An eating disorder is characterized by irregular eating patterns that develop due to an obsession with weight or body image. Types of eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder require professional care from a women’s eating disorder treatment center.
Disorders may include eating excessive amounts of food or limiting intake to the point of harming the body. Problems often occur during teen or young adult years and can last for several months. Doctors classify eating disorders as mental illnesses. However, they can also have a physical impact and lead to numerous health issues. Let’s take a closer look below at different types of eating disorders.
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia is a potentially life-threatening disorder that involves self-starvation as a means of controlling weight and body image. A person becomes obsessed with how they look and limits what they eat or how much they consume to achieve the desired weight.
The problem is that the obsession overrides the goal. Even if a person reaches their intended weight, they may continue to starve themselves.
Symptoms
- Food restriction
- Obsession with weight loss
- Excessive exercise
- Determination to stay in control of diet
- Eating in isolation
A person who has anorexia often suffers from anxiety or depression. They may also be dangerously underweight and suffering from health problems such as hormonal imbalance, impaired cognitive function, digestive problem, risk of stroke or heart attack, or chest pains.
Bulimia Nervosa
The goal of someone with bulimia nervosa is the same as someone with anorexia. The difference, however, is that, instead of starvation, a person will binge eat and then purge the food. They may gorge themselves with food until they are full and then induce vomiting or diarrhea shortly after.
By binging and purging, a person can eat what they want without feeling guilty for it. A person who has bulimia often binges and purges in secret because they feel embarrassed or ashamed of their behavior. This is why it’s difficult to identify the problem at first.
Symptoms
- Regular binging on large amounts of food
- Self-induced vomiting
- Using laxatives or diuretics to induce diarrhea
- Sudden fluctuation in body weight
- Leaving the dinner table often
Bulimia can cause severe injury to numerous parts of the body. A person may have a diminished gag reflex or have difficulty swallowing. They can damage their esophagus and other parts of the digestive system. Constant exposure to gastric juice can cause rapid tooth decay. Heart problems are also common with bulimia. Someone struggling with this condition should consider getting help at a bulimia treatment center.
Binge Eating Disorder (BED)
A person that has a binge eating disorder will often lose control over the amount of food they consume in a single sitting. Binge eating is different from other types of eating disorders in that there is no activity following the binge. As a result, a person who eats enormous amounts of food may quickly gain weight.
Binge eaters consume food even when they have no appetite. A binge may occur every once in a while, at first. Eventually, the episodes occur more frequently, as binging starts to turn into an addiction. People who binge eat often feel guilty and ashamed of their behavior. However, they have a difficult time stopping.
Symptoms
- Intake of abnormally large amounts of food
- Eating faster than normal
- Stress or worry over eating too much
- Increase in the frequency of the episodes
- Eating enough to produce pain or discomfort
A person who binges more than once a week is likely to gain several pounds quickly to the point of becoming obese. Obesity leads to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes.
Learn More About Types of Eating Disorders
If you would like to learn more about all the types of eating disorders, then contact an anorexia treatment center today. Learn about your treatment options and get help for your disorder.