EATING DISORDERS

BERDA and MUSA

What Are The Main Types of Eating Disorders?

• An eating disorder is when someone begins eating too much, or when someone begins to avoid eating. This affects one's mental and physical health. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are two of the most common eating disorders today. Eating disorders affect 5-7% of American women, only a small percent of men are affected.The precise cause of eating disorders is not entirely understood, but there is evidence that it may be linked to other medical conditions and situations. One study showed that girls with ADHD have a greater chance of getting an eating disorder than those not affected by ADHD.

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• The main types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. A third type, called binge-eating disorder, is not yet a formal psychiatric diagnosis, but it's increasingly recognized as another major category of eating disorder

• Anorexia nervosa (AN), characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight, an obsessive fear of gaining weight, and an unrealistic perception of current body weight. Anorexia can cause menstruation to stop, and often leads to bone loss, loss of skin integrity, etc. It greatly stresses the heart, increasing the risk of heart attacks and related heart problems. The risk of death is greatly increased in individuals with this disease.

• Bulimia nervosa (BN), characterized by recurrent binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors such as purging (self-induced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives/diuretics, or excessive exercise) Bulimics may also fast for a certain amount of time following a binge.

• Binge eating disorder (BED) or compulsive overeating, characterized by binge eating, without compensatory behavior.

Who Gets Eating Disorders, and When?

• Females are much more likely than males to develop an eating disorder. Only an estimated 5 to 15 percent of people with anorexia or bulimia and an estimated 35 percent of those with binge-eating disorder are male.

• Most often, eating disorders develop during the teenage years, or as a young adult. More and more, there are reports of eating disorders developing even in elementary school-age children, and adults.

Eating Disorders and Health

• Eating disorders frequently show up along side of other mental health issues, such as depression, alcohol or drug abuse, and anxiety disorders. People who suffer from eating disorders also risk serious -- and sometimes fatal -- health complications, including serious heart conditions and kidney failure.

• http://www.eating-disorder.com/disorders.php

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eating_disorder