An Overview Of The Three Main Eating Disorders - Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia And Binge Eating

By Tim Gorman

Eating disorders have become a great deal more prevalent since the 1970s. An eating disorder is basically a condition characterized by an obsessive and long-term negative relationship with food or body image. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why eating disorders have become more common, but certainly many people point the finger at the media, which has increased the level of body consciousness and objectification in society. An eating disorder is likely to develop in around 10 to 15 percent of all adolescent and young women in the USA. Although eating disorders are generally considered to be a female disease, it's also true that men can develop them as well, even though it's much less common. Weight conscious athletes are particularly susceptible. So let's take a look at the three main types of eating disorder.

Anorexia Nervosa

Someone who suffers from anorexia nervosa has an obsessive desire to be thin. They will do anything that's necessary to achieve that goal, even to the point of starving themselves. Approximately 95 percent of anorexia patients are women, and a high proportion of those are young and adolescent women with middle or upper class economic and social background. They often suffer extreme feelings of self-loathing and self-esteem. Often the obsession with their weight spreads to other areas of their life, including obsessive behaviors in school, relationships and work. They may also develop obsessive and demanding exercise routines. Unfortunately, as the weight loss progresses, other health conditions also surface. These can include general poor health, susceptibility to colds, bouts of constipation, fatigue, lightheadedness and weakness, cramps in the abdomen and a reduced level of potassium. Some patients easily lost 25 percent or more of their body weight.

Bulimia

In a similar way to sufferers of anorexia, bulimia sufferers have an overwhelming obsession with their body. They indulge in binge eating episodes, and then afterwards they will induce vomiting to get rid of all the food. They struggle to eat food in a normal pattern. It's quite common for bulimia sufferers to have had anorexia in the past, or for the condition to progress to anorexia. Bulimia patients, however, are usually of normal weight. When they're binging, a bulimia sufferer can eat as may as 15,000 to 20,000 calories in one period. This can lead to extreme and intense mood swings, alternating between elation to deep depression very quickly. The binging is followed by intense shame and guilt for what they've done. This leads to the sufferer purging the food from their system as quickly as possible by inducing vomiting.

Binge Eating

Although the two eating disorders already discussed are the most well known ones, binge eating disorder can be just as detrimental. A sufferer from binge eating disorder will eat high calorie foods to an excessive level. It's quite common for sufferers to become much more obese than the average person. This type of eating is often linked to depression, and is a form of emotional eating. It can usually be treated with reasonable success by psychotherapy and antidepressants.

For more helpful and important information on the signs of anorexia, types of eating disorders and what causes anorexia please visit Coping-With-Eating-Disorders.com.

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