an eating disorder. Danielle’s Place also offers virtual family support groups.
- Phone: 289-266-0036
Hopewell - Eating disorder support centre (Eastern Ontario)
- A not-for-profit, charitable organization providing information and support to people affected by eating disorders and disordered eating. Hopewell also offers a helpline from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for confidential one-on-one, peer support.
- Phone: 613-241-3428
Kids Help Phone
- Free, anonymous and confidential professional phone counselling and online counselling, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for kids and youth 20 years of age and younger.
- Phone: 1-800-668-6868
Maltby Centre
- Mental health and autism services for children and youth, free of charge.
- Phone: 613-546-8535 or 1-844-855-8340
National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC)
- NEDIC provides information, resources, referrals and support to Canadians affected by eating disorders through their toll-free helpline and live chat.
- Helping your child - NEDIC
- Help for youth - NEDIC
- Phone: 1-866-633-4220
Sheena's Place
- Offering professionally-facilitated group-based support to people aged 17+ affected by an eating disorder or disordered eating. Groups are free of charge and participants do not require an eating disorder diagnosis or referral to register.
- Phone: 416-927-8900

Adults

Adult Mental Health Program – (Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Hotel Dieu Site)
- A non-urgent, short-term service that provides individual assessment, group psychotherapy, psychiatric consultation and prescribed pharmacological treatment. A referral form must be completed by a health care provider.
- Phone: 1-855-544-3400
Body Brave: Eating disorder treatment
- Body Brave is a charity that provides eating disorder treatment and support. Services are virtual and available for people aged 17+, free of charge or covered by OHIP. A diagnosis is not required to access services. Weight inclusive and 2SLGBTQIA+ friendly.
- Phone: 905-312-9628
Hopewell - Eating disorder support centre
- A not-for-profit, charitable organization providing information and support to people affected by eating disorders and disordered eating. Hopewell also offers a helpline from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., for confidential one-on-one, peer support.
- Phone: 613-241-3428
National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC)
- NEDIC provides information, resources, referrals and support to Canadians affected by eating disorders through their toll-free helpline and live chat.
- Phone: 1-866-633-4220.
Recovery College - Providence Care
Sheena's Place
- Offering professionally-facilitated group-based support to people aged 17+ affected by an eating disorder or disordered eating. Groups are free of charge and participants do not require an eating disorder diagnosis or referral to register.
- Phone: 416-927-8900