This part will go more indepth to the information about the first three eating disorders on the list such as anorexia , bulimia and binge eating disorder.
1. The main symptom of anorexia nervosa (often called anorexia) is deliberately losing a lot of weight or keeping your body weight much lower than is healthy for your age and height.
Signs and symptoms include:
missing meals, eating very little or avoiding eating any foods you see as fattening
lying about what and when you've eaten, and avoiding eating with others
wearing baggy clothes to hide your body shape and lying about how much you weigh
taking medicines to reduce your hunger (appetite suppressants), or to help you poo (laxatives) or to make you pee (diuretics)
exercising excessively or making yourself sick to try to avoid putting on weight
an overwhelming fear of gaining weight
strict rituals around eating and thinking about food a lot
weighing yourself frequently and seeing losing a lot of weight as a positive thing
believing you're fat when you're a healthy weight or underweight
not admitting your weight loss is serious
You may also notice physical signs and symptoms such as:
if you're under 18, your weight and height being lower than the minimum expected for your age
if you're an adult, having an unusually low body mass index (BMI)
your periods stopping (in women who have not reached menopause) or not starting (in younger women and girls)
bloating, constipation and abdominal pain
headaches or problems sleeping
feeling cold, dizzy or very tired
poor circulation in hands and feet
dry skin, hair loss from the scalp, or fine downy hair growing on the body
reduced sex drive
People with anorexia often have other mental health problems, such as depression or anxiety.
Warning signs of anorexia in someone else
The following warning signs could indicate that someone you care about has an eating disorder:
dramatic weight loss
lying about how much and when they've eaten, or how much they weigh
avoiding eating with others
cutting their food into small pieces or eating very slowly to disguise how little they're eating
trying to hide how thin they are by wearing loose or baggy clothes
In children with anorexia, puberty and the associated growth spurt may be delayed. Young people with anorexia may gain less weight than expected and may be smaller than children of the same age.
2. The main signs of bulimia are eating a large amount of food over a very short time (binge eating) and then ridding your body of the extra food (purging) by making yourself vomit, taking laxatives or diuretics, fasting or exercising excessively, or a combination of these.
Other signs of bulimia include:
fear of putting on weight
being very critical about your weight and body shape
mood changes – feeling very tense or anxious, for example
thinking about food a lot
feeling guilty and ashamed, and behaving secretively
avoiding social activities that involve food
feeling like you have no control over your eating
You may also notice physical signs like:
feeling tired
a sore throat from being sick
bloating or tummy pain
a puffy face
self-harming
Warning signs of bulimia in someone else
The following warning signs could indicate that someone you care about has an eating disorder:
eating a lot of food, very fast
going to the bathroom a lot after eating
excessively or obsessively exercising
3. Binge eating disorder involves regularly eating a lot of food over a short period of time until you're uncomfortably full.
It's a serious mental health condition where people eat without feeling like they’re in control of what they’re doing.
Binges are sometimes planned in advance, but can be spontaneous. They are usually done alone, and may include "special" binge foods. You may feel guilty or ashamed after binge eating.
Men and women of any age can get binge eating disorder, but it often starts when people are in their 20s or older.
Symptoms of binge eating disorder:
The main symptom of binge eating disorder is eating a lot of food in a short time and not being able to stop when full. Other symptoms include:
eating when not hungry
eating very fast during a binge
eating alone or secretly
feeling depressed, guilty, ashamed or disgusted after binge eating
People who regularly eat in this way may have binge eating disorder.
Warning signs of binge eating disorder in someone else
Someone you care about may have an eating disorder if they:
change their behaviour or have changes in their mood
eat a lot of food, very quickly
try to hide how much they're eating
store up supplies of food
put on weight (but this does not happen to everyone with binge eating disorder)
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