Eating Disorders

1. What is Anorexia Nervosa?

Self-induced starvation. This person is characterized by a low self-esteem and often have tremendous needs to control their surroundings and emotions. They control/reduce their food intake to the point of starvation. 

2.What is Bulimia?

Binge and purge episode (eat a large quantity of food in a short period of time then use behaviors such as laxatives or self-induced vomiting). They may have episodes of binging and purging to avoid and let out feelings of anger, depression, stress or anxiety. There are two types of Bulimia: Purging type and non-purging type. Purging type is when the person has regularly engaged in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enema. The second type is non-purging type. The person who has a non-purging type Bulimia has used other inappropriate compensatory behaviors, such as fasting or excessive exercise, but has not regularly engaged in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxative, diuretics, or enemas. 

3.What is Compulsive Overeating?

Compulsive overeating is when a person has an addiction to food, using food and eating as a way to hide from their emotions, to fill a void they feel inside and to cope with stresses and problems in their lives. Binge eating are at risk for health attacks, high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes, kidney disease/failure, arthritis and bone deterioration, and stroke. A person who has compulsive overeating eats without thinking of health risks. 

4.What are some signs and symptoms of these eating disorders?

Anorexia	Bulimia	Overeating
Obsessive exercise	Craving for food	Diabetes
Calorie and fat gram counting	Feelings of anger, depression, stress, anxiety.	Obesity
Starvation/restriction of food	People who are overly concerned with body-image.	Craving for food
Self-induced vomiting	Low self-esteem	Unhappy
The use of diet pills and laxatives/diuretics
Overly concerned with body image