Eating disorders are behavioral conditions characterized by severe and persistent disturbance in eating behaviors and are commonly associated with distressing thoughts and emotions. They can be very serious conditions affecting physical, psychological and social function. They might start with an obsession with food, body weight, or body shape and in severe cases, eating disorders can cause serious health consequences and may even result in death if left untreated. Here are four types of eating disorders.
Anorexia nervosa: Anorexia Nervosa is likely the most well-known eating disorder and it is characterized by self-starvation and weight loss resulting in low weight for height and age. Anorexia has the highest mortality of any psychiatric diagnosis other than opioid use disorder and can be a very serious condition. People with anorexia generally view themselves as overweight even if they’re dangerously underweight. They tend to constantly monitor their weight, avoid eating certain types of foods, and severely restrict their calories.
Bulimia nervosa: According to an article by HEALTHLINE published on the 30th of October, 2019, People with bulimia nervosa typically alternate dieting, or eating only low calorie with binge eating on high calorie foods. Individuals with bulimia usually maintain a relatively normal weight, rather than becoming underweight. People with this type of disorder often force themselves to get rid of the food by vomiting, fasting, or anything to get rid of the food faster. In severe cases, bulimia can also create an imbalance in levels of electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium, and calcium which can cause a stroke or heart attack.
Binge eating disorder: Binge eating is defined as eating a large amount of food in a short period of time associated with a sense of loss of control over what, or how much one is eating. This is a type of disorder that typically begins during adolescence and early adulthood, although it can develop later on. As with bulimia nervosa, people with binge eating disorder have episodes of binge eating in which they consume large quantities of food in a brief period, where they experience a sense of loss of control over their eating and are distressed by the binge behavior. Unlike people with bulimia nervosa however, they do not regularly use compensatory behaviors to get rid of the food by inducing vomiting, fasting, exercising or laxative misuse. The binge eating is chronic and can lead to serious health complications, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.
Pica: Pica is an eating disorder in which a person repeatedly eats things that are not food with no nutritional value. This behavior persists over for at least one month and is severe enough to warrant clinical attention. Individuals with pica crave non-food substances, such as ice, dirt, soil, chalk, soap, paper, hair, cloth, wool, pebbles, laundry detergent, and any other weird stuff you shouldn’t be eating. People with pica may be at an increased risk of poisoning, infections, gut injuries, and nutritional deficiencies. This disorder may particularly affect children, pregnant women, and individuals with mental disabilities.
You can read more on eating disorders and if you notice you or anyone close to you has a particular disorder mentioned, please visit your doctor.
