Anorexia Nervosa
- Anorexia is characterized by a significant weight
loss resulting from excessive dieting.
- A person weighs 85% or less than what is expected
for age and height
- Is terrified of becoming fat. Even though the person
is markedly underweight.
- Feels fat even when very thin.
- In women, menstrual periods stop. In men levels
of sex hormones fall.
- In addition, anorexia nervosa often includes depression,
irritability, withdrawal, and peculiar behaviors such
as compulsive rituals, strange eating habits, and
division of foods into "good/safe" and "bad/dangerous"
categories.
- Person may have low tolerance for change and new
situations; may fear growing up and assuming adult
responsibilities and an adult lifestyle. May be overly
engaged with or dependent on parents or family. Dieting
may represent avoidance of, or ineffective attempts
to cope with, the demands of a new life stage such
as adolescence
Bulimia nervosa:
- Bulimia is characterized by a cycle of binge eating
followed by purging to try and rid the body of unwanted
calories.
- Feels out of control while eating.
- Tries to get rid of the calories through vomiting,
l axatives, exercises, or fasting.
- Alternates between dieting and bingeing.
- Weight may be normal or near normal unless anorexia
is also present.
- Like anorexia, bulimia can kill.
Binge eating disorder
- Binge eating disorder is characterized by consuming
large quantities of food in a very short period of
time until the individual is uncomfortably full.
- The person binge eats frequently and repeatedly
- Feels guilty and ashamed of binge eating
- People who have binge eating disorder do not regularly
vomit, overexercise, or abuse laxatives like bulimics
do.
- They may be genetically predisposed to weigh more
than the cultural ideal, so they diet, make themselves
hungry, and then binge in response to that hunger.
Alternatively, they may eat for emotional reasons
Compulsive Overeating
- Compulsive overeating is characterized by uncontrollable
eating and consequent weight gain.
- Compulsive overeaters use food as a way to cope
with stress, emotional conflicts and daily problems.
- Compulsive overeating usually starts in early childhood
when eating patterns are formed.
- The more weight that is gained, the harder they
try to diet and dieting is usually what leads to the
next binge, which can be followed by feelings of powerlessness,
guilt, shame and failure.
- Dieting and bingeing can go on forever if the emotional
reasons for the bingeing are not dealt with.
Eating disorders not otherwise specified (ED-NOS)
- The phrase describes atypical eating
disorders
- What the person does with regard to food and weight
is neither normal nor healthy.
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