The types of eating disorders that affect people typically take on the characteristics of not eating enough or eating too much. Of course, people with eating disorders also show more traits but you have to look very closely, in most cases, to see the rest of these symptoms. Depending on which eating disorder the person suffers from, by the time the symptoms become clear, he or she is in very real trouble.
Eating Disorders Defined
If you suspect someone you care about is suffering from an eating disorder, you need to begin by understanding the types of eating disorders and what their symptoms are. The most common ones are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating.
- Anorexia Nervosa: People with this particular eating disorder tend to starve themselves due to an extreme fear of becoming fat. Even though they appear to be severely underweight even to the point of being emaciated, they never feel they are thin enough. The person looking back at them from the mirror is still huge and grossly overweight. Weight is also “controlled” through the use of laxatives, diet pills, extreme exercising, and purging.
- Bulimia Nervosa: Of all the types of eating disorders, this one is possibly the easiest to hide for the longest period of time. People with eating disorders do their best to conceal the symptoms from their friends and family but it’s not all that easy to do with anorexia. Bulimics, however, appear to eat normal meals and they will slip away following the meal to purge those calories they just took in. This is usually not noticed for a while, or even at all if the bulimic is quite crafty at sneaking away to do this. Bulimia symptoms include binging on huge amounts of food, only to purge it all later. They know they are eating way too much during these binge episodes, which is why they later purge the food, take laxatives, diet pills, or indulge in extreme exercise sessions.
- Binge Eating Disorder: People who suffer from binge eating disorder uncontrollably consume enormous amounts of food in one sitting. They often continue to eat even when they are uncomfortably full. Of these three types of eating disorders, this one is possibly the second one to be noticed quickly. There will be so many different symptoms that will be evident with binge eating that questions will start to arise.
There is one more type that people with eating disorders may have and that is compulsive over eating. This one is easy to spot as the weight gain will be quite significant. These people eat for comfort or out of guilt for something. Either way, food is their way of coping with life and feeling better.
Eating Disorder Myths
Many people talk themselves into believing that an eating disorder is not really a big deal, or that they don’t have one at all. It’s very hard to accept that people buy into some of these at all.
- You must be underweight to have an eating disorder. There is no set size for someone to develop an eating disorder. People with eating disorders are all shapes and sizes. Some are even of average weight and some are quite overweight.
- Eating disorders affect only teenage girls and young women. It is true that most people affected by eating disorders are females between their teens and twenties. However, a significant percentage of victims are males and can be of any age.
- Vanity causes people to develop eating disorders. This is a rather ridiculous assumption, as vanity has nothing to do with why people develop an eating disorder. It has much more to do with a lack of self-esteem, and feelings of shame, anxiety, and powerlessness.
- Eating disorders aren’t really dangerous. People with eating disorders may WANT to believe this one, but all types of eating disorders bring many health related problems with them. These include liver and kidney damage, infertility, heart disease, bone loss, and even death.
As you can see, it is best to become educated in just what an eating disorder is and what it can do to the human body before making assumptions that can prove to be dangerously inaccurate.