Types of Eating Disorders and how do you know if you have one or someone you know is suffering?
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There are many different types of eating disorders medically accepted as mental health disorders but there are also other conditions that are characteristic of eating disorders not medically recognized as diagnoses. One individual can experience aspects of one type of disorder or can experience a mixture of disorders. They can suffer for a short time period (a couple of months) or a long time period (many years). I have identified and briefly explained some of the most common eating disorders and syndromes in this post.
- Anorexia Nervosa – people with this diagnosis have a need to control all aspects of their eating, usually through starvation, in an attempt to gain control over their lives. The physical symptoms associated with this include losing a large amount of weight, maintaining a weight below what is considered medically healthy, and feeling the need to always be thinner. Mentally one would have a great fear of gaining weight, think their body size is larger than it actually is, and allow their weight and shape to be responsible for their self-esteem and self worth.
- Restricting Subtype – one achieves a low body weight by way of limiting the amount of nutrition they consume.
- Binge-Purge Subtype – one achieves a low body weight by way of self-induced vomiting, laxative abuse, or using diuretics, after eating large quantities of food (objective binge) or a normal amount of food that they consider to be too much food (subjective binge).
- Compulsive Exercising Subtype – one achieves a low body weight by over-exercising in order to burn off their caloric intake.
- Bulimia Nervosa – people with this diagnosis have anxiety over their body weight and shape and try to use food in order to regulate their emotions. They do this through cycles of bingeing and purging. A binge is characterized by consuming large amounts of food in a short amount of time and is followed by a purge in which the individual rids the body of the food consumed. This is done by self-induced vomiting, laxative abuse, over-exercising, or restricting future intake. Someone suffering with bulimia nervosa may have a weight that is regarded as “normal”.
- Binge Eating Disorder – people with this diagnosis use food to regulate their emotions, similar to in bulimia nervosa, in order to avoid situations, numb out their feelings, or to self-soothe. Despite feeling uncomfortable and ashamed after eating large amounts of food in one sitting, and often alone, they do not attempt to compensate for their binges with negative behaviours. Characteristically, they tend to be genetically heavier (often obese) and long term dieters.
- Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (ED-NOS) – individuals who have some, but not all, symptoms of an eating disorder required for a medical diagnosis. Could also include individuals who exhibit characteristics of more than one eating disorder type. Individuals with an ED-NOS may engage in eating disorder behaviours but not frequently enough for a medical diagnosis or exhibit abnormal or disordered style of eating.
- Orthorexia – people with this syndrome will have an obsession with only eating “healthy” foods and eating “properly”. They focus on only eating natural products and healing themselves using natural methods. Their emotional state is dependent on how well they are able to adhere to their way of eating/living. They have a tendency to isolate themselves and even sacrifice their health in order to achieve their goals.
- Night Eating Syndrome – people with this syndrome tend to restrict their food intake during the day and overeat at night. As a result, they tend to have sleep disorders, hormone dysregulation, and difficulties identifying their hunger and fullness cues.
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