Eating Disorders Overview

There are several types of eating disorders, each one with its own pattern and manifestations. Anorexia nervosa is a type of eating disorder that makes you obsessed with the idea of staying thin to the point of starvation, while the other types involve uncontrolled eating habits. These eating disorders are accompanied by psychological frustration.

 

If you are obsessed with staying thin and gaining weight is your biggest fear, you might be suffering from an eating disorder called anorexia nervosa.The intense fear of gaining weight makes an individual refuse food and even ignore hunger pangs. This is accompanied by negative self image. It also leads to excessive exercising and social withdrawal. Nevertheless, the individual finds himself or herself unable to overcome the preoccupation with food. The other symptoms of anorexia nervosa are dry skin, constipation, dehydration, dizziness and fainting.

 

The individuals suffering from bulimia nervosa alternatebetween binge eating followed by episodes of purging by vomiting and excessive exercise. The underlying feature is uncontrolled obsession with food. Symptoms of bulimia include excessive eating of high fat and sweet foods, excessive exercising, and frustration about failure to control weight, swollen salivary glands, and abnormal bowel movements and damaged gums and teeth.

 

Binge eating disorder involves eating even when not hungry or even after feeling full, eating more in binge eating periods than in normal meals, feeling depressed about eating habits, eating alone and eating faster during binge attacks.

 

These eating disorders can cause long term harm to your health, both physical and psychological. The changes in physical conditions are fatigue, bowel problems, irregular heartbeats and dizziness. On a psychological level, the individual feels ashamed, hopeless, irritable and nervous. People experiencing these symptoms must immediately seek medical help.

There is no doubt that if any type of eating disorder is not checked and overcome in time, it will certainly lead to many dangerous medical conditions. But, since this disorder is also rooted in psychological planes, many refuse to get medical help and do not even acknowledge it, which aggravates the condition. To overcome this, the individual must admit having a problem. It may require convincing the affected person that weight loss is not the ultimate key to health and happiness.

 

Eating disorders can be successfully treated with proper motivation and help. It requires the realization that the individual’s worth does not depend only on appearance, perfect weight and body image.

Therapy involves eliminating the feelings of shame and inadequacy, that is, both the cause and effect of eating disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy is found to be very successful in treating these disorders. The treatment involves building up proper body image based on self-awareness instead of socially established standards of body image and ideal weight. The individual must be able to cope with uncontrolled emotions regarding food. At the same time, he/she must be made to understand the role of nutritious food. Cognitive behavioral therapy involves all these parameters of education about weight management, nutrition and relaxation techniques, as well as overcoming negative feelings implanted by irrational standards.