Types of Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders is a very broad range consisting from eating patterns that restrict the diet through starvation or exceeding consumption suggestions through binge-eating. It's imperative that these areas of eating disorders are divided so that treatment and future plans can be made accordingly. Through these categories, physicians, dietitians, nutritionists, and the patient can effectively tackle their disorder.

Anorexia Nervosa

ANOREXIA IS DEFINED BY RESTRICTION OF ENERGY INTAKE THAT LEADS TO SIGNIFICANTLY LOW BODY WEIGHT. PATIENTS HAVE AN INTENSE FEAR OF GAINING WEIGHT AND DISTORTED BODY IMAGE WITH THE INABILITY TO RECOGNIZE THE SERIOUSNESS OF THEIR SIGNIFICANTLY LOW BODY WEIGHT.

Symptoms:

Dramatic change in body weight (usually weight loss)
Restricts oneself of certain foods
Watches calories
Makes comments about weight or appearance
avoids meals with other people
extreme exercise
Dizziness
Fainting
Feeling cold often
Menstrual cycle irregularities
sleep problems
Abnormal Laboratory findings
Dry skin, brittle nails, thin hair

Treatments:

Working with physicians, dietitians, and nutritionists to create a healthy balanced diet.
Working with psychiatrists and psychotherapists to break down the mental obstacles that create those mindsets.

Bulimia Nervosa

BULIMIA IS DEFINED BY THE ACT OF BINGE-EATING. PEOPLE OFTEN SENSE THEY HAVE LOST CONTROL OF THEIR EATING AND FEEL SHAMEFUL, LEADING TO A PURGING SESSION AFTER TO UNDO THE IMPACTS OF THE BINGE.

Symptoms:

Eating large quantities of food at a time with the consequence purging or vomiting session after
Avoids eating with others
Skips meals or eats small portions during meal times
Drinking excessive liquids
Noticeable fluctuations of weight
Dizziness
Fainting
Dry skin, brittle nails, thin hair
Dental issues from purging (discoloration, bleeding, cavities, swollen glands, etc.)
Muscle weakness

Treatments:

Working with physicians, dietitians, and nutritionists to create a healthy balanced diet.
Working with psychiatrists and psychotherapists to break down the mental obstacles that create those mindsets.

Binge Eating Disorder

BINGE EATING DISORDER IS DEFINED BY EPISODES OF EXCESSIVE EATING. IT IS USUALLY PAIRED WITH FEELINGS OF GUILT OR LOSS OF CONTROL WHEN EATING. UNLIKE BULIMIA NERVOSA, THOSE SUFFERING FROM BINGE EATING DISORDER DON'T HAVE SESSIONS OF PURGING AFTER.

Symptoms:

Consumes large quantities of food in short periods of time
Avoids eating out in public or with other people and often feel ashamed by the quantity of food they eat
Hoards food
Repeated failure to maintain weight loss, resulting in use of dieting pills or weight loss medication
fluctuations in weight
difficulties concentrating

Treatments:

Working with physicians, dietitians, and nutritionists to create a healthy balanced diet.
Working with psychiatrists and psychotherapists to break down the mental obstacles that create those mindsets.

Rumination

RUMINATION IS DEFINED BY THE REGULAR REGURGITATION OF FOOD FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH.

Symptoms:

Regurgitation of food
Typically the food is undigested when regurgitated and can be re-chewed or re-swallowed

Treatments:

Typically patients will undergo diaphragmatic breathing training to learn how to digest food properly.

ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder)

ARFID is defined by persistent avoidance or restriction of food intake that leads to inadequate nutrition or energy.

Symptoms:

Significant weight loss
Significant nutritional deficiency
Dependence on nutritional supplements

Treatments:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy + Exposure-Based Therapy to begin introducing tolerable foods
Dietary counseling + planning to create a structured eating plan

Orthorexia Nervosa

Orthorexia Nervosa is defined by an excessive preoccupation with eating foods perceived as "healthy" (Not an official diagnosis but still recognized as a eating-related problem).

Symptoms:

Persistent preoccupation with food quality & ingredients
Obsessively planning meals to be "healthy"
Distress, anxiety or guilt when rules are broken
Excessive time spent thinking about nutrition/food choices

Treatments:

Exposure therapy: being gradually exposed to anxiety-provoking foods
Nutritional Rehabilitation: correcting misinformation and developing a real healthy balanced diet

OSFED (Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder)

OSFED is defined by having concerning eating-related behaviors that don't fit into an eating disorder category of the DSM-5

Symptoms can vary with any of the symptoms stated under the previous eating disorders

Treatments depend on the symptoms and official diagnosis of the disorder + what disorder it most resembles; it is up to the healthcare provider where to go from there.

Night Eating Syndrome

Night eating Syndrome is defined by a recurrent pattern of excessive food intake after evening meal.

Symptoms:

Repeatedly waking up to eat during the night
Craving for high-calorie foods at night
Delayed/skipped breakfast due to lack of morning appetite
Insomnia or trouble sleeping
Feelings of anxiety/embarrassment due to eating at night

Treatments:

Nutritional support from dietitian can help plan a balanced eating schedule
Stress management can reduce anxiety that triggers night eating

SEED (Severe and Enduring Eating Disorder)

SEED is defined by eating disorders that are chronic, long lasting, and often resistant to treatment.

Symptoms:

History of multiple treatment attempts with no recovery
Impaired social/psychological functioning
Having lived with an eating disorder for several years (~7)

Treatments

No direct treatments for this either, usually referred to:

Dietitians
Psychologists
Therapists
Psychiatrists

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