What are the types of eating disorders?
The main types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Eating disorders frequently develop during adolescence or early adulthood, but some reports indicate their onset can occur during childhood or later in adulthood. • Anorexia Nervosa: People with anorexia nervosa have a distorted body image that causes them to see themselves as overweight even when they are dangerously thin. Often refusing to eat, exercising compulsively, and developing habits such as refusing to eat in front of others, they lose large amounts of weight and may even starve to death. • Bulimia Nervosa: Individuals with bulimia nervosa eat excessive quantities of food, and then purge their bodies of the food and calories by using laxatives, enemas, or diuretics, vomiting and/or exercising. Often acting in secrecy, they feel disgusted and ashamed as they binge, yet relieved of tension and negative emotions once their stomachs are empty again.
There are three major types of eating disorders. Anorexia Nervosa involves having a distorted body image where a person sees themselves as overweight even when they are dangerously thin. People with anorexia have an intense fear of gaining weight, and often develop unusual habits such as refusing to eat around other people. Anorexia usually occurs in women, and is often accompanied by infrequent or absent menstrual periods. Bulimia Nervosa involves eating excessive quantities of food, sometimes in secret, then trying to purge the body of the food and calories by using laxatives, vomiting, exercising or diuretics. People with bulimia nervosa usually feel ashamed and disgusted as they binge, yet also feel relieved of tension once the binge-purge cycle is complete. Binge Eating Disorder involves frequent episodes of excessive, out-of-control eating. However, there is no attempt to purge the body of excess calories. What Causes Eating Disorders?
Experts do not always agree upon what qualifies an eating disorder. However, most experts do agree upon anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Compulsive overeating is also usually considered an eating disorder. What Is Anorexia Nervosa? This eating disorder is when dieting and even exercise become an obsession. Dieting becomes self-induced starvation. Exercise becomes a method to “get rid of” any calories the person actually does ingest. What Is Bulimia? Bulimia is episodes of binge overeating, followed by vomiting, fasting, or the use of laxatives and diuretics to get rid of the food. Bulimics feel a loss of control over eating that causes low self-esteem. What Is Compulsive Overeating? Compulsive overeating is an eating disorder characterized by using food as a response to stress. Compulsive overeaters use food the same way some people use alcohol or other drugs to displace depression, anger, or other difficult emotions. Not all compulsive overeaters are fat or obese.
While there are many different categories of body disorders, the three main types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Anorexics deliberately attempt to lose weight through self-starvation and/or excessive exercising. Despite the constant caloric deprivation and dramatic weight loss, anorexics truly believe they are too fat. Although thousands of women in Canada suffer from anorexia, the disorder comprises only 0.4-1.0% of the population. According to the Canadian Psychological Association, the classic psychological state of all anorexics involves the need for perfection and control in their lives through obsessive behaviour; however, if they can’t control their environment or circumstances, anorexics attempt to exert control through their weight. Perfectionism is a chronic source of stress because it is destructive pattern of inappropriate thinking and behaving which produces a constant lack of satisfaction. An anorexic will never feel
