Eating Disorders

An eating disorder is a mental health condition where someone has unhealthy thoughts and behaviors related to food and their body. This can include eating too little, eating too much, or engaging in harmful behaviors to control weight

“There is a commonly held misconception that eating disorders are a lifestyle choice. Eating disorders are actually serious and often fatal illnesses that are associated with severe disturbances in people’s eating behaviors and related thoughts and emotions. Preoccupation with food, body weight, and shape may also signal an eating disorder. Common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.”

  • NIMH

Types of Eating Dissorders

  • Anorexia Nervosa: Intense fear of gaining weight leads to severe restriction of food intake and significant weight loss.

  • Bulimia Nervosa: Involves episodes of binge eating followed by purging through vomiting, laxatives, or excessive exercise to prevent weight gain.

  • Binge-Eating Disorder: Characterized by eating large amounts of food in a short period, often in secret, without subsequent purging, leading to feelings of shame and guilt.

Symptoms

Anorexia nervosa

  • Extremely restricted eating

  • Extreme thinness (emaciation)

  • A relentless pursuit of thinness and unwillingness to maintain a normal or healthy weight

  • Intense fear of gaining weight

  • Distorted body image, a self-esteem that is heavily influenced by perceptions of body weight and shape, or a denial of the seriousness of low body weight

Bulimia nervosa

  • Chronically inflamed and sore throat

  • Swollen salivary glands in the neck and jaw area

  • Worn tooth enamel and increasingly sensitive and decaying teeth as a result of exposure to stomach acid

  • Acid reflux disorder and other gastrointestinal problems

  • Intestinal distress and irritation from laxative abuse

  • Severe dehydration from purging of fluids

  • Electrolyte imbalance (too low or too high levels of sodium, calcium, potassium, and other minerals) which can lead to stroke or heart attack

Binge-eating disorder

  • Eating unusually large amounts of food in a specific amount of time, such as a 2-hour period

  • Eating even when you're full or not hungry

  • Eating fast during binge episodes

  • Eating until you're uncomfortably full

  • Eating alone or in secret to avoid embarrassment

  • Feeling distressed, ashamed, or guilty about your eating

  • Frequently dieting, possibly without weight loss

Causes

many different factors including family and socoal media can contribute to eating dissorders. People with a family history of eating dissorders or other mental health dissorders may be more likely to develop a eating dissorder. Also with social pressure setting certain beaut standards can cause people to develop eating dissorders in attempt to get ‘prettier’ and fit a standard.