Types of eating disorders
It is reported that in western countries like the UK, 4.8% of the population will at some point in their lives experience some form of eating disorder. There are two main eating disorders recognised by psychiatrists; anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
Anorexia
About 1% of female adolescents have anorexia. People with this disorder see themselves as overweight even though they may be dangerously thin.
The process of eating becomes an obsession. Unusual eating habits develop, such as avoiding food and meals, picking out a few foods and eating these in small quantities, or carefully weighing and portioning food. Sometimes people with anorexia eat junk food, particularly candy; drink a lot of coffee or tea and/or smoke a lot. They may deny hunger, make excuses to avoid eating, will often hide food they claim to have eaten.
People with anorexia may repeatedly check their body weight, and many try other ways of controlling their weight, such as intense and compulsive exercise, or getting rid of what they have eaten by vomiting and abuse of laxatives, enemas or diuretics. Girls with anorexia often do not start their period.
Bulimia
It is estimated that about 4% of adolescent women have bulimia. About 50% of people who have been anorexic develop bulimia or bulimic patterns. Bulimia is rare in children. Men and women who live with bulimia eat large quantities of food in a relatively short period of time and then use behaviours such as taking laxatives or self-induced vomiting because they feel overwhelmed in coping with their emotions, or in order to punish themselves for something they feel they should unrealistically blame themselves for.
People with bulimia often perform the behaviours in secrecy, feeling disgusted and ashamed when they binge, yet relieved once they purge. Men and women suffering bulimia are usually aware they have an eating disorder. They are often fascinated by food, sometimes buy magazines and cook-books to read recipes, and enjoy discussing dieting issues. They may regularly engage in stringent diet plans and exercise.
Other Eating Disorders
Compulsive Eating Disorder
People suffering with compulsive overeating have an "addiction" to food, using food and eating as a way to hide their emotions, to fill a void inside, and to cope with daily stresses and problems in their lives.
People suffering with this disorder tend to be overweight, are usually aware that their eating habits are abnormal, but find little comfort because of society's tendency to stereotype the "overweight" individual. A person suffering as a compulsive overeater is at health risk for a heart attack, high blood pressure and cholesterol, kidney disease and/or failure, arthritis and bone deterioration, stroke and diabetes.
Men and women who are compulsive overeaters feel guilty for not being "good enough", shame for being overweight, and generally have a very low self-esteem, they use food and eating to cope with these feelings.
Binge Eating Disorder
People with binge-eating disorder experience frequent episodes of out-of-control eating, eating large quantities of food in a short period of time uncontrollably, with the same binge-eating symptoms as those with bulimia. The main difference is that individuals with binge-eating disorder do not purge their bodies of excess calories. Therefore, many with the disorder are overweight for their age and height.
Reasons for binge eating can be similar to those of compulsive overeating: usually binges are a way to hide their emotions, to fill a void they feel inside, and to cope with daily stresses and problems in their lives. Binging can be used to keep people away, "if I'm fat, no one will like me", as each person suffering may feel undeserving of love. Binging can also be used as self-punishment for doing "bad" things, or for feeling badly about themselves. A person suffering with binge eating disorder is at health risk for a heart attack, high blood pressure and cholesterol, kidney disease and/or failure, arthritis and bone deterioration stroke and diabetes.
