The Complete List Of Eating Disorders And How To Recognize Them

Most people tend to be familiar with at least one or two eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia. However, researchers and psychiatric professionals have identified several related disorders that can also cause severe distress and health difficulties. Familiarity with the wider spectrum of eating disorders may help you recognize when you or someone you care about needs help.

Medical professionals recognize at least six specific eating disorders. There may also be several related syndromes that are difficult to classify because they share some but not all features of more well-defined eating disorders. Identifying an eating disorder can be difficult, as affected individuals are often strongly resistant to admitting they have a disorder and may conceal their behavior. Spotting the warning signs may be easier when you’re aware of the full list of eating disorders known to the medical community. 

What is an eating disorder?

As defined by the American Psychiatric Association, eating disorders are mental disorders involving pathological behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions related to eating and food. Many appear during adolescence or young adulthood, though some types of eating disorders are diagnosed primarily in infants or children. 

Eating disorders can take a variety of forms, but they’re frequently marked by intense or obsessive concerns about diet, body weight, and appearance. Identifying an eating disorder isn’t always easy, since people with these conditions may be highly motivated to keep their behavior a secret.

How common and dangerous are eating disorders?

Estimates of the prevalence of eating disorders vary, but a 2021 meta-analysis reported a lifetime prevalence of 1.89% in Western countries. The lifetime prevalence rate was higher for women at 2.58%. Some reports suggest that the prevalence of eating disorders may have increased in recent years due to stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The risk of suicidal behavior is also typically higher among people with these disorders, though this may be due to underlying psychological risk factors rather than the effects of the disorders themselves. 

Anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa, often simply called “anorexia,” may be the most well-known eating disorder among the general public. The core symptom of this condition is the deliberate restriction of food intake to levels lower than the body requires. This behavior is often motivated by a desire to lose weight or an extreme fear of gaining weight, sometimes accompanied by a distorted body image that causes the person to perceive themselves as heavier or larger than others do. 

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, there are two clinical subtypes of anorexia:

1. Restrictive subtype: People with this type of anorexia tend to significantly limit how much they eat.
2. Binge-purge subtype: Those with this subtype tend to periodically engage in binge eating—brief episodes of compulsive overeating—followed by attempts to “purge” what they’ve consumed through behaviors like induced vomiting or use of laxatives. 
   

How to recognize anorexia nervosa

Some potential indicators of anorexia are behavioral, such as excessive discussion of or concern with topics like food, weight, dieting, and personal appearance. People with anorexia may develop unusual behaviors around food, such as chewing bites for an excessive length of time or adopting severe dietary restrictions. You may notice them eating very little in a sitting or making frequent excuses to skip meals. Some people may also engage in excessive exercise to avoid weight gain.

Physical symptoms of malnutrition may also be present, including:

• Sudden and unexplained weight loss or weight fluctuations
• Dizziness or weakness
• A tendency to feel cold
• Growth of fine hair on the skin

Bulimia nervosa

An individual with bulimia nervosa, or bulimia, typically engages in frequent cycles of binge eating followed by purging without the severe limitations on food intake observed in anorexia. They often have a similar preoccupation with food and weight.

Bulimia can include many different purging behaviors. Some individuals deliberately cause themselves to vomit or use laxatives. In addition to purging, some people living with bulimia may undergo temporary fasting or engage in overly intense physical activity. 

How to recognize bulimia nervosa

Some of the same warning signs in anorexia can be seen in bulimia, such as an intense fixation on diet and weight. However, individuals with this disorder may not exhibit signs of malnutrition.

Instead, loved ones often identify bulimia based on signs of purging. Frequently disappearing or using the bathroom immediately after meals can suggest vomiting or laxative use, as can bad breath, tooth damage, frequent dizziness, or a chronic sore throat. Small scars on the knuckles or pronounced swelling of the salivary glands in the cheek and neck may also result from induced vomiting.

You might also discover indicators of binge eating, such as hidden stashes of empty wrappers or other food-related garbage. 

Binge eating disorder

Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder in the United States, affecting an estimated 1.6% of teenagers from age 13 to 18, along with many adults. People with binge eating disorder typically undergo bouts of compulsive, excessive eating. Unlike in bulimia or anorexia, these episodes are not typically followed by purging.

Binge eating typically occurs in secret and often involves eating until the person feels excessively full. This behavior is generally not related to hunger, instead fulfilling a variety of psychological functions, including self-punishment, a sense of control, and soothing of negative emotions.

