The National Eating Disorders Association defines pica as “the recurrent eating of non-food substances that offer no nutritional value and are not part of a culturally sanctioned practice”.1 To be considered a disorder, this behavior must take place over at least one month.2 Some of these substances may include cloth, hair, wool, starch, soil, string,…
Tag: disorder
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…