Types of Eating Disorders

Types of Eating DisordersThere are many types of eating disorders to choose from, some more serious than others. Some people who suffer from eating disorders do not even realize that they have a problem, and they often develop it during adolescence or early adulthood. This is why it is so important to understand the signs and symptoms of an eating disorder and how to recognize them if you suspect that someone you know may be suffering from one.Several types of eating disorders have been developed and defined, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating. Anorexia is when a person restricts the amount of food they eat, going so far as to hide their shape and weight. Bulimia is a bingeing syndrome where the person binges on food and severely restricts their calories so they can still feel full. Finally, binge eating is the most serious type of eating disorder because it includes consuming large amounts of food in a short period of time.There are many types of anorexia ne rvosa, but all cases of anorexia develop over time until the person no longer weighs enough to support the weight of the person's body. Most women develop anorexia at some point during their life, and typically only a few are diagnosed with the disease in their teens or twenties. While anorexia nervosa is fairly easy to diagnose, bulimia is more difficult because many people do not truly understand the symptoms of bulimia or binge eating.Bulimia is also more difficult to diagnose than anorexia, and often times doctors will simply tell the patient that they are suffering from food cravings, because eating more food does not always mean that someone is suffering from bulimia. In fact, anorexia is often confused with bulimia, since it is similar in the way that a person with anorexia restricts the amount of food they eat. But unlike anorexia, bulimia involves binging, instead of taking small, reasonable meals throughout the day. Another type of eating disorders, the binge-eating disord er, has several different types that include bulimia and then there are also other forms of BED (or binge eating disorder). Binge eating is the most common form of eating disorder because it affects as many as fifteen percent of teenagers and women in the United States alone. Binge eating is another common misconception about eating disorders, because people tend to think that all people who binge eat are suffering from a heart condition, which is not true.People with BED often binge on foods and eat nothing but food and drink for several hours at a time, sometimes with little to no regards to their health. Often times, women who binge on these types of foods will only be able to maintain this diet for about four hours before they get so hungry that they eat again. Usually after a couple of days of the binge eating, the person will begin to purge and eat less of these foods, although they will still crave them.Another problem with BED is that often times the person with the binge ea ting disorder feels as though their weight loss or gain is the result of something that they did. This can make the binge eating disorder even worse because the sufferer often begins to believe that they have done something wrong in order to make their weight loss or gain occur. While there is no cure for BED, people who are suffering from this type of eating disorder can find help through counseling, therapy, and other types of treatment.When talking about eating disorders, it is important to remember that this is a serious condition that affects a lot of people. If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with any type of eating disorder, it is very important to take care of your health so that you can stay healthy and avoid developing another disorder.