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The following
information is for general background education only, and is not intended
to substitute for professional help or to serve as a diagnostic tool.
Please seek a physician's and/or therapist's help for advice, treatment
and medical assistance.
About
Disordered Eating
Anorexia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa
Binge Eating Disorder/Compulsive Eating
Disorder
Disordered Eating:
is a pattern of eating that may lead to an eating disorder.
If a person doesn't fit the clinical description of an eating disorder,
but has an attitude about food, weight, body size and shape that causes
them to have strict eating and exercise habits they may dealing with
disordered eating. It may start as a way to lose a few pounds, but
can spin out of control and become obsessions. Disordered eating can
be changes in eating patterns that occur in relation to a stressful event,
an illness, personal appearance, or in preparation for athletic
competition.
Anorexia Nervosa:
is an obsession with dieting and thinness. It is characterized by
self-starvation and excessive weight loss. Danger signals for
someone at risk of anorexia may include:
 Losing a great
amount of weight
Continuing
to diet
Feeling fat, even after losing weight
Fearing weight
gain
Losing monthly menstrual periods
Obsessing about food, calories,
nutrition and/or cooking
Preferring to eat alone
Exercising compulsively
The symptoms of
anorexia include:
Refusal to
maintain weight at or above the minimally normal weight for height and age
Intense
fear of weight gain
Distorted
body image
Loss of
three consecutive menstrual periods
Extreme
concern with body weight and shape
Bulimia Nervosa:
involves frequent episodes of binge eating almost always followed by
purging (generally secretive) and intense feelings of guilt or shame.
Some danger signs related specifically to bulimia include:
Using the
bathroom often after meals
Binging or
eating uncontrollably
Showing
depression or mood swings
Developing
dental problems, swollen cheeks/glands, heartburn and/or bloating
Experiencing personal or family problems with drugs and/or alcohol
The symptoms of bulimia
include:
Repeated episodes
of bingeing and purging
Feeling
out of control during a binge
Purging
after a binge (vomiting, use of laxatives, diet pills, diuretics,
excessive exercise or fasting)
Irregular
menstrual periods
Extreme
concern with body weight and shape
Frequent
dieting
Binge Eating Disorder:
is also known as Compulsive Overeating and involves eating a large amount
of food in a short amount of time. Binge eaters do not regularly
vomit, over-exercise, fast or abuse laxatives after eating. A person
struggling with this disorder may see body weight vary from normal to
mild, moderate or severe obesity. Danger signs of binge eating
include:
Eating large
amounts of food, even when not hungry
Eating
faster than normal
Eating
alone or in secret
Eating
until uncomfortably full
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