Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses that affect people of all ages and backgrounds. They may start with an obsession with food, body weight or body shape.
They can cause serious problems for you or someone you know. Thankfully, eating disorders can be treated.
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder that causes significant physical and mental health problems. Individuals with anorexia restrict their food intake and exercise compulsively to lose weight.
People with anorexia also have distorted body image and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. This is a very serious mental health condition that can be life threatening.
Symptoms may include weight loss, muscle loss, fatigue, and constipation. It can also lead to a number of other health issues such as depression, anxiety and substance abuse.
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder that involves binge eating followed by purging. Purging can be done by throwing up, using laxatives or diuretics, or fasting.
People with bulimia have an obsession with their body weight and shape. This can lead to unhealthy attitudes and behaviors toward food and their bodies.
In addition, bulimia can cause other mental health problems like depression. These conditions can be treated with psychological counseling and sometimes antidepressants.
Signs that you or a loved one may have bulimia include excessive weight loss, frequent binges and purging. They also might have dental issues caused by repeated vomiting, which causes acid to pass through the mouth causing erosion in the teeth.
Binge Eating Disorder
People with binge eating disorder have repeated episodes of uncontrolled consumption of large amounts of food in a short period of time. These episodes are accompanied by feelings of distress and guilt.
Unlike the behaviours associated with bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder is not accompanied by compensatory activities, such as self-induced vomiting or over-exercising.
Binge eating can be a reaction to emotions that are uncomfortable or overwhelming, such as stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness and boredom. However, these feelings are usually temporary and should not be allowed to take over your life.
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a complex eating disorder that can be challenging to diagnose and treat. It typically begins during childhood but may develop into adolescence.
ARFID is characterized by a pattern of restricted food intake, resulting in significant weight loss and reduced health and social functioning. It can be life threatening and can negatively impact on relationships, school, and work.
ARFID can present in a number of different ways, including * avoidance of food based on sensory characteristics such as color, texture, smell, or consistency*. Alternatively, patients may choose to restrict their food intake because they have an anxiety reaction that triggers a fear of vomiting, choking or pain when they eat certain foods.
Orthorexia Nervosa
Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a condition where the focus is on eating only pure, healthy foods. People with this disorder may eliminate entire food groups and limit the amount of nutrition they consume to only organic, non-GMO, low-sodium, low-carb, non-dairy, and grass-fed foods.
Symptoms include an obsession with food, excessive weight loss or malnourishment, and a sense of personal impurity and/or negative physical sensations. This behavior can also lead to social isolation, depression and a loss of self-esteem.
Individuals with this eating disorder are very concerned about the quality of their food and where it was grown or prepared, often obsessing over nutritional ingredients and spending hours deciding on which meals to prepare. They may also be anxious about eating out because they worry their standards won’t be met.
Rumination Disorder
Rumination Disorder is a psychological condition characterized by repeating the regurgitation of food, usually after a meal. This happens regularly and for a month or more.
People with rumination disorder are also often dehydrated and malnourished because of the regurgitation.
Doctors can diagnose rumination disorder by examining the reasons for the regurgitation and by assessing if there is a underlying physical disease that might cause it.
In infants and mentally disabled adults, treatment is typically behavioral therapy. This involves habit reversal, where the person learns to recognize the behavior and uses diaphragmatic breathing (during recognizable moments when regurgitation occurs) to stop it happening.
