Today’s post is a general overview of different types of eating disorders. It explains the symptoms of the disease whilst noting signs to watch out for. Hope you find it interesting and helpful. :)
What is an Eating Disorder?
An eating disorder (ED) is a mental illness which can cause havoc in one’s daily life. A person with an eating disorder may eat smaller amounts of food everyday, eat huge amount of food at once or may even not eat anything at all.
Such disorders can appear mostly during the teen years or young adulthood of one’s life but may also be developed during childhood (yes, even a six year old can suffer from an ED) and at later stages in life. An ED can affect both the male and female populations.
Eating disorders are more than just food battles. Behind every eating disorder, lies a psychological issue which can trigger a person to seek an eating disorder as a mean of control. Eating disorders can bring about or may be the results of psychiatric conditions such as; depression, anxiety, substance abuse or self-harm. This disease should not be taken lightly as it can become life-threatening. A sufferer who is not receiving treatment should immediately seek help before it is too late.
The three most common types of eating disorders include; anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorder. Other types of EDs include orthorexia and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS).
The Three Main Types of Eating Disorders
Anorexia
Anorexia causes a state of emaciation due to the extreme restriction in the dietary regimen of the sufferer. The patient suffers from a distorted body image ( body dysmorphia – BDD), basis one’s self-esteem according to one’s body weight, denies the low body weight and lives with an extreme fear of gaining weight.
Repeated weighing, obsessive portion control and food labelling are some of the characteristics of anorexia along with long periods (day/weeks) of fasting and excessive exercise.
Over time, the body starts to deteriorate due to the lack of important mineral and nutrients. The bones start to get thinner and weaker, nails and hair become brittle and start to fall out, the skin starts to get yellowish and dry, lanugo (fine hair) starts to grow over the body due to the lack of fat tissue (insulation), the heart starts to get damaged leading to low blood pressure and breathing, lethargy, mood swings, brain and organ damage/failure, hypothermia and infertility. Female sufferers lose their monthly menstruation leading them to experience menopausal moods, sluggish metabolism while risking osteoporosis. Many females end up suffering from stress fractures due to the brittle conditions of their bones. Male sufferers experience low testosterone levels and lack of sex drive.
What is an Eating Disorder?
An eating disorder (ED) is a mental illness which can cause havoc in one’s daily life. A person with an eating disorder may eat smaller amounts of food everyday, eat huge amount of food at once or may even not eat anything at all.
Such disorders can appear mostly during the teen years or young adulthood of one’s life but may also be developed during childhood (yes, even a six year old can suffer from an ED) and at later stages in life. An ED can affect both the male and female populations.
Eating disorders are more than just food battles. Behind every eating disorder, lies a psychological issue which can trigger a person to seek an eating disorder as a mean of control. Eating disorders can bring about or may be the results of psychiatric conditions such as; depression, anxiety, substance abuse or self-harm. This disease should not be taken lightly as it can become life-threatening. A sufferer who is not receiving treatment should immediately seek help before it is too late.
The three most common types of eating disorders include; anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorder. Other types of EDs include orthorexia and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS).
The Three Main Types of Eating Disorders
Anorexia
Anorexia causes a state of emaciation due to the extreme restriction in the dietary regimen of the sufferer. The patient suffers from a distorted body image ( body dysmorphia – BDD), basis one’s self-esteem according to one’s body weight, denies the low body weight and lives with an extreme fear of gaining weight.
Repeated weighing, obsessive portion control and food labelling are some of the characteristics of anorexia along with long periods (day/weeks) of fasting and excessive exercise.
