Understanding Different Types Of Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses characterized by significant disturbances in eating behaviors. They often occur with other mental illnesses, most commonly anxiety disorders, mood disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and substance use disorders. They can be grave conditions, significantly affecting a person’s mental and physical health. 

There are different types of eating disorders, and while each has unique symptoms, they tend to involve an extreme focus on eating and food. Here are six common eating disorders, their symptoms, possible complications, and information about treatment.

Anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that causes people to severely limit the amount of food they eat to avoid gaining weight. People with anorexia may feel that they are overweight even if they are underweight, and they may exercise in excess to lose or avoid gaining weight.

Behavioral changes that are associated with anorexia may include not eating at all or eating very little, not eating in front of others, taking diet pills or laxatives, exercising excessively, and talking about food and body weight frequently.

Because people with anorexia tend to restrict their food intake so severely, they can also experience a variety of physical symptoms resulting from not getting the right nutrients to maintain basic body function. Some of these symptoms may include brittle hair and nails, dizziness, irregular or missed periods, dry skin, muscle weakness, and the growth of fine hair called lanugo all over the body. They can also experience cognitive changes, like moodiness, confusion, and poor memory. 

Complications of anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa can have severe effects on someone’s physical health as the body is not getting the nutrients it needs to function properly. People with anorexia may experience heart problems, anemia, osteoporosis, and kidney failure, and without effective treatment, the condition can be fatal. 

Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder; approximately 5% of patients die within four years of diagnosis.

Bulimia nervosa

People with bulimia nervosa typically engage in binge eating, consuming large quantities of food in a short period. Then, they usually try to prevent gaining weight by purging, either by making themselves vomit or taking laxatives to speed up the movement of food through the body. During periods when they are not binging and purging, people with bulimia may eat very little or exercise excessively to avoid gaining weight. 

People with bulimia may appear to be of average weight, and they usually binge and purge sercretly, which can make it difficult to tell if someone has the disorder. Some behavioral changes that may indicate someone has bulimia include going to the bathroom immediately after eating to purge, exercising excessively, stating they hate the way they look, and not wanting to participate in activities they once enjoyed.

Complications of bulimia nervosa

Bulimia can prevent the body from getting the nutrients it needs and, over time, can cause significant damage to the body. Purging can cause tooth decay, broken blood vessels in the eyes, acid reflux, ulcers, or severe dehydration, while binge eating can cause stomach damage. Bulimia can also lead to electrolyte imbalances that can cause heart problems.

Binge eating disorder

Binge eating disorder typically leads a person to eat large quantities of food in a short time and feel like they cannot control how much they are eating. To be diagnosed with this disorder, someone must binge eat at least once a week for three months. People with binge eating disorder may be ashamed of or upset by their binging, and they are likely to binge secretly. Binge eating disorder is different from bulimia because preventing weight gain by purging or exercising excessively is generally not a regular part of this disorder. 

Complications of binge eating disorder

Binge eating disorder can lead to weight gain and problems associated with obesity, like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. They may also be at risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and gall bladder disease. 

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)

People with this disorder may lose interest in eating or fear that they will choke or vomit when they do eat. They may also be selective about certain textures, colors, tastes, and smells. People with ARFID may identify a few things that they feel are safe to eat, and they may have rituals around how they eat. The list of foods that people with ARFID are willing to eat can get shorter over time.

It may be important to note that ARFID is not the same as picky eating. Picky eating usually only leads to avoidance of a few foods, and it is not typically significant enough to affect growth and development or cause complications due to a lack of nutrients.

Complications of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder 

ARFID can result in malnutrition, which can cause weight loss, lethargy, irregular periods, dizziness, weakness, and lanugo. Other possible complications include dehydration, anemia, low blood pressure, and delayed puberty. 

Pica

According to the DSM-5 Pica is a disorder in which people eat “nonnutritive, non-food substances over a period of at least one month.” People with pica may ingest a variety of items, including ice, dirt, paper, chalk, eggshells, and coffee grounds.

Pica can be seen in people of all ages, including children. It’s also somewhat common in people with intellectual disabilities, and some women can experience pica during pregnancy. Pica is usually short-term and often resolves spontaneously in children and pregnant women, but it can last for years in people with intellectual disabilities.

Complications of pica

Long-term pica can have many complications, including toxicity, bowel obstruction, and bezoars, which are masses made of undigested materials that form in the GI tract. Complications generally depend on what someone with pica ingested. For example, ingested clay or earth could lead to lead poisoning or parasitic infections. Pica during pregnancy can also lead to significant fetal complications if what is being ingested leads to toxicity.

Other specified feeding and eating disorders

This category of eating disorders refers to disordered eating behaviors that do not fit into other categories, likely because the behavior or frequency of the behavior does not meet the threshold for another diagnosis. For example, for a diagnosis of bulimia, the DSM-5 criteria state that the person must binge-eat and engage in purging and other behaviors aimed at weight loss “on average, at least once a week for 3 months.” Someone who binges and purges one every two or three weeks or has only engaged in the behavior for two months may not meet this criteria, although they are still showing signs of disordered eating. 

Complications of other specified feeding and eating disorders

Complications of this eating disorder can depend on the behaviors the person is exhibiting. The complications can resemble any of the complications listed above, including malnutrition, weight loss, or obesity.

How are eating disorders treated?

It is possible to get eating disorders treated successfully. Early detection and an appropriate treatment plan can help someone with an eating disorder make a full recovery. Treatment for eating disorders generally includes psychotherapy, nutritional support and education, medications, and medical care and interventions when necessary.

Because eating disorders can have significant effects on the body, restoring physical health can be an important part of treatment. Depending on the person’s physical health, in-patient monitoring or long-term residential programs may be required to ensure that they are gaining weight appropriately and that any physical health complications are being treated effectively. 

Eating disorders can be complex to treat, which is why therapy can play such a significant role in recovery. People with eating disorders may have underlying mental disorders, such as anxiety, depression, or substance use, that contribute to their symptoms. Talk therapy can help them learn how to manage the thoughts and emotions that contribute to their behaviors while also addressing these underlying mental disorders. 

Online therapy can be a convenient and flexible way to get help. With an online counseling platform, you can work with a licensed, professional counselor from the comfort of your home. You can change therapists at any time for no fee until you find one who is the right fit for you. Also, you can communicate in a way that’s comfortable for you, whether via audio, video, or live chat. 

Research has found that online therapy for eating disorders is effective. One study that looked at the long-term effectiveness of online cognitive behavioral therapy found that this treatment had “large effect sizes for the reduction of ED psychopathology and body dissatisfaction” and determined that it has “long-term sustainability of treatment effects up to 1-year post-treatment.”