Eating disorders are a group of mental health conditions characterized by abnormal or excessive control overeating habits. These disorders can significantly affect a person’s physical health, emotional well-being, and daily functioning. They often involve a preoccupation with food, body weight, and shape. They can range from extreme restriction of food intake to excessive eating or unhealthy behaviours related to eating. Common Types of Eating Disorders:
- Anorexia Nervosa:
- Characteristics: Extreme restriction of food intake, intense fear of gaining weight, and a distorted body image. Individuals with anorexia see themselves as overweight even if they are underweight.
- Symptoms: Severe weight loss, low energy, obsessive behavior regarding food, and preoccupation with calorie counting and dieting.
- Bulimia Nervosa:
- Characteristics: Recurrent episodes of binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors such as vomiting, excessive exercise, or laxative use to prevent weight gain.
- Symptoms: Frequent weight fluctuations, swollen glands, dental erosion from vomiting, and feelings of guilt or shame about eating behaviors.
- Binge Eating Disorder:
- Characteristics: Regular episodes of eating large quantities of food quickly, accompanied by feelings of loss of control, distress, and guilt.
- Symptoms: Eating until feeling uncomfortably full, eating alone due to embarrassment, and experiencing feelings of disgust or depression after binge eating.
- Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID):
- Characteristics: Extreme picky eating or avoidance of certain foods, which can lead to significant nutritional deficiencies and impact daily functioning. Unlike anorexia, the focus is not on weight or body image.
- Symptoms: Limited variety of foods, severe food aversions, and potential weight loss or nutritional deficiencies.
- Pica:
- Characteristics: Persistent eating of non-nutritive, non-food substances such as dirt, hair, or paper.
- Symptoms: Consumption of unusual substances over a prolonged period, which can lead to medical complications.
- Rumination Disorder:
- Characteristics: Repeated regurgitation of food, which is then re-chewed, re-swallowed, or spit out. This behaviour is not due to a medical condition and is seen in infants. When children do not outgrow it, medical help should be found.
- Symptoms: Chronic regurgitation of food, often accompanied by an absence of nausea or discomfort.
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