The Interactions Between Stress, Anxiety, and Eating Disorders

Everyone has stress in their lives. But if you struggle with other mental health disorders, that same level of stress can make those conditions worse. The interactions between stress, anxiety, and eating disorders are complicated and they make it important for those susceptible to those disorders to develop strong coping mechanisms and work with a psychotherapist to maintain your mental health.

Anxiety and Eating Disorders Often Overlap

There have been many studies over the last 30 years that have confirmed that people who struggle with eating disorders are at a significantly increased risk of other disorders including:

• General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• Phobias including social phobia
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

In fact, at least 65% of patients with an eating disorder can also be diagnosed with at least one anxiety disorder. These comorbid conditions often occur first and extend beyond the person’s disordered eating. Because of this, some professionals consider anxiety disorders a risk factor predisposing a patient to eating disorders.

What Stress Does to Anxiety and Eating Disorders

Experiencing stress or being anxious are not the same as having a mental health disorder. Everyone experiences stress at different points in their life. However, the increased hormones that come with high stress can alter a person’s eating habits, making it harder to avoid disordered eating.

Stress is often a key trigger to both anxiety and the development of an eating disorder. The label “stress-induced anorexia” specifically applies when a person has a preexisting condition of chronic stress or PTSD and then later develops the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. So called “stress eating” or the opposite – stress-induced food restriction – can be a harmful form of avoidance coping that do not directly deal with the stressful situation, but instead create the risk of a person developing an eating disorder.

Similarly, stress can put a person at a higher risk for developing an anxiety disorder. If you do experience anxiety, phobias, or panic attacks, high-stress experiences can trigger those symptoms, resulting in a spiral of negative emotions and even physical symptoms. Struggles with anxiety can also make it harder to handle the everyday stresses that come with modern life.

Managing Stress and Disordered Eating

Because stress is a trigger to both anxiety and eating disorders, it is important for people who experience those disorders to find healthy ways to manage their stress. Often, this includes learning healthy coping strategies that directly address the stressful situation such as:

• Mediation
• Mindfulness
• Sleep regulation
• Journaling
• Artistic expression
• Moderated exercise (though excessive exercise is also a symptom of eating disorders)

The interplay between stress, anxiety, and eating disorders also makes it especially important that you manage your mental health with the help of a psychotherapist. Without therapy, and in some cases medication, stress can trigger or even cause more severe mental health issues later on. Developing a strong relationship with a psychotherapist when circumstances are easier can help you better be able to cope with stress when it happens.

David Stanislaw is a psychotherapist with over 30 years of experience. He helps adults, teens and children with the mental and emotional consequences of chronic stress and other mental health concerns. Contact David Stanislaw to get help today.