Over time, the body starts to deteriorate due to the lack of important mineral and nutrients. The bones start to get thinner and weaker, nails and hair become brittle and start to fall out, the skin starts to get yellowish and dry, lanugo (fine hair) starts to grow over the body due to the lack of fat tissue (insulation), the heart starts to get damaged leading to low blood pressure and breathing, lethargy, mood swings, brain and organ damage/failure, hypothermia and infertility. Female sufferers lose their monthly menstruation leading them to experience menopausal moods, sluggish metabolism while risking osteoporosis. Many females end up suffering from stress fractures due to the brittle conditions of their bones. Male sufferers experience low testosterone levels and lack of sex drive.
Bulimia
Frequent episodes of eating an abnormal amounts of food, whilst feeling a lack of control over such action is one of the factors which characterize bulimia nervosa. These episodes are followed by compensation rituals, eg. forced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives and/or diuretics, starvation periods, compulsive exercise or a combination of these behaviours.
Bulimics can either be underweight, average weight, athletic or overweight. Bulimia is a silent killer. Like anorexia sufferers, bulimics fear weight gain and choose to carry out drastic methods to lose weight.
Bulimic behaviour is carried out in secrecy due to the feelings of guilt, disgust or shame which the sufferer experiences during a bulimic episode. Bulimics usually suffer from an inflamed and sore throat with swollen salivary glands in the neck and jaw area due to the action of the stomach acid on these tissues. The tooth enamel becomes worn and starts to decay. The sufferer may also start to experience acid reflux disorder along with intestinal distress and irritation due to laxative abuse. Purging leads to severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, making the bulimic prone to suffering from a heart attack.
This disease is harder to recognise as due to the continuous binge-purge cycles, the sufferer experiences weight fluctuations. Some signs to look out for include; calluses or scars on the knuckles or hands from sticking fingers down the throat in order to induce vomiting, discoloured teeth, hidden food wrapping, smell of vomit, social isolation, excuses during dinner time and immediate trips to the bathroom after a meal.
Frequent episodes of eating an abnormal amounts of food, whilst feeling a lack of control over such action is one of the factors which characterize bulimia nervosa. These episodes are followed by compensation rituals, eg. forced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives and/or diuretics, starvation periods, compulsive exercise or a combination of these behaviours.
Bulimics can either be underweight, average weight, athletic or overweight. Bulimia is a silent killer. Like anorexia sufferers, bulimics fear weight gain and choose to carry out drastic methods to lose weight.
Bulimic behaviour is carried out in secrecy due to the feelings of guilt, disgust or shame which the sufferer experiences during a bulimic episode. Bulimics usually suffer from an inflamed and sore throat with swollen salivary glands in the neck and jaw area due to the action of the stomach acid on these tissues. The tooth enamel becomes worn and starts to decay. The sufferer may also start to experience acid reflux disorder along with intestinal distress and irritation due to laxative abuse. Purging leads to severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, making the bulimic prone to suffering from a heart attack.
This disease is harder to recognise as due to the continuous binge-purge cycles, the sufferer experiences weight fluctuations. Some signs to look out for include; calluses or scars on the knuckles or hands from sticking fingers down the throat in order to induce vomiting, discoloured teeth, hidden food wrapping, smell of vomit, social isolation, excuses during dinner time and immediate trips to the bathroom after a meal.
Binge-Eating Disorder (BED)
This is one of the most common ED. Many people suffer from this disorder without even knowing it. This ED is characterized by a loss of control over eating. Sufferers continue to eat beyond fullness without following their behaviours by and purging or fasting behaviours, thus, most BED patients are overweight or obese. This disorder increases the risk for the development of cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure. Binging behaviours are accompanied by guilt and shame. Sufferers end up distressing about their binge-eating, thus end up with more binge episodes.
This is one of the most common ED. Many people suffer from this disorder without even knowing it. This ED is characterized by a loss of control over eating. Sufferers continue to eat beyond fullness without following their behaviours by and purging or fasting behaviours, thus, most BED patients are overweight or obese. This disorder increases the risk for the development of cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure. Binging behaviours are accompanied by guilt and shame. Sufferers end up distressing about their binge-eating, thus end up with more binge episodes.
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