Online Counseling & Psychotherapy
EATING DISORDER
What is Eating Disorder ?
Eating disorders are a range of psychological conditions that cause unhealthy eating habits to develop. They might start with an obsession with food, body weight, or body shape.
In severe cases, eating disorders can cause serious health consequences and may even result in death if left untreated.
Those with eating disorders can have a variety of symptoms. However, most include the severe restriction of food, food binges, or purging behaviors like vomiting or over-exercising.
Although eating disorders can affect people of any gender at any life stage, they’re most often reported in adolescents and young women. In fact, up to 13% of youth may experience at least one eating disorder by the age of 20.
Types of Eating Disorder
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ANOREXIA NERVOSA : People with anorexia generally view themselves as overweight, even if they’re dangerously underweight. They tend to constantly monitor their weight, avoid eating certain types of foods, and severely restrict their calories.
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BULIMIA NERVOSA : People with bulimia frequently eat unusually large amounts of food in a specific period of time. Each binge eating episode usually continues until the person becomes painfully full. During a binge, the person usually feels that they cannot stop eating or control how much they are eating. Binges can happen with any type of food but most commonly occur with foods the individual would normally avoid. Individuals with bulimia then attempt to purge to compensate for the calories consumed and relieve gut discomfort.
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BINGE EATING DISORDER : People with binge eating disorder regularly and uncontrollably consume large amounts of food in short periods of time. Eating large amounts of foods rapidly, in secret and until uncomfortably full, despite not feeling hungry and feeling a lack of control during episodes of binge eating.
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PICA : Pica is another eating disorder that involves eating things that are not considered food. Individuals with pica crave non-food substances, such as ice, dirt, soil, chalk, soap, paper, hair, cloth, wool, pebbles, laundry detergent, or cornstarch . Pica can occur in adults, as well as children and adolescents.
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RUMINATION DISORDER : Rumination disorder can affect people at all stages of life. People with the condition generally regurgitate the food they’ve recently swallowed. Then, they chew it again and either swallow it or spit it out.
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Symptoms of Eating Disorder
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Skipping meals or making excuses for not eating
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Adopting an overly restrictive vegetarian diet
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Excessive focus on healthy eating
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Making own meals rather than eating what the family eats
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Withdrawing from normal social activities
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Persistent worry or complaining about being fat and talk of losing weight
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Frequent checking in the mirror for perceived flaws
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Repeatedly eating large amounts of sweets or high-fat foods
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Use of dietary supplements, laxatives or herbal products for weight loss
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Excessive exercise
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Calluses on the knuckles from inducing vomiting
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Problems with loss of tooth enamel that may be a sign of repeated vomiting
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Leaving during meals to use the toilet
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Eating much more food in a meal or snack than is considered normal
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Expressing depression, disgust, shame or guilt about eating habits
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Eating in secret
GENERAL SYMPTOMS
Recommended Treatments for Eating Disorder
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Interpersonal Psychotherapy
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Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
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Family Based Therapy
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Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
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Medical Nutritional Therapy
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
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Equine Therapy
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The Maudsley Method
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