Eating Disorders Explained

Unhealthy eating patterns lead to an eating disorder.They are:
This is very common among teenage girls who are- Poor circulation of blood
obsessed about becoming thin, and start harming their- Irregular menstrual cycle
body by not eating. Poor nutrition harms their body- Brittle bones
organs. This is a very serious problem as it affects- Infertility
them mentally as well, and leads to depression and- Fainting and dizziness
anxiety. An eating disorder can be overeating as well.- Dehydration leading to kidney damage
When a person finds refuge in food to cover their- Slowed heartbeat
mental disturbance, then they are suffering from an- Low blood pressure
eating disorder.- Reduced body temperature
The three most common types of eating disorder are:- Hair loss
- AnorexiaCompulsive eating:
- BulimiaWhen a person starts binging, leading to a feeling of
- Compulsive eatingguilt and shame, she/he is said to be a compulsive
Anorexia:eater. This is not like bulimia where the person involves
This is a psychological disorder, mostly seen in teenagepurging. This leads to weight gain and depression. Here
girls, as a result of low self esteem or emotional orthe person has an uncontrolled urge to eat all the time.
physical abuse. Obsession to become thin is the main40 percent of people who are obese are binge eaters.
reason for these people to start over dieting. TheHow would you know if you are a compulsive eater?
more they lose weight, the more they have the driveThese are common signs of a compulsive eater:
to push further. They stop worrying about their body,- Eating uncontrollably
and they become only interested in losing weight. They- Depression
starve so as to take control over the body. They start- Dieting frequently
neglecting their health, which can sometimes even lead- Preoccupied about their weight
to death. This disorder is also a type of addiction.- Vigorous exercise or vomiting to lose weight
They develop psychological fear of food and fatness,- Health problems like heartburn, dental problems,
which leads them to the extent of vomiting outfatigue, weight gain, insomnia and high BP.
anything and everything that they eat. Some peopleTreatments:
also start using laxatives to reduce weight. No matterRecovery from these disorders is possible. The
how thin they grow, they are never satisfied.person must undergo certain lifestyle changes with the
Bulimia:help of the people around him/her. There are different
This is also similar to anorexia, where the personkinds of psychological therapy available to treat these
becomes obsessed with growing thin. Here the personproblems. For a person suffering from anorexia,
may binge on food, then throw up everything she/hehospitalization may be necessary in extreme cases;
just ate. They may first eat a large amount of food,when due to severe weight loss different parts of the
and even indulge in rich food in a short period of time,body get affected. Intravenous feeding may be
then later force themselves to vomit. They may alsorequired, and the focus would be on gaining weight.
start exercising excessively, use laxatives, or fast toFamily support and assistance is very important. The
make up for the food they had, as they start to feelperson is given nutritional education for a healthy
guilty about having eaten food. Bulimia is most commonalternative to weight management. A lot of counseling
in adolescent and young adult women.is given, and therapy to boost up one's self esteem.
Unlike anorexia where the person stops eating, bulimicEveryone has the right to love his own body.
people do eat food, but they either force themselvesSo with the help of medical, psychological and
to vomit or use laxatives.nutritional assistance, people with eating disorders can
Health problems related to Anorexia/Bulimiabe healed.