Eating disorders are referred to as mental disorders that include unusual eating habits, which negatively influence their mental or physical well being. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, binge-eating disorder are general eating disarray.
In most of the eating disorders, people focus so much on their weight, food, and body figure. This results in a perilous eating routine. These routines affect the body’s aptitude for getting adequate nutrition. The abnormal eating habits can annihilate the digestive system, heart, bones, and teeth, and sometimes results in severe health problems.
Eating disorders generally grow in people’s teenage or early adolescent years. However, these disorders can hit a person at other ages as well. While seeking treatment for abnormal eating behavior, a person can develop healthy eating habits, but sometimes, complications can also occur.
Types of eating disorders and their symptoms
The symptoms of different eating disorders vary. Binge-eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa are the general eating disorders, Avoidant food intake disorder, and rumination disorder is other abnormal eating habits.
- Anorexia Nervosa
This is a critical eating disorder, featured by low body weight. In this disorder, a person has an unclear opinion of weight and body figure and a severe fear of putting on weight.
Not taking adequate food and nutrients in the efforts to losing weight even when a person is underweight is a self-murder.
- Bulimia Nervosa
This disorder is commonly called Bulimia. People suffering from this eating disorder generally eat a large amount of food at a time (binging), and to reduce the calories, or prevent gaining weight, skip the next meal. Sometimes, they do over exercise and vomiting in the fear of putting on weight (purging).
People suffering from Bulimia can be at a normal weight, or sometimes slightly overweight.
- Binge-eating disorder
The binge-eating disorder makes the people eat a bulk of food, even when they are uneasily full. They realize that they are overeating but do not try to balance it by exercising or minding their abnormal eating behavior. They feel disgusted and ashamed but, it results in eating alone to veil their binging, not purging.
The people experiencing this disorder may be of normal weight, overweight, or obese.
- Rumination Disorder
Rumination disorder is the regurgitation of food after taking the meal. However, this happens neither because of other eating disorders nor because of medical conditions. Food is spewed in the mouth without nausea, and regurgitation is unintentional. The spewed food is sometimes re-chewed and res-wallowed and sometimes spit out.
A person can be prone to malnutrition if they spit out the food, or eat less food to put off this habit. Rumination disorder is common in infants and in people experiencing intellectual dysfunction.
- Avoidant/ Restrictive food intake disorder
This disorder is described as when people avoid taking adequate food and on necessary time. They shun the food complaining about its smell, color, taste, or texture. An important mention here is that people do not neglect food in fear of gaining weight but with the fear of results of eating like choking.
This disorder pulls you back in attaining a standard or essential weight in childhood. The lack of adequate nutrition can result in health problems.
Causes of Eating disorders
The accurate cause of eating disorders is not known. However, the following reasons may lead to eating illness-
- Genetics
- Emotional or Psychological health
- Other mental health illness
- Starvation and dieting
- Stress
Diagnosis of Eating disorders
The eating disorders are diagnosed based on the symptoms. The symptoms tell the doctor the type of eating disorder you are suffering from and help him to bring you the best possible treatment.
He can conduct a physical test, psychological evaluation, and other assessments in order to know more about your disorder and problems.
The treatment of eating disorders generally has a team of primary healthcare providers, mental health experts, and dietitians.
However, the treatment differs for different eating disorders. The cure for eating disorders usually contains nutrition education, suggesting psychotherapy and medications.
- Design a plan for healthy eating
- Taking psychotherapy
- Medications may not cure eating illnesses. However, these can help people in improving their binging and purging habits. Anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs can put a stop to depression and anxiety, which are a common complication and result of eating disorders.
- The situation of hospitalization can arise if people are suffering malnutrition, due to anorexia, rumination, or avoidant food intake disorder
Lifestyle and home remedies include-
- A healthy eating plan
- Consult your doctor regularly
- Do not detach yourself
- Resist the feeling of fear of being overweight
Eating Habbit are common and can be treated by seeking medications and changing your lifestyles. Do not get depressed about your abnormal eating behavior, seek your doctor’s consultation, and help yourself to get over this.
