Symptoms of eating disorders

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Eating disorder is an unhealthy relationship with food and weight that affects many areas of person’s life. In these disorders, people begin to use food as a surviving mechanism to manage their emotional and mental disturbances. For example, a person suffering from depression eats a lot to handle his/her mental state and ends with the resultant triggering of bulimia nervosa in many cases.

There are three types of eating disorders.

Anorexia nervosa

Bulimia nervosa

Binge disorder

Now here is an overview of specific symptoms of these to provide you with some key points that will enable you to differentiate among these.

 

Anorexia nervosa:

This term anorexia literally means “loss of appetite”. Medical conditions that lead to loss of appetite are also associated with anorexia.

Anorexia nervosa however, literally refers to loss of appetite due to psychological problems.

Its key symptoms are:

•                   15% to as much as 60% of normal body weight is lost.

•                   Intense fear of gaining weight, even when severely underweight.

•                   Individuals with this disorder have a bad image of their own body shape. They even deny serious consequences of this severe weight loss.

•                   These patients have flat mood and lack of emotion.

•                   Thin appearance, frequently stay cold and have dry skin.

•                   Sleep disturbances are also commonly seen.

•                   Such patients have fear of eating in public and remain per-occupied with food.

Bulimia Nervosa:

This type of eating disorder being more common that anorexia nervosa starts in early adolescence. This is quite more serious and potentially life threatening disorder. It includes cycle of bingeing and compensatory behaviors such self-induced vomiting and purging designed to undo the effects of binge eating.

To be diagnosed of bulimia you must have 2 episodes in a week for continuous 3 months.

The patient which is bulimic has following typical features:

·        In reaction to episodes of binges, patients compensate by purging or vomiting or using enemas.

·        Some patients have non purging bulimia. They follow bulimia with severe exercise and fasting.

·        Poor bowel habits.

·        Low self-esteem and unhealthy emphasis on body shape and weight.

·        Damaged teeth and gums, sores in mouth and throat.

·        Bulimia nervosa sometimes progresses to anorexia nervosa. Patient is observed with constant dieting or fasting.

      Bulimia is often triggered in young women when they attempt severely restrictive diets and fail to follow it. They react to this diet by binge eating. Binge eating involves consuming larger than normal amounts of food within a 2-hour period.

In India, bulimia is very common in emotionally stressed persons. Bulimics are not underweight and never intend to do so. They are normal in physique.

 

Binge Eating:

Bingeing without purging is a disorder that is characterized by compulsive overeating with the absence of laxative enemas pills or purgatives usage.

To be diagnosed as binge eater the patient must have following characters:

·        Overeating continually throughout the day, rather than simply consuming foods during binges.

·        Eats three meals a day with frequent snacks.

·        Must consume minimum of 5000 calories to 15,000 calories in one setting.

·        Eats to the point of discomfort or pain. Eats faster during binge episodes.

·        Frequently eats alone and patient usually stays depressed, disgusted and frustrated over the amount eaten.

Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified:

This fourth category of eating disorders is used to include all those eating disorders that are not specifically defined as anorexia or bulimia. The category involves following symptoms.

·        This includes combination of symptoms.

·        Infrequent eating-purging episodes.

 

This can remain undiagnosed. Although, less serious than other eating disorders, this can also lead to serious health problems. EDNOS is associated with high risk of fractures.

 

 

A person needs to seek a doctor because an eating disorder can be difficult to manage by the patient himself. They can virtually take over your life and hence you require a medical help or various episodes of counseling. This is because these ailments and disorders can lead to physical and mental problems which can be very annoying. Persons with such complaints often experience persistent fatigue, shortness of breath on moderate activity and bowel or menstrual troubles. Anxiety, depression and feeling hopeless are some of the common mental complaints.

The eating disorders are more common among females. This does not mean that men lack such ailments. They have the equal chances of being the sufferer. Perhaps, the prevalence of eating disorders in India has now doubled among men during past few decades.

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