What is an Eating Disorder?
Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder include extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues. They are serious emotional and physical problems that can have life-threatening consequences for females and males.
Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss. Symptoms include:
- Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for height, body type, age, and activity level
- Intense fear of weight gain or being “fat”
- Feeling “fat” or overweight despite dramatic weight loss
- Loss of menstrual periods
- Extreme concern with body weight and shape
Bulimia Nervosa is characterized by a secretive cycle of binge eating followed by purging. Bulimia includes eating large amounts of food--more than most people would eat in one meal--in short periods of time, then getting rid of the food and calories through vomiting, laxative abuse, or over-exercising. Symptoms include:
- Repeated episodes of bingeing and purging
- Feeling out of control during a binge and eating beyond the point of comfortable fullness
- Purging after a binge, (typically by self-induced vomiting, abuse of laxatives, diet pills and/or diuretics, excessive exercise, or fasting)
- Frequent dieting
- Extreme concern with body weight and shape
Binge Eating Disorder (also known as Compulsive Overeating) is characterized primarily by periods of uncontrolled, impulsive, or continuous eating beyond the point of feeling comfortably full. While there is no purging, there may be sporadic fasts or repetitive diets and often feelings of shame or self-hatred after a binge. People who overeat compulsively may struggle with anxiety, depression, and loneliness, which can contribute to their unhealthy episodes of binge eating. Body weight may vary from normal to mild, moderate, or severe obesity.
Other eating disorders can include some combination of the signs and symptoms of anorexia, bulimia, and/or binge eating disorder. While these behaviors may not be clinically considered a full syndrome eating disorder, they can still be physically dangerous and emotionally draining. All eating disorders require professional help.
Assessment of the Problem
The first, most important step in preparing to get treatment for an eating disorder is to obtain a complete assessment so that the eating disorder and any associated mental or physical problems can be appropriately diagnosed. The assessment should be by a health care provider knowledgeable about eating disorders. A list of professionals who have received training in and have experience with eating disorders can be obtained through the Academy for Eating Disorders (www.aedweb.org). Referrals for across the nation can be obtained by calling NEDA’s Information and Referral Helpline at 1-800-931-2237
Determining the Appropriate Treatment
The next step is to determine what level of treatment is needed (e.g. outpatient, inpatient, partial hospital, residential, or intensive outpatient), where this treatment should occur, and which health care professionals should be a part of the treatment team so that recovery is optimal.
The intensity of the level of care will vary according to the type and severity of the illness, including both physiological and psychological factors. Using guidelines developed by the American Psychiatric Association (2000), the professional who provides the assessment will evaluate what type of treatment is needed, where it should be provided, and who is able to provide this care. A treatment team may include psychiatrists, therapists, counselors, nutritionists and primary care physicians.
Basic Principles for the Prevention of Eating Disorders
Prevention is any systematic attempt to change the circumstances that promote, initiate, sustain, or intensify problems like eating disorders.
- Disorders are serious and complex problems. We need to be careful to avoid thinking of them in simplistic terms, like "anorexia is just a plea for attention," or "bulimia is just an addiction to food." Eating disorders arise from a variety of physical, emotional, social, and familial issues, all of which need to be addressed for effective prevention and treatment.
- Eating disorders are not just a "woman`s problem" or "something for the girls." Males who are preoccupied with shape and weight can also develop eating disorders as well as dangerous shape control practices like steroid use. In addition, males play an important role in prevention. The objectification and other forms of mistreatment of women by others contribute directly to two underlying features of an eating disorder: obsession with appearance and shame about one`s body.
- Prevention efforts will fail, or worse, inadvertently encourage disordered eating, if they concentrate solely on warning the public about the signs, symptoms, and dangers of eating disorders. Effective prevention programs must also address:
- Our cultural obsession with slenderness as a physical, psychological, and moral issue.
- The roles of men and women in our society.
- The development of people`s self-esteem and self-respect in a variety of areas (school, work, community service, hobbies) that transcend physical appearance.
- Whenever possible, prevention programs for schools, community organizations, etc., should be coordinated with opportunities for participants to speak confidentially with a trained professional with expertise in the field of eating disorders, and, when appropriate, receive referrals to sources of competent, specialized care.
For More Information
General Information - National Eating Disorders Association
