Eating Disorders: A Brief Overview

 Hi hi hi, baddies! In this article, I'm going to be telling you all about eating disorders (EDs). An eating disorder is a mental condition that causes a disturbance in eating behavior and impairment of physical and mental health. There are many kinds of eating disorders. The most well-known known ED is anorexia nervosa (AN), although the most common ED is binge eating disorder (BED). 

Three most common EDs are:

- anorexia nervosa (AN)

- bulimia nervosa (BN)

- binge eating disorder (BED)

There are many kinds of eating disorders, but we'll focus on these three. 

To start off, anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder categorized by an intense fear of gaining weight and distorted body image, leading to food restriction and significant and extreme weight loss. There are to kinds of anorexia: restricting type and binge eating and purging type (AN-R AND AN-BP). AN-R is when one loses weight via diets and/or excessive and extreme exercise. AN-BP is when one engages in binge eating activities then purges by vomiting or misuse of laxatives. 

This brings us to the topic of bulimia nervosa. Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder marked by episodes of binge eating followed by behaviors to lose the weight such as self-induced vomiting, fasting, and/or excessive and extreme exercise. Bulimia usually coexists with anxiety and depression, and it can lead to serious health complications. 

Binge eating disorder (which we will refer to as BED because I am not going to be writing six syllables over and over again) consists of recurrent episodes of over-eating, often in a short period of time, accompanied by feelings of lack of control and distress. Unlike bulimia, BED patients do not engage in compensatory behaviors such as purging or over-exercising. This disorder's recognition has increased due to it's relation and prevelance with obesity and metabolic disorders. BED is especially common with individuals who has Type 1 diabetes, where the control and management of the condition may lead to disordered eating. 

What are some symptoms of these eating disorders?

 For anorexia nervosa, symptoms may include:

- severely restricted calorie intake

- avoiding certain types of food, or food in general

- an extreme obsession with weight loss and a fear of gaining weight

- distorted body image

For bulimia nervosa, symptoms include: 

- episodes of binge eating until painfully full

- purging 

    - forced vomiting

    - misuse of laxatives

    - misuse of diuretics 

    - misuse of enemas

    - excessive and extreme exercise

Some symptoms of binge eating disorder are:

- eating extreme abnormal amounts of food in a short period of time, especially when not hungry

- feelings of distress

- feeling ashamed or guilty

- feeling lack of control during binge eating episodes

These are three different kinds of eating disorders and their symptoms. If you think you may have any of these, I recommend you talk to a health professional and/or specialist in this field. As always, stay safe, be happy, and have a great day, baddies!