ABSTRACT
An eating disorder is a very challenging and painful illness. Having to deal with another medical or mental health condition can make it even more difficult to know how to work to manage one illness while trying to ameliorate the effects of the other.
In addition, some illnesses mask the eating disorder, and others may present as eating disorders when they are not.
In this chapter, you will learn about: obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, diabetes, celiac disease, and PANDAS. You will learn to recognize whether you may be struggling with one of these illnesses. As well, you will learn whether one of these illnesses may be making it more difficult for you to overcome your eating disorder or whether one of these other illnesses has been missed and, instead, appears to be an eating disorder.
The reasons for a thorough medical and mental health assessment and diagnosis will become clear.
