Eating Disorders
In a nutshell
Anorexia
An eating disorder causing people to obsess about weight and what they eat.
Anorexia is characterized by a distorted body image, with an unwarranted fear of being overweight.
Trying to maintain a below-normal weight, people with anorexia nervosa may starve themselves or exercise too much.
Bulimia
A mixture of Anorexia and Binge eating marked by excessive eating followed by a period of weight gain evasion
Most commonly, this means vomiting (purging). But it can also mean excessive exercising or fasting.
Long term effects include tooth erosion, blood anemia, dry skin, muscle fatigue, and more
Binge Eating
Compulsive overeating, when people consume huge amounts of food while feeling out of their own control to stop
Those that Binge eat gain tremendous amounts of weight and suffer from many factors that come from it
The cycle of Binge eating includes eating for comfort, then feeling bad about doing so, then eating more to cover up the bad feeling, rinse and repeat
Three Causes of eating disorders
Low Self Esteem
- Feelings of inadequacy or lack of control in life
- Depression, anxiety, anger, stress or loneliness
Troubled personal relationships
- Difficulty expressing emotions and feelings
- History of being teased or ridiculed based on size or weight
Cultural pressure
- Narrow definitions of beauty that only women and men of specific body weights and shapes
- Cultural norms that value people of physical appearance and not inner qualities