Most eating disorders involve focusing pathologically on weight, body shape and food, which leads to dangerous eating behaviors. These behaviors can harm the heart, digestive system, bones, teeth and mouth and can lead to serious diseases. While eating disorders strike both genders and can develop at any age, they often develop in adolescent and young adult years.
Eating disorders are not lifestyle choices. They are serious, potentially life-threatening conditions that negatively impact your health, your emotions, and your ability to function in your day to day life. Of the many eating disorders that exist, there are three common ones, which each have their own classic symptoms. Understanding the common diseases and characteristics of each is the first step towards acknowledging a problem in yourself or a loved one.
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa, or simply anorexia, is a potentially life-threatening disorder that’s characterized by dangerously low body weight, pathological fear of gaining weight, and a distorted perception of weight and body shape. People who suffer from anorexia take extreme measures to control their body weight, which begins to interfere significantly with their health and life.
People who suffer from anorexia excessively limit their caloric intake and exercise to an extreme. They may take laxatives, water pills or other diet aids to lower their weight further. Sufferers may complain about being overweight or point out nonexistent fatty areas on the body, or they may vomit after eating to avoid gaining weight.
In anorexia patients, the extreme lack of nutritional intake can lead to severe, life-threatening health problems, including organ failure and self-starvation.
Bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa, or simply bulimia, is a serious, possibly life-threatening disorder. Bulimia sufferers go through cycles of binge eating and purging that lead to a feeling of lack of control over one’s eating habits. Many bulimia sufferers also restrict their eating during the day, which triggers binge eating and another cycle of purging. Sufferers typically indulge in a large amount of food in a short period, and then, because of a sense of guilt, shame or fear of weight gain, they try to rid themselves of those extra calories in unhealthy ways.
Patients with purging bulimia may induce vomiting whereas patients with non-purging bulimia may over-exercise or use other methods, such as laxatives, to rid themselves of the calories. People with bulimia typically are preoccupied with weight and body image and may make self-deprecating comments about perceived flaws that may not exist to outside people. Bulimia sufferers may be underweight, at a normal weight or even slightly overweight.
Binge-eating Disorder
Not all people with eating disorders starve themselves. Binge-eating disorder, the third-most common eating disorder in the United States, is characterized by regularly bingeing -- eating too much in short periods of time -- and patients may continue to eat long after they are uncomfortably full.
People who are suffering from binge-eating disorder often feel guilty, disgusted or ashamed of their eating habits, but unlike patients with bulimia, binge eaters don’t try to purge themselves of excess calories. Instead, binge eaters may begin to isolate themselves or eat alone to hide the behaviors.
Binge eating isn’t simply overeating at a holiday meal. For sufferers, a new binge happens typically at least once a week, and sufferers are typically of normal weight to obese.
The Red Flags
While each disease has its own characteristic markers, there are some common red flags that you should look for if you suspect that you or a loved one suffers from an eating disorder, including:
● Skipping meals, being unavailable at meal times or making excuses not to eat
● Adopting an overly restrictive vegetarian diet
● Obsessive focus on healthy eating
● Avoiding joining in on family meals and making separate, low-calorie meals
● Withdrawing from social activities
● Regular worry and complaining about being overweight or obsessive talk about losing weight
● Preoccupation with vanity, analyzing oneself in the mirror regularly
● Repeatedly going through periods of overeating or eating large amounts of sweets or fatty foods
● Use of diet supplements, laxatives and other weight-loss products
● Excessive exercise
● Calluses on the knuckles (which can be caused by regularly inducing vomiting)
● Frequently using the restroom during or immediately after meals
● Decline in the tooth enamel, which can be a sign of erosion from inducing vomiting
● Expressing sadness, depression, disgust, shame or guilt about eating habits
● Expressing sadness, depression, disgust or shame about self-image or perceived flaws
When to Get Help
Eating disorders can be very difficult to overcome alone. Because of the stigma associated with eating disorders and because of the severely altered self-perception in patients, the disorders quickly can become all-consuming, and patients may fight to resist returning to a healthy body weight because they perceive themselves as becoming overweight. The shame associated with eating disorders may drive sufferers to try to hide their behaviors from loved ones when confronted about their diseases, so it’s imperative to get medical help for yourself or a loved one if you suspect that he or she suffers from an eating disorder.
Not only can a doctor provide careful monitoring and track a patient’s progress, but he or she also can give you insight as to the extent of the damage that the eating disorder has done to the body. Scans and bloodwork can provide insight into any lurking health problems that resulted from self-starvation or binge/purge cycles.