The Overlap: Understanding OCD and Eating Disorders
August 28, 2025
The Intersection of Eating Disorders and OCD with Elian Beattie, MS, LMHC, LCMHC
September 24, 2025
In this episode of Fear Less, Zack talks with licensed therapist Elian Beattie, the owner of Insights Group, an outpatient therapy practice in Rye, New Hampshire. Elian specializes in treating OCD, anxiety, and eating disorders, and shares her rare expertise in addressing both OCD and disordered eating at the same time—something many treatment providers avoid. Listeners will gain a clear understanding of how these two conditions often overlap, from perfectionism and control to compulsive behaviors around food and body image. Elian breaks down how both disorders can be identified, assessed, and treated with evidence-based approaches like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Whether you’re a parent concerned about your teen’s mental health, someone who struggles with rigid food rules and anxiety, or a clinician who sees these overlapping conditions, this episode offers real hope and practical guidance. Elian also shares a powerful story of helping a young athlete recover through social reconnection, challenging food fears, and building values-based resilience. If you’re looking for answers about OCD, eating disorders, or how to find the right kind of help, this conversation will leave you informed, inspired, and ready to take action.
Zack’s Anxiety Hack: Zack shares a quote from Salvador Dali that can help you fear less!
FAQs: Treating OCD and Eating Disorders
Yes. OCD and eating disorders are often comorbid, meaning someone can experience both at once. The overlap can include perfectionism, a strong need for control, anxiety, and compulsive or rigid behaviors related to food, body image, or “rules.”
A helpful starting point is looking at the function of the behavior. OCD-driven behaviors are typically done to reduce fear, uncertainty, or a sense of “something is wrong” (often tied to intrusive thoughts), while eating-disorder behaviors are more directly tied to weight/shape concerns, food restriction, or eating/compensatory patterns. Because the two can reinforce each other, a thorough assessment is important.
Common overlap signs include rigid food rules, rituals around eating, reassurance-seeking, avoidance of feared foods/situations, intense distress when routines are disrupted, and compulsive behaviors that feel “necessary” to relieve anxiety.
Evidence-based treatment commonly includes Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD symptoms and approaches like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to build psychological flexibility and values-based coping—especially when perfectionism, control, and avoidance show up across both conditions.
Insights Group is an outpatient therapy practice in Rye, New Hampshire, and the blog highlights clinical expertise in treating OCD, anxiety, and eating disorders, including evidence-based approaches like ERP and ACT.
