Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by weight loss (or lack of appropriate weight gain in growing children); difficulties maintaining an appropriate body weight for height, age, and stature; and, in many individuals, distorted body image. People struggling with anorexia generally restrict the number of calories and the types of food they eat. Some people with the disorder also exercise compulsively, purge via vomiting and laxatives, and/or binge eat.

Signs of Anorexia Nervosa:

  • Weight loss

  • Preoccupation with and extreme concern with food, weight, body image

  • Refusal to eat certain food groups and/or randomly changing diets 

  • Constipation or other GI issues

  • Hair thinning and/or falling out more than usual

  • Denies feeling hungry

  • Reassures eating even though there is no evidence to it

  • Develop food rituals i.e. eats slowly, uses certain utensils or plates, rearranging food on plate

  • Drinks excessive water during meals

  • More socially isolated 

  • Only wants to prepare ones own meals 

  • Menstral Irregularities  

  • Dizziness and/or fainting

  • Loss of energy, often fatigued, and difficulty concentrating

  • Irritability, withdrawn, and can often experience mood shifts

  • Intense fear of weight gain

  • Avoids mealtimes or situations involving food

  • Seems concerned about eating in public

  • Has a strong need for control

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by a cycle of bingeing and compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting, laxative use, exercising etc. designed to undo or compensate for the effects of binge eating.

Signs of Bulimia:

  • Preoccupation with weight loss, food, body image 

  • Disappearance of large amounts of food in a short period of time 

  • Lots of empty wrappers or containers 

  • Leaves to go to the bathroom shortly after meals 

  • Presence of laxatives

  • Drinking a lot of water 

  • Stealing or hoarding of food 

  • Skipping meals 

  • Exercising excessively 

  • Swelling of cheeks 

  • Irregular or loss of menstrual cycles 

  • GI complaints 

Binge Eating Disorder

Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food (often very quickly and to the point of discomfort); a feeling of a loss of control during the binge; experiencing shame, distress or guilt afterward; and not regularly using unhealthy compensatory measures (e.g., purging) to counter the binge eating. 

Signs of Binge Eating Disorder:

  • Evidence of large amounts of food disappearing in a short period of time 

  • Finding wrappers and empty containers 

  • Frequently diets

  • Disruption in normal eating behaviors 

  • Eating alone, more socially isolated 

  • Irregular or loss of menstrual cycles 

  • GI complaints 

Orthorexia

 Although not formally recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the term ‘orthorexia’ means an obsession with proper or ‘healthful’ eating. Even though being aware of and concerned with the nutritional quality of the food you eat isn’t a problem in and of itself, people with orthorexia become so fixated on so-called ‘healthy eating’ that they actually damage their own well-being.

Signs of Orthorexia:

  • Compulsive checking of ingredient lists and nutritional labels

  • Concern about the health of ingredients

  • Cutting out an increasing number of food groups (i.e. all sugar, all carbs, all dairy, all meat, all animal products)

  • An inability to eat anything but a narrow group of foods that are deemed ‘healthy’ or ‘pure’

  • Unusual interest in the health of what others are eating

  • Showing high levels of distress when ‘safe’ or ‘healthy’ foods aren’t available

  • Obsessive following of food and ‘healthy lifestyle’ blogs 

  • Irregular or loss of menstrual cycles 

  • Body image concerns may or may not be present

Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED)

 Those who are struggling with an eating disorder but do not meet strict diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder, yet still have a significant eating disorder.