Learn about various types of eating disorders, their symptoms, and effective treatment options. If you or someone you know is struggling, Serendipity Psychology is here to help.
Eating disorders are considered serious mental health conditions which are defined by a person having “an abnormal and persistent belief towards food that causes them to negatively alter their eating habits and behaviour”.
The most recognised eating disorder names you may have heard of are:
There are also a number of other eating disorders that are categorised within diagnostic frameworks as ‘Other specified feeding or eating disorders (OSFED)’.
The symptoms of eating disorders differ depending on the specific type of eating disorder an individual suffers from. If you feel you are suffering from an eating disorder, it’s likely you’ve noticed your eating behaviours and habits affecting your relationships, work and home life. You may also find these eating behaviours negatively impact your mental and physical health.
Some of the most common symptoms and features of an eating disorder might include:
Anorexia sufferers typically attempt to reduce their weight and shape through excessive restriction of food, over-exercise and other unhealthy methods that might help them lose weight. Anorexia frequently causes an intense obsession with weight, body shape, and the perception other people may hold about how you look.
The most common symptoms and signs of anorexia include:
Bulimia is an eating disorder usually characterised by difficulties with controlling eating urges and the quantity of food consumed. These specific behaviours result in bulimia suffers intentionally being sick (purging), consuming laxatives to control and maintain their weight, or take part in intensive exercise. For some, their difficulties with controlling their eating urges may result in the consumption of significant amounts of food at certain intervals, known as ‘a binge’ which they then over-compensate for through purging or laxative use. For others, compensation strategies such as purging, may be in response to ‘normal’ eating behaviours but in an attempt to control and reduce their weight.
Some of the more common symptoms and characteristics of bulimia include:
The binge-purge cycles linked with bulimia can be triggered through anxiety, stress, hunger or sometimes for no clear reason. In comparison to other eating disorders, bulimia sufferers may not experience a significant alteration in their weight, however they may go to great lengths to conceal their behaviours.
Binge eating disorder (BED), also referred to as ‘compulsive eating disorder’ is characterised by people who may compulsively and uncontrollably eat a large quantity of food in a short timeframe until uncomfortably full; regardless of whether they are hungry or not. Someone struggling with these issues may also experience a frequent feeling of being compelled to consistently overeat, which is often linked with the feeling of being out of control during these binging episodes. Binge eating is not linked with purging, excessive exercising or laxative misuse; thus, BED can result in obesity.
The main symptoms of binge eating disorder can be:
It is important to note that BED sufferers may often binge eat to cope with additional mental health issues they experience, such as anxiety and stress.
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