Eating disorders are classified as mental type disorders marked by irregular eating habits and severe anxiety or concern about body weight or shape. Eating disorders can either cause an increase in the intake of food (i.e., overeating or binge eating) or they might lead to an insufficient intake of food (i.e, food restriction). Many eating disorders coexist with life trauma, depression, or anxiety and an individual’s eating patterns are often a means to take back some sense of control.
Eating disorders can affect anyone and at any age, but they are more common in teens and young adults. There are 4 main types of eating disorders:
1. Anorexia nervosa
This is one of the types of eating disorders where patients live in a delusion that they are overweight. People tend to exercise excessively and refuse to eat adequately even if they are hungry. Symptoms include:
- A restricted diet
- Fear of weight gain
- Thinning of bones
- Brittle hair and nails
- Low blood pressure
- Infertility
- Multi-organ failure
- Yellow and dry skin
- Constipation
- Anemia
- Fluctuations in weight
2. Bulimia nervosa
This is the type of eating disorder where a person eats a lot of food but either vomits it out, uses laxatives, or performs rigorous exercises to compensate for the eating and to avoid weight gain. The exact cause of bulimia nervosa is not known but factors contributing to this disorder are genetics, stress, trauma, negative self-image. Symptoms exhibited by patients with this eating disorder are:
- Lacerations in the mouth and throat due to repeated vomiting.
- Dehydration
- Gland enlargement in the neck
- Peptic ulcers.
- No control while eating
- Frequent use of bathrooms
- Inflammation in the throat
- Gastrointestinal problems
3. Binge eating disorder
When a person has no control over their eating habits and does not try to compensate for overeating it is known as binge eating disorder. This disorder can cause problems such as obesity, high blood pressure, and heart diseases. In this disorder, one tends to eat even when one is not hungry. It leads to obesity and weight gain and even if the individual feels bad about it, they tend to eat more food to cope with their situation. Symptoms of this disorder are:
- No control over-eating
- Eating food rapidly
- Eating even if one is full
- Feeling relieved by eating especially when stressed
- Eating throughout the day
5. Eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS)
EDNOS is one of the types of eating disorders that do not meet the criteria of either anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. It means it can be a combination of both types of disorders and can create serious health problems. Low self-esteem, stress, and anger are some causes of EDNOS. Symptoms are:
