Eating disorders are serious illnesses caused by uncontrollable eating habits that have a negative impact on your health, emotions, and ability to function in important areas of life. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder are the three most common eating disorders.
Obsessing your weight, body shape, and food is common in eating disorders, and it can lead to dangerous eating habits. These practices can have a significant impact on your body’s ability to obtain adequate nutrition. Eating disorders can harm the heart, digestive system, bones, teeth, and mouth, among other organs, and can also lead to other health issues.
Eating disorders are most common in teenagers and young adults, but they can occur at any age. With treatment, you can revert to healthier eating habits and, in some cases, reverse serious eating disorder complications.
Symptoms
The symptoms of an eating disorder differ depending on the type. The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Rumination disorder and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder are two other eating disorders.
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa (an-o-REK-see-uh) is a potentially life-threatening eating disorder marked by abnormally low body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight, and a distorted perception of weight and shape. Anorexics go to great lengths to maintain their weight and shape, which can have a significant impact on their health and daily activities.
Anorexia is a condition in which you severely restrict calories or use other methods to lose weight, such as excessive exercise, the use of laxatives or diet aids, or vomiting after eating. Even if you’re underweight, attempting to lose weight can lead to serious health problems, including self-starvation, which can be fatal.
Bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa (boo-LEE-me-uh) Nervosa, also known as bulimia, is a serious, potentially fatal eating disorder. Bulimia is characterised by episodes of bingeing and purging in which you feel a loss of control over your eating. Bulimia patients often restrict their eating during the day, which leads to more binge eating and purging.
During these episodes, you eat a lot of food in a short period of time and then try to burn off the extra calories in an unhealthy manner. You may force vomiting, exercise excessively, or use other methods, such as laxatives, to get rid of the calories because of guilt, shame, and an intense fear of weight gain from overeating.
Bulimia makes you preoccupied with your weight and body shape, and you may judge yourself harshly for your perceived flaws. You could be a healthy weight or even slightly obese.
Binge Eating
Binge eating disorder is a type of eating disorder that occurs when a person consumes excessive
When you have a binge-eating disorder, you eat excessive amounts of food on a regular basis (binge) and lack control over what you eat. Even when you’re not hungry, you can eat quickly or consume more food than you intended, and you can eat until you’re uncomfortably full.
Your behaviour and the amount of food eaten may make you feel guilty, disgusted, or ashamed after a binge. However, unlike someone with bulimia or anorexia, you don’t try to compensate for your bad habits by exercising excessively or purging.
At least once a week, a new round of bingeing occurs. You could be a healthy weight, an overweight person, or an obese person.
Rumination is a mental illness that affects people.
Rumination disorder is regurgitating food after eating repeatedly and persistently, but it is not caused by a medical condition or another eating disorder like anorexia, bulimia, or binge-eating disorder. Regurgitation occurs when food is brought back up into the mouth without nausea or gagging, and it is not always intentional. Regurgitated food is sometimes rechewed, swallowed, or spit out.
If the food is spat out or the person eats significantly less to avoid the behaviour, the disorder can lead to malnutrition. It’s possible that rumination disorder is more common in children or people with intellectual disabilities.
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Food intake restriction/avoidance disorder
This disorder is defined by a failure to meet your minimum daily nutrition requirements due to a lack of interest in eating; an avoidance of food with certain sensory characteristics, such as colour, texture, smell, or taste; or a fear of choking as a result of eating. There is no fear of gaining weight, so food is not avoided.
In children, the disorder can cause significant weight loss or failure to gain weight, as well as nutritional deficiencies that can lead to health problems.
When should you see a doctor?
It can be difficult to manage or overcome an eating disorder on your own. Eating disorders have the ability to take control of your life. Seek medical help if you’re having any of these issues, or if you think you might have an eating disorder.
Unfortunately, many people with eating disorders do not believe they require treatment. Encourage a loved one to seek medical help if you’re worried about him or her. Even if your loved one isn’t ready to admit he or she has a problem with food, expressing concern and a desire to listen can help to open the door.
Be on the lookout for unhealthy eating patterns and beliefs, as well as peer pressure that can lead to unhealthy behaviour.
