An Eating Disorder is a serious mental illness that is characterized by exercise, weight, shape, or eating becoming an unhealthy obsession in someone’s life.
Below are some of the most common types generally caused by body image issues:
Anorexia Nervosa
(The Most Well Known Disorder) An eating disorder characterized by an abnormally low body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight, and a distorted perception of weight.
Symptoms
- Considerably underweight
- Restricted eating
- Intense fear of gaining weight Despite being underweight
- Relentless desire to be skinny
- Heavy influence of weight or body Image on self-esteem
- Distorted body image
- Denial of being underweight
Bulimia Nervosa
A potentially life-threatening eating disorder marked by bingeing that is followed by methods to avoid weight gain including purging, excessive exercising, fasting, use of laxatives.
Symptoms
- Obsessive about weight and body shape
- Irrational fear of gaining weight
- Repeated episodes of consuming large quantities of food at once
- Forced purging / forced exercise to combat bingeing
- Using laxatives, enemas, or diuretics when not needed
- Restricting food or fasting between binges
Binge Eating Disorder
An eating disorder characterized by frequently consuming large quantities of food and feeling unable to control eating patterns.
Symptoms
- Noticeable fluctuations in weight
- Gastrointestinal complaints
- Feelings of disgust, depression, low self-esteem, or guilt after bingeing
- Disruption of normal eating behaviors
- extreme concern with body weight and shape
- Frequently restricting food intake and dieting
- Eating alone to hide shame while bingeing
Youth Minds 