Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are complex mental health disorders that are characterized by severe and constant disturbance in eating behaviors with associated distressing thoughts and emotions. They can be very serious, affecting physical, psychological and social function.

Source: American Psychiatric Association 

• A condition where people avoid food, severely restrict food, or eat very small quantities of only certain foods. They also may weigh themselves repeatedly. Even when dangerously underweight, they may see themselves as overweight

  • • In the restrictive subtype of anorexia nervosa, people severely limit the amount and type of food they consume

    • In the binge-purge subtype of anorexia nervosa, people also greatly restrict the amount and type of food they consume. In addition, they may have binge-eating and purging episodes—eating large amounts of food in a short time followed by vomiting or using laxatives or diuretics to get rid of what was consumed

• Anorexia nervosa can be fatal

• Symptoms include:

  • • Extremely restricted eating

    • Extreme thinness (emaciation)

    • A relentless pursuit of thinness and unwillingness to maintain a normal or healthy weight

    • Intense fear of gaining weight

    • Distorted body image, a self-esteem that is heavily influenced by perceptions of body weight and shape, or a denial of the seriousness of low body weight

Bulimia nervosa

• A condition where people have recurrent and frequent episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food and feeling a lack of control over these episodes, followed by behavior that compensates for the overeating such as forced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics, fasting, excessive exercise, or a combination of these behaviors

• Symptoms include:

  • • Chronically inflamed and sore throat

    • Swollen salivary glands in the neck and jaw area

    • Worn tooth enamel and increasingly sensitive and decaying teeth as a result of exposure to stomach acid

    • Acid reflux disorder and other gastrointestinal problems

    • Intestinal distress and irritation from laxative abuse

    • Severe dehydration from purging of fluids

    • Electrolyte imbalance (too low or too high levels of sodium, calcium, potassium, and other minerals) which can lead to stroke or heart attack

Binge eating disorder

• A condition where people lose control over their eating and have reoccurring episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food. Unlike bulimia nervosa, periods of binge-eating are not followed by purging, excessive exercise, or fasting. 

• Symptoms include:

  • • Eating unusually large amounts of food in a specific amount of time, such as a 2-hour period

    • Eating even when you're full or not hungry

    • Eating fast during binge episodes

    • Eating until you're uncomfortably full

    • Eating alone or in secret to avoid embarrassment

    • Feeling distressed, ashamed, or guilty about your eating

    • Frequently dieting, possibly without weight loss

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)

• A condition where people limit the amount or type of food eaten. Unlike anorexia nervosa, people with ARFID do not have a distorted body image or extreme fear of gaining weight. It is earlier onset than other eating disorders and can inhibit growth and develop properly

• Symptoms include:

  • • Dramatic restriction of types or amount of food eaten

    • Lack of appetite or interest in food

    • Dramatic weight loss

    • Upset stomach, abdominal pain, or other gastrointestinal issues with no other known cause

    • Limited range of preferred foods that becomes even more limited (“picky eating” that gets progressively worse)