Eating disorder is a serious, abnormal eating habit that critically impacts a person’s physical and mental health. It is characterized by obsession and preoccupation with food and weight. They tend to pay attention on very few things other than the amount of food they eat, their weight after eating, and how they look like to others.
Eating disorder is often a life and death illness that causes severe disruption to a person’s well being. There are two common types of eating disorder, Anorexia nervosa and Bulimia nervosa.
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa is known for self-starvation and extreme lack of appetite. They have intense fear of gaining weight though in reality, they usually weigh much below than underweight people, dangerously thin. They usually perceived themselves as fat and constantly checking oneself in the mirror, weigh often, firmly control their food consumption and eat too small amount of certain food. Anorexic people usually die either from complications or suicide.
The following are the common signs and symptoms:
- Intense fear of gaining weight
- Firm control of food consumption
- Persistent resistance to maintain a healthy weight
- Extremely thin
- Distorted body image
- Weakening and thinning of bones
- Muscle wasting and weakness
- Mild anemia
- Dry skin
- Brittle nails
- Brittle hair
- Constipation
- Low blood pressure
- Low pulse and respiratory rate
- Extreme fatigue
- Hyporthermia
Bulimia Nervosa
It is a life threatening eating disorder, which is characterized by binge-eating as well as purging. Bulimic people tend to eat a lot followed by guilt. They usually compensate after eating too much through vomiting, fasting, extreme exercise, and use of diuretics or laxative.
Signs and Symptoms include:
- Eating large amount of food frequently followed by self-induced vomiting.
- Self esteem mainly focuses unto body image
- Substance abuse
- Self infliction
- Impulsivity
- Damaged teeth and gum due to constant exposure of stomach acid
- Persistent sores in mouth and throat
- Dry skin
- Constipation
- Fainting
- Seizure
- Dehydration
- Irregular pulse and respiratory rate
- Muscle cramps
- Menstrual irregularities
Healthy and positive coping skills are highly essential combined with the right treatment plans, well-managed therapies, and your will to free yourself from eating disorders.
Reference:
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/eating-disorders/
