While most people are concerned about what they eat, the American Psychological Association (APA) states that people with eating disorders have abnormal eating habits that can be harmful to their health and even their life.1 Although it is hard to get an exact statistic of how many people are suffering with an eating disorder, it…
Category: Eating Disorders
Eating Disorders and Intimacy
Eating disorders are serious, potentially life-threatening mental disorders that can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. Eating disorders can affect all areas of a person’s life, including their intimate relationships and sex life. Increased communication is important to maintain a healthy relationship with someone who is suffering from an…
Orthorexia
According to the NEDA, or the National Eating Disorders Association, orthorexia is an obsession with healthy eating. The term originated in 1998 and has become increasingly prevalent as societal pressure to diet rises. Orthorexia has become more common as the expansion of social media has given people access to a variety of information on dieting,…
Eating Disorder Statistics
Eating disorders are serious, potentially life threatening mental disorders that affect people of all ages, genders, races, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic groups. Eating disorders are caused by a combination of biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors. Certain groups and types of people are more at risk than others for developing an eating disorder. There has…
Bulimia
What is Bulimia? Bulimia is an eating disorder categorized by a cycle of binge eating an abnormally large amount of food in a short period of time, followed by a compensatory behavior.1 Compensatory behaviors may consist of self-induced vomiting, excessive exercising, fasting, or laxative use to avoid gaining weight from binge eating.1 Individuals with bulimia…
Anorexia
Anorexia, or anorexia nervosa, is a life-threatening eating disorder characterized by significant weight loss due to the restriction of calorie intake.1 This extreme weight loss is accompanied by an intense fear of gaining weight, denial of the seriousness of the weight loss, and perceiving one’s own body differently than reality.1 Anorexia affects all people regardless of class,…
Rumination Disorder
Rumination disorder is a gastrointestinal disorder that causes a person to unintentionally regurgitate their undigested food shortly after ingestion.1 In most cases, the person expels or vomits up the food up to a half hour after eating. The patient could also regurgitate their food, rechew, then re-swallow it. It is important to note that regurgitation…
If You Think You Have an Eating Disorder
An eating disorder is a mental illness that is characterized by irregular eating behaviors and patterns coupled with concern and distress over body shape and weight.1 People struggling with an eating disorder may use starvation, purging, or other behaviors to control their physical appearance. Although eating disorders typically develop during adolescence, anyone can develop one…
Safe and Dangerous Dieting: The Fad Dieting Epidemic
What Is a Fad Diet? Due to an increased exposure to “ideal body types” in society, weight loss has become the focus of advertisements, social media accounts, health programs, and even social groups. Nowadays, it is difficult to engage with pop culture and the news without hearing about some type of new diet or weight…