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…
Tag: anorexia
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,…
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…
Diabulimia
Diabulimia is an eating disorder in which patients with Type 1 diabetes deliberately skip and/or restrict their intake of insulin in order to cause extreme weight loss, and many patients often supplement this activity with bulimic behaviors. Bulimia is an eating disorder that involves binge eating followed by a compensatory behavior, such as vomiting or…
Binge Eating Disorder (BED)
Binge Eating Disorder (BED), also referred to as extreme overeating is an eating disorder that can be characterized as an addiction to food. The inability to fight the urge to eat is one of the defining aspects of BED. In addition, those who suffer from BED often seek emotional comfort in food for a variety…