How to recognize binge eating disorder

Sudden or excessive weight gain can be a sign of binge eating disorder, though not everyone with this disorder is visibly or clinically overweight. The most concrete signs of this condition tend to be evidence of binges, such as the presence of food containers, hidden caches of unhealthy foods, or the unexplained disappearance of large amounts of food at once. Someone with binge eating disorder may also frequently diet but struggle to lose weight.

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder is an eating disorder involving a highly restricted dietary intake, whereby a person eats only a few specific foods or minimal quantities at a time. This behavior is not motivated by concerns about weight or appearance. Instead, people with ARFID may experience a strong aversion to certain sensory qualities of many foods, such as texture, taste, or smell. They might also have an excessive fear of choking or vomiting.

While ARFID may be mistaken for ordinary “picky eating” at first, it can lead to serious health problems as the individual often does not consume enough energy or nutrients to support healthy bodily functioning. 

How to recognize avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder

A person with ARFID generally eats only a small number of preferred foods, and the number often grows smaller over time. Children with this condition may fail to meet weight and height milestones, while adults often lose significant amounts of weight rapidly. A person may also show disgust at non-preferred foods or express fears about vomiting or choking.

Pica

Pica is most often observed in young children, though it can also be seen in some adults, particularly pregnant women or people with developmental disorders. The primary symptom is eating non-food items, such as dirt, paper, chalk, or ice, but it can include many other objects or substances. 

How to recognize pica

Pica can often be spotted directly by observing the affected person eating non-food items or substances. You may also be alerted by signs of distress, such as constipation, diarrhea, or tooth damage. In more serious cases, a person might experience lead poisoning or damage to the esophagus or intestines.

Rumination disorder

Sometimes called “rumination syndrome,” rumination disorder is a condition in which a person frequently regurgitates food after eating, often chewing it again and spitting it out or re-swallowing it. Like pica, it’s mostly seen in children, and the two conditions often occur together. 

Researchers aren’t certain what causes rumination disorder, though it seems to be linked to emotional stress or childhood neglect.

How to recognize rumination disorder

Rumination disorder can lead to many of the same physical symptoms seen in people with bulimia or anorexia who purge by vomiting. Examples include bad breath, throat soreness, and tooth decay. The affected individual may also visibly belch or regurgitate after meals.

Other specified feeding and eating disorders (OSFED)

Many people experience symptoms of eating disorders that don’t fit neatly into one of the categories described above. For example, they may display an unpredictable mix of calorie restriction, binge eating, and purging behavior. In other cases, an individual might be showing food-related behaviors and preoccupations similar to those of anorexia, but not meet the criteria for diagnosis.

Although patients with these conditions sometimes have trouble getting insurance coverage or other sources of help, research suggests that OSFED can be roughly as debilitating and distressing as more well-defined disorders.

How to recognize non-specific eating disorders

The signs and symptoms of an “other specified eating disorder” are likely to include a mix of the indicators described for anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. The actual diagnosis is generally made by a clinician following medical and psychiatric examinations. 

Getting help for an eating disorder

Eating disorder treatment can be challenging, as patients are frequently resistant to recognizing that their behavior is problematic. However, some effective therapeutic approaches have been identified:

• Anorexia may be best treated through family therapy, including psychoeducation to help family members support the individual in achieving healthy eating behaviors.
• Bulimia can often be treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). 
• Binge eating disorder has been found to respond to several kinds of psychotherapy, including CBT, interpersonal therapy (IPT), and dialectical behavior therapy. 
• Pica may be treatable with behavioral interventions focused on reinforcing correct behavior.
• Rumination syndrome is typically addressed through diaphragmatic breathing training to reduce regurgitation.

Medications may also be prescribed by your doctor to treat an eating disorder. These medications might include antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, stimulants, or anticonvulsants, depending on the condition and the doctor’s recommendations. Never start, stop, or change any medications without consulting your doctor first. 

Choosing online mental health treatment for an eating disorder

Some people may prefer to receive online therapy for eating disorders. This approach may make it easier to choose a therapist with whom you have a good rapport, since you can typically select from a wider pool of treatment professionals than the ones accepting patients in your immediate area. 

Although research on this approach is still in the early days, current evidence suggests that it can be effective. A 2020 meta-analysis concluded that online therapy led to a reduction in symptoms of eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and substance use.