Eating disorders, in my words are: loneliness, fear, depression, unhappy, frustrating, sadness, stuck, sorrow, life-altering, death, anxiety, compulsion, restriction, over-exercising, counting, seclusion, consuming, hatred, emptiness, hopelessness, heartbreak, misery, moodiness, withdrawal, low self-esteem, strict, self-hatred, self-harm, soul sucking!
These, of course, are my descriptions of my own eating disorder. Today we are going to provide you with the actual definitions of the disorders that are so common, yet so taboo to talk about. Our mission is to open up dialogue regarding eating disorders, and helping the world to see that this is a VERY important topic that needs to be discussed. Those suffering and families of those suffering NEED to know they are not alone! Education and understanding of the disease(s) is the first step in combatting these illnesses in our society.
According to NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association) the following are definitions of specific eating disorders:
Anorexia:
Anorexia nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.
Symptoms
- Inadequate food intake leading to a weight that is clearly too low.
- Intense fear of weight gain, obsession with weight and persistent behavior to prevent weight gain.
- Self-esteem overly related to body image.
- Inability to appreciate the severity of the situation.
- Binge-Eating/Purging Type involves binge eating and/or purging behaviors during the last three months.
- Restricting Type does not involve binge eating or purging.
For more on warning signs and health consequences on anorexia, visit: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/anorexia-nervosa
Bulimia:
Bulimia nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by a cycle of bingeing and compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting designed to undo or compensate for the effects of binge eating.
Symptoms
- Frequent episodes of consuming very large amount of food followed by behaviors to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting.
- A feeling of being out of control during the binge-eating episodes.
- Self-esteem overly related to body image.
For more on warning signs and health consequences on bulimia, visit: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/bulimia-nervosa
Binge Eating Disorder:
Binge eating disorder (BED) is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food (often very quickly and to the point of discomfort); a feeling of a loss of control during the binge; experiencing shame, distress or guilt afterwards; and not regularly using unhealthy compensatory measures (e.g., purging) to counter the binge eating. Binge eating disorder is a severe, life-threatening and treatable eating disorder. Common aspects of BED include functional impairment, suicide risk and a high frequency of co-occurring psychiatric disorders.
For more information regarding Binge Eating Disorder, visit: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/binge-eating-disorder
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder:
Formerly described at Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) in the DSM-IV, Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED), is a feeding or eating disorder that causes significant distress or impairment, but does not meet the criteria for another feeding or eating disorder.
Examples of OSFED Include:
- Atypical anorexia nervosa (weight is not below normal)
- Bulimia nervosa (with less frequent behaviors)
- Binge-eating disorder (with less frequent occurrences)
- Purging disorder (purging without binge eating)
- Night eating syndrome (excessive nighttime food consumption)
The commonality in all of these conditions is the serious emotional and psychological suffering and/or serious problems in areas of work, school or relationships. If something does not seem right, but your experience does not fall into a clear category, you still deserve attention. If you are concerned about your eating and exercise habits and your thoughts and emotions concerning food, activity and body image, we urge you to consult an ED expert.
For more information on Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders, visit: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/other-specified-feeding-or-eating-disorder
Bottom line is, eating disorders, and I mean ALL eating disorders, are dangerous and should be treated with professional help. The biggest misconception I have noticed throughout the years is most people believe eating disorders are just about the food. When in reality, the food is the symptom of something much bigger going on. Eating disorders are a mental health issue and should be treated as such.
If you, or someone you know is suffering with any of the above, seek treatment immediately. Contact the NEDA Helpline at: 1-800-931-2237, click to chat with a Helpline volunteer. The NEDA helpline volunteers will be there to offer support and guidance with compassion and understanding.
Eating disorders ARE treatable!
This year’s National Eating Disorder Awareness Week theme is:
eatlivelove.org 