Eating Disorders FAQs
What is Anorexia Nervosa?
Anorexia is a condition commonly defined as self-induced starvation. This definition can be misleading because a person with anorexia is often hungry but will refuse to eat by denying their own hunger and need for food as a result of an intense and distorted fear of becoming fat. Other symptoms include excessive weight loss, restrictive control of caloric and fat intake, as well as obsessive thoughts of food/preparation and extreme worry about body shape and size.
SOME PHYSICAL COMPLICATIONS OF ANOREXIA NERVOSA
- Heart damage (murmur, rhythm disturbance, heart failure)
- Kidney problems (stones, kidney failure)
- Bone density problems
- Low blood sugar, low pulse, low respiratory rate, elevated cholesterol
- Electrolytic imbalances
- Dehydration and malnutrition
- Constipation or slower emptying of food from the stomach
- Changes in menstrual cycle
- Low body temperature, slowed circulation
- Deteriorating hair and nail quality
- Sleep disturbances
- Skin rash, lanugo hair (soft hair that appears on the body for warmth)
- Water retention, bloating, abdominal pain
- Depression and mood swings
- Reduced energy
What is Binge Eating Disorder?
Binge eating disorder is characterized by frequently eating more food than most people would consume in a similar period of time. This disorder is marked by periods of impulsive gorging or continuous overeating while feeling out-of-control (as though one cannot stop or control how much he/she is eating).
SOME POTENTIAL PHYSICAL COMPLICATIONS OF BINGE EATING
- Joint Problems
- Sleep Disturbances
- Type II Diabetes
- Depression and Mood Swings
- Anxiety
- Elevated Cholesterol Levels
- Cardiac Instability
- Hypertension
What is Bulimia Nervosa?
Bulimia is characterized by a secretive cycle of binge eating followed by engaging in compensatory behaviors such as purging or using laxatives to prevent weight gain.
- A binge consists of eating an amount of food that is definitely larger than most individuals would eat under similar circumstances usually within a 2 hour period.
- Compensatory behaviors are divided into categories: Purging and Non-purging.
- The purging behaviors include induced vomiting, the use of laxatives and diuretics while the non-purging behaviors involve excessive exercise and alternating periods of strict dieting or fasting.
SOME PHYSICAL COMPLICATIONS OF BULIMIA NERVOSA
- Esophageal problems (tears, bleeding, rupture)
- Stomach injuries (inflammation of lining, rupture)
- Intestinal injuries (ulcers, bloody stools)
- Lung complications
- Kidney and heart complications (kidney stones, kidney failure, uneven heart rate, heart failure, diseased heart muscle)
- Skin problems
- Erosion of tooth enamel
- Swollen salivary glands
- Changes in menstrual cycle
- Rectal bleeding
- Dehydration
- Depression and mood swings