The Anxious Achiever Eating Disorders, Body Image, Anxiety with Melissa Gerson
Jan 29, 2026
Melissa Gerson, founder of Columbus Park Treatment Center and clinical psychologist, discusses how anxiety and perfectionism shape eating behaviors. She explains why restriction or overeating can feel like control or relief. Short, clear takes cover brain effects of starvation, workplace food pressures, perfectionist profiles, signs to seek help, and evidence-based treatment.
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Eating Behaviors Serve Psychological Functions
- Disordered eating behaviors serve functions like control, grounding, or self-soothing for the person using them.
- Both restriction and overeating can feel rewarding because they offer predictability or numbing that relieves anxiety.
Starvation Rewires The Brain
- Starvation changes brain function and behavior, producing withdrawal, obsession with food, and ritualized eating patterns.
- Restoring nutrition (refeeding) can correct many anorexia symptoms because the brain's state shifts with adequate food.
Food Is An Easy Target For Control
- Food offers an easy target for control because it's ubiquitous, quantifiable, and culturally scrutinized.
- Society often admires extreme restraint, which can reinforce rigid eating as a valued coping strategy.