Six Common Type of Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are a range of psychological conditions that cause unhealthy eating habits. They might start with an obsession with food, body weight, or body shape.  In severe cases, eating disorders can cause serious health problems and if left untreated may even result in.

These are the most common types of eating disorders:

1.       Anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is the most well-known eating disorder. People with this condition can think they are overweight even when they are severely underweight. Anorexia can officially be categorized into two subtypes — the restricting type and the binge eating and purging type. The people with the restricting type lose weight solely through dieting, fasting, or excessive exercise. Individuals with the binge eating and purging type may binge on large amounts of food or eat very little. In both cases, after they eat, they purge using activities like vomiting, taking laxatives or diuretics, or exercising excessively.

2.       Bulimia nervosa

People with bulimia frequently eat unusually large amounts of food in a specific period of time. They eat until they become painfully full. During a binge, the person usually feels that they cannot stop eating or control how much they are eating. They then attempt to purge using vomiting, fasting, laxatives, diuretics, enemas, and excessive exercise.

3.       Binge eating disorder

Individuals with this disorder have symptoms similar to those of bulimia. For instance, they typically eat unusually large amounts of food in relatively short periods of time and feel a lack of control during binges. However, people with binge eating disorders do not restrict calories or use purging behaviours.

4.       Pica 

Pica is another eating disorder where people eat things that are not considered food. For example ice, soap, paper, dirt, soil, chalk, hair, cloth, wool, pebbles etc 

5.       Rumination disorder

Rumination disorder describes a condition in which a person regurgitates food they have previously chewed and swallowed, re-chews it, and then either re-swallows it or spits it out.

6.       Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)

Individuals with this disorder experience disturbed eating either due to a lack of interest in eating or distaste for certain tastes, smells, colours, temperatures or textures.

 Eating disorders are complex mental conditions that require immediate attention by a mental health expert. If you have an eating disorder or know someone that might have one, seek help from a mental health expert.

-Staff Reporter