EATING DISORDERS

Eating Disorders describe illnesses that are characterized by irregular eating habits and severe distress or concern about body weight or shape.

Eating disturbances may include inadequate or excessive food intake which can ultimately damage an individual’s well-being. The most common forms of eating disorders include Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder and affect both females and males.

Eating disorders can develop during any stage in life but typically appear during the teen years or young adulthood. Classified as a medical illness, appropriate treatment can be highly effectual for many of the specific types of eating disorders.

Although these conditions are treatable, the symptoms and consequences can be detrimental and deadly if not addressed. Eating disorders commonly coexist with other conditions, such as anxiety disorders, substance abuse, or depression.

There are three types of Eating Disorders

1) Anorexia Nervosa

2) Bulimia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa

ANOREXIA NERVOSA

Anorexia Nervosa is a psychological and potentially life-threatening eating disorder. Those suffering from this eating disorder are typically suffering from an extremely low body weight relative to their height and body type. Additionally, women and men who suffer from this eating disorder exemplify a fixation with a thin figure and abnormal eating patterns. Anorexia nervosa is interchangeable with the term anorexia, which refers to self-starvation and lack of appetite.

Examples of environmental factors that would contribute to the occurrence of this eating disorder are:

The effects of the thinness culture in media, that constantly reinforce thin people as ideal stereotypes
Professions and careers that promote being thin and weight loss, such as ballet and modeling
Family and childhood traumas: childhood sexual abuse, severe trauma
Peer pressure among friends and co-workers to be thin or be sexy.

Examples of biological factors include:

Irregular hormone functions
Genetics (the tie between anorexia and one’s genes is still being heavily researched, but we know that genetics is a part of the story)

Anorexia Signs & Symptoms

An individual suffering from anorexia nervosa may reveal one or several signs and symptoms such as:

Chronic restrictive eating or dieting, beyond the norm
Rapidly losing weight or being significantly underweight and emaciated
Obsession with calories and fat contents of food
Engaging in ritualistic eating patterns, such as cutting food into tiny pieces, eating alone, and/or hiding food
Continued fixation with food, recipes, or cooking; the individual may cook intricate meals for others but refrain from partaking
Amenorrhea: an abnormal absence of menstruation, or loss of 3 consecutive menstrual cycles
Depression or lethargic stage
Development of lanugo: soft, fine hair that grows on face and body
Reported sensation of feeling cold, particularly in extremities
Loss or thinning of hair
Avoidance of social functions, family, and friends. May become isolated and withdrawn

Bulimia Nervosa

BULIMIA NERVOSA

Bulimia Nervosa is a psychological and severe life-threatening eating disorder described by the ingestion of an abnormally large amount of food in short time period, followed by an attempt to avoid gaining weight by purging what was consumed.

Methods of purging include forced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics, and extreme or prolonged periods of exercising. Often, in these binge/purge episodes, a woman or man suffering from this disorder will experience a loss of control and engage in frantic efforts to undo these feelings.

Since he or she may have bingeing and purging episodes in secret, they are often able to conceal their disorder from others for extended periods of time. Those suffering from bulimia nervosa often utilize these behaviors in an attempt to prevent weight gain, to establish a sense of control, and/or as a means of coping with difficult circumstances or situations.

Bulimia Signs & Symptoms

An individual suffering from bulimia nervosa may reveal several signs and symptoms, many which are the direct result of self-induced vomiting or other forms of purging, especially if the binge/purge cycle is repeated several times a week and/or day.

Physical signs and symptoms of this eating disorder are:

Constant weight fluctuations
Electrolyte imbalances, which can result in cardiac arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, or ultimately death
Broken blood vessels within the eyes
Enlarged glands in the neck and under the jaw line
Oral trauma, such as lacerations in the lining of the mouth or throat from repetitive vomiting
Chronic dehydration
Inflammation of the esophagus
Chronic gastric reflux after eating or peptic ulcers
Infertility

Signs and symptoms of binge eating and purging are:

Disappearance of large amounts of food
Eating in secrecy
Lack of control when eating
Switching between periods of overeating and fasting
Frequent use of the bathroom after meals
Having the smell of vomit

WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH ?

Understanding Mental Health

DISORDERS

SEEK HELP

Mental health has been an increasingly popular topic of conversation recently, and rightfully so. With this website we aim to familiarise the general audience with the basics of mental health. This includes basic disorders, recovery and how one should go about the nooks and crooks of mental health, all under one URL.