Maureen Kritzer-Lange’s eating disorder course, where she presents eating disorders through both professional expertise and lived experience. She explains that eating disorders are complex mental health conditions involving emotional dysregulation, body image distortion, rigid food rules, shame, secrecy, and loss of control. Maureen shares her own history growing up in a seemingly privileged environment while struggling internally with low self-confidence, negative self-talk, and obsessive concerns about food and body size.

The course reviews major eating disorder types, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binge eating disorder, orthorexia, and disordered eating behaviors such as purging, restriction, excessive exercise, laxatives, diuretics, and food rituals. Maureen also discusses warning signs, including sudden weight changes, secrecy, isolation, rigid routines, obsessive body checking, fear of eating in public, and physical symptoms such as coldness, lanugo, dental damage, and digestive issues.

She emphasizes that eating disorders are not simply about food; they are often coping mechanisms for anxiety, trauma, control, family dynamics, perfectionism, and emotional overwhelm. Through case examples, Maureen shows how recovery requires compassion, psychoeducation, professional support, self-awareness, and learning healthier ways to manage pain, stress, and identity.