Blog Post #2: Types of Eating Disorders

Are you obsessed with your weight, calories and fat contents of foods? Obsessed in continuous exercising? Do you restrict eating food and self-starve yourself? Do you have fear of eating with other people? Do you have frequent trips to the bathroom immediately after having meals? Do you use diet pills, laxatives or enemas? Do you hide food in strange places and eat them at a later time? … If you say ‘yes’ with all of those questions, I’m sorry to tell you that you are a victim of a serious health problem called “Eating disorder”. Those are just some of the popular symptoms of an eating disorder and there are a lot more other signs and symptoms that you can search in the Internet. If you think you have an eating disorder just by agreeing with the symptoms, try to be curious and ask more questions about it, but if you have money, try to consult a therapist, dietician or any professional doctor who specializes in your health problems. For now, let’s first know the definition of Eating disorder.

Eating disorders are serious, potentially life-threatening conditions that affect a person’s emotional and physical health. Eating disorders have many health consequences and medical complications that need to be seriously treated physically and emotionally as early as possible. According to Arthur Schoenstadt, MD’s article Eating Disorder from the site eating-disorder.emedtv.com “Eating disorders are complex, long-term illnesses largely misunderstood and misdiagnosed. The most common ones--anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder are on the rise, both in the United States and worldwide.”

Eating disorder is complex because it is a health problem which is not simple and very difficult to cure. It is a long-term illness largely misunderstood and misdiagnosed. Doctors overlooked the signs and symptoms of it because people who have Eating disorder deny their problem and they don’t think that they are having this illness. Sometimes they hide their problem and they don’t let other people especially their family know about it. If it is being hid, it becomes long-term illness which also needs to be treated in a long-term manner. Schoenstadt also said that the most common Eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.

From the site apa.org, the American Psychological Association discussed some definition of the three major types of Eating disorders in their article What are the major kinds of Eating disorders? They wrote, “People with anorexia nervosa have distorted body image that causes them to see themselves as overweight even when they’re dangerously thin.” They often refuse to eat, exercise compulsively, and develop unusual eating habits such as refusing to eat in front of others and from that they lose a large amount of weight and may even starve to death. According to Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, a person with anorexia refuses to maintain normal body weight for age and height and weighs 85% or less than what is expected for age and height. In addition, they have an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even when they’re severely underweight.

According to Paige Bierma’s article Bulimia Nervosa from the site cosumer.healthday.com, “Although this eating disorder is less well-known than anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa is actually more common among American teenage and young women—and just as serious.” Bulimia Nervosa is often referred to as “bingeing and purging”. People with this eating disorder go on wild eating binges, consuming between 1,000 and 20,000 calories in one-sitting. They then purge what they’ve eaten by self-induced vomiting or taking laxatives or diuretics before their bodies can absorb the food. Bulimics often binge in private and often run water in the bathroom sink to cover the noise of their vomiting. 

The third most common Eating disorder is Binge-eating disorder or Compulsive Overeating. According to Dr. Weil's article Compulsive Overeating from his site drweil.com, “A compulsive overeater (binge eater) is an individual who compulsively eats but does not purge and usually becomes overweight.” The overeater may eat three meals a day plus frequent snacks and typically consumes 5,000- 15,000 calories. Binge eating also takes place in bulimia nervosa, however, people with bulimia usually purge, fast or do vigorous exercise after they binge eat. Binge-eating disorder is probably the most common eating disorder. Most people with this problem are either overweight or obese. 

“All eating disorders are serious medical conditions that can have a long-lasting impact on health and should be treated by experts in the field. Each may require a slightly different approach.” Dr. Weil said.

Dr. Weil is an expertise in dealing with many health problems. He has a vast knowledge on many fields such as heart health, mental health, men and women’s health and children’s health. He also wants to be an expert in Eating disorder. From what he said, it is true that all eating disorders are serious medical conditions that can have a long-lasting impact on health because eating disorders have a lot of emotional and physical health issues, that if not treated immediately it can be fatal. Experts in this field must have their own approach to every type of eating disorders depending on how severe the case to treat all patients securely.  

Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder or compulsive overeating are just the most common types of eating disorders and there are other types such as the Eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS) where a person doing with regards to food and weight  is not normal nor healthy. There are other types of eating disorders but doctors don’t acknowledge them and researchers are not interested to study on those types. In spite of how many types Eating disorders have, what’s important is that family, friends and doctors should be aware of the symptoms of any type of Eating disorders and know how to offer help. If one of their family members is at risk or diagnosed of having Eating disorders, the parents must be responsible to act for the sake of their children; a friend must be concerned with his/her friend if he/she has noticed some different eating habits and not normal approach to food and weight; and a doctor should know how to deal with every types of Eating disorders.