Eating Disorders
 
Introduction

Eating Disorders are real, treatable medical illnesses with complex underlying psychological and biological causes. A person with an eating disorder may have started out just eating smaller or larger amounts of food than usual, but at some point, the urge to eat less or more spirals out of control.

Table of Contents
1. Introduction 6. Types
2. Definition 7. Treatment
3. Vital Statistics    
4. Signs and Symptoms    
5. Risk Factors    
 
  Definition:  

An eating disorder is marked by extremes. It is present when a person experiences severe disturbances in eating behavior, such as extreme reduction of food intake or extreme overeating, or feelings of extreme distress or concern about body weight or shape.

  Vital Statistics:  

In the United States, as many as 10 million females and 1 million males are fighting a life and death battle with an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. Millions more are struggling with binge eating disorder.
  Signs and Symptoms:  

  • An impulsive focus on healthy food and nutrition.
  • A sudden compulsive interest in reading food labels to check fat grams and calories.
  • Avoiding fat and becoming increasingly picky about what an individual chooses to consume.
  • Starting diets to lose weight or become "healthier" over and over again.
  • An unexpected, sudden choice to be a vegetarian.
  • Refusing to eat dessert.
  • Skipping meals (most often breakfast).
  • Lying about the foods they've eaten, when they've eaten, and how much they've eaten.
  • Worrying about their weight and being dissatisfied with how they look.
  • Drinking excessive amounts of water or liquid that have no calories (in order to feel full).
  • Poor concentration or focus.
  • Low energy or frequent tiredness during the day.
  • Excessive weight loss or weight gain.
  Risk Factors:  

Eating disorders frequently appear during adolescence or young adulthood, but some reports indicate that they can develop during childhood or later in adulthood. Women and girls are much more likely than males to develop an eating disorder.
  Types of Eating Disorders:  

  • Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that involves limiting the amount of food a person eats. It results in starvation and an inability to stay at the minimum body weight considered healthy for the person's age and height.
  • Bulimia nervosa is an illness in which a person binges on food or has regular episodes of significant overeating and feels a loss of control. The affected person then uses various methods --such as vomiting or laxative abuse-- to prevent weight gain.
  • Eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS) includes several variations of eating disorders. Most of these disorders are similar to anorexia or bulimia but with slightly different characteristics. Binge-eating disorder, which has received increasing research and media ttention in recent years, is one type of EDNOS.
  Treatment:  

Psychological and medicinal treatments are effective for many eating disorders. However, in more chronic cases, specific treatments have not yet been identified. Treatment plans often are tailored to the patient's individual needs that may include medical care and monitoring, medications, nutritional counselling, and individual, group and/or family psychotherapy. Some patients may also need to be hospitalized to treat malnutrition or to gain weight, or for other reasons.
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