• Eating disorders are more than just about food, even if the name might make you think otherwise. • Mental health problems usually influence such disorders, requiring help from psychological and medical experts. • These experts consider them to be psychological conditions that lead to the development of unhealthy eating habits. In severe cases, they can cause major health problems and even death. • The disorders may be caused by affected brain biology, repressive cultural ideals, certain personality traits, and genetics. • With that in mind, let’s look at 6 common types of eating disorders: Anorexia Nervosa • Anorexia nervosa is perhaps the most common eating disorder, occurring during adolescence and young adulthood. • It is often influenced by obsessive-compulsive tendencies and affects women more than it does men. • People with this condition usually see themselves as overweight even if they may be the opposite and restrict their diets because of it. • Symptoms include: • Being underweight compared to your age and height • Persistent need to get thinner • Restricted eating patterns • Not eating regularly out of fear of gaining weight • Distorted body image • Bodyweight and shape influencing self-esteem Bulimia Nervosa • Bulimia is another common eating disorder that occurs during adolescence and young adulthood. • It is characterized by eating large amounts in one go (called binging) until you are so full you cannot keep the food in. • This is followed by “purging” to let the improperly digested food out. • The purging may be done through vomiting, excessive exercise, diuretics, fasting, or laxatives. • Symptoms of bulimia are: • Regular binge-eating episodes • Fear of gaining weight • Regular purging through inappropriate means • Bodyweight influencing self-esteem Binge Eating Disorder • Binge-eating disorder is quite common and affects many adolescents and young adults. • People dealing with it end up going on regular binges, without worrying about calorie restrictions. • Symptoms caused by binge-eating disorder are similar to anorexia and bulimia. They include: • Bingeing while not being hungry • Feeling ashamed of bingeing and doing it secretly • Having a lack of control while bingeing • No purging behavior or calorie restrictions Pica • Pica is an eating disorder that deals with the consumption of things that are not considered to be food. • This includes soil, chalk, ice, paper, hair, dirt, wool, pebbles, clothes, laundry detergent, and cornstarch. • It occurs in people of all ages, who are susceptible to an increased risk of nutritional deficiencies, poisoning, gut injuries, and infections. Rumination Disorder • This newly recognized eating disorder causes a person to regurgitate already chewed and swallowed food within 30 minutes of a meal. • They either rechew and re-swallow the food or spit it out. • It arises within 3 to 12 months of age and can cause malnutrition and severe weight loss in infants if not resolved. • Adults with the condition usually limit when and what they eat in public. Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) • ARFID is an updated name for “feeding disorder of infancy and early childhood”. • The condition arises before the age of 7 and can last into adulthood. • It causes disturbed eating with people avoiding certain food items due to colors, taste, textures, or temperatures. • Symptoms of ARFID are: • Eating habits causing interference in social life • Food avoidance leads to decreased calorie intake • Nutrition deficiencies • Poor development for age and being underweight
