Eating Disorders

Clinical eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. When most people hear of someone with an eating disorder they almost automatically assume the person has a problem with food.

All eating disorders are expressions of underlying psycho-social problems. Both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are characterized by fear of weight gain, feelings of ineffectiveness and low self-esteem.

Anorexia nervosa is identified by drastic weight loss from extreme food restriction. Most individuals with anorexia don't recognize how underweight they are. Even when down to 80 pounds, these individuals may still "feel fat", making it difficult to convince them to seek help. Alternatively, they may know that they are emaciated but experience an intense fear of food.

Bulimia nervosa is identified by frequent fluctuations in weight, with periods of uncontrollable binge eating followed by some form of purging to rid the body of the unwanted calories. This can be through self-induced vomiting, laxative abuse, excessive exercising, or fasting. Each of these methods are harmful and counter-productive.

Binge-eating disorder, or compulsive eating, may be described as food intake that:

1. is emotionally "driven" to the point of physical discomfort or beyond,
2. often occurs in secret,
3. is experienced as comforting to the individual and
4. may be a continuation of a regular meal or initiated apart from meals.