Eating disorders are complex mental health disorders that involve severe behaviors, thoughts, and attitudes toward food, body weight, and shape. When left untreated, they may lead to dangerous physical and psychological consequences
Types of eating disorder
Anorexia Nervosa
Characterized by extreme restriction of food intake due to an extreme phobia of gaining weight, leading to a dangerously low body weight. The individuals are usually underweight and have a distorted body image, seeing themselves to be overweight.
.Bulimia Nervosa:
This involves cycles of binge eating with compensatory behavior, such as vomiting, exercising excessively, or using laxatives to prevent weight gain. Oftentimes, the cycles lead to severe medical problems like gastrointestinal distress and electrolyte imbalance.
Binge Eating:
This disorder involves recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food, often rapidly and to the point of discomfort without compensatory behaviors. It’s often associated with feelings of shame or guilt after a binge.
Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID):
I’m ARFID is more common in children. It entails a lack of interest in eating or avoidance of food based on sensory characteristics. Nutritional deficiencies and loss of weight can result from it, but it is not about body image.
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders:
These comprise many other eating disorders that are not a fit for the existing category but still cause a lot of distress and impairment. Some examples are atypical anorexia and food-refusing behaviors that fall short of the criteria for definite diagnosis for either anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.
Causes of Eating Disorders:
The causes of eating disorders are usually multifactorial, involving genetics, biological variables, environmental pressures in the society, and an individual’s psychological profile of characteristics such as low self-esteem or perfectionism or trauma history.
Treatment Options:
Psychotherapy
This is a psychotherapeutic technique aiming toward the correction of misperception and inculcation of healthy attitudes towards food and body image.
Nutritional Counseling
Education regarding and assistance in following certain healthy dietary practices can aid recovery.
Medical Treatment
Due to the danger eating disorders pose for physical well-being, medical supervision is essential, especially in serious instances.
Overseeing Medications:
Some medications may aid in the management of eating disorder depression, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorders.