Eating disorders are not just about food. They often represent a coping mechanism for dealing with difficult feelings or to regain a sense of control. Eating disorders affect your identity, self-worth, and self-esteem. 

People with eating disorders can have a variety of symptoms, with severity ranging from mild to severe. Symptoms most commonly include severe restriction of food, binging, or purging behaviours like vomiting or over-exercising. The most common types of eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder. 

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Anorexia Nervosa:

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Anorexia is probably the most well-known eating disorder. It usually develops in the teen years and can continue into adulthood. 

People with anorexia usually view themselves as overweight, even if they’re seriously underweight. It is common to constantly monitor weight, avoid eating certain foods, over-exercise, and severely restrict their calories.

Common symptoms of anorexia nervosa include:

• Being underweight for age and height

• Restricted eating patterns

• Intense fear of gaining weight 

• Persistent behaviours to avoid gaining weight

• Episodes of binge-eating and purging 

• Sense of self-worth focused on weight

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It is common for people with anorexia also to have symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Obsessions are often food-themed, and it is common to have rituals and compulsions surrounding eating, weighing oneself, and even collecting recipes or pictures of food.

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Anorexia can be very damaging to the body, leading to the weakening of bones, infertility, brittle hair and nails, and the growth of a layer of fine hair all over their body. Even in the presence of physical symptoms and low body weight, people with anorexia often still see themselves as overweight and engage in behaviour to “fix it.”

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In severe cases, anorexia can result in multi-organ failure and death. 

 

Bulimia Nervosa:

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Similar to anorexia, bulimia often begins in adolescence or early adulthood and can continue into adulthood. Unlike anorexia, people experiencing bulimia usually maintain relatively normal body weight.

People with bulimia frequently binge on large amounts of food in a short amount of time, followed by purging. Binges are often accompanied by zoning out or a lack of control. The food used during binges is most commonly unhealthy foods that the person would typically avoid. 

Purging is done in an attempt to rid the body of the calories consumed and alleviate any discomfort from fullness. Common purging behaviours include forced vomiting, laxatives, excessive exercise, diuretics, emetics, and enemas. 

Common symptoms of bulimia nervosa include:

• Recurrent binge eating episodes

• Feeling one cannot stop or control the amount of food consumed

• Recurrent compensatory behaviours to prevent weight gain (i.e., vomiting)

• Sense of self-worth focused on weight

• Fear of gaining weight

The purging behaviours associated with bulimia can cause significant health issues such as tooth decay, acid reflux, severe dehydration, and hormonal disturbances.

Purging often creates an imbalance in levels of electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium, and calcium. In severe cases, bulimia can lead to heart attack, stroke, or death.

 

Binge Eating Disorder:

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Binge eating disorder is a prevalent eating disorder. It typically begins during the teen years but can develop at any time. 

People with binge eating disorder eat substantial amounts of food in short periods. There is a feeling of lack of control or an inability to stop during these binges. Unlike the above eating disorders, people with binge eating disorder do not restrict food or engage in compensatory behaviours like forced vomiting or excessive calories after binging. 

Common symptoms of binge eating disorder include:

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

• Eating in secret

• Eating until uncomfortably full

• Binging even when not feeling hungry

• Lack of control during episodes of binging

• Feelings of shame, disgust, or guilt when thinking about binge-eating behaviour

• No use of purging behaviours, such as vomiting, calorie restriction, or excessive exercise

Many people with binge eating disorder are overweight, but it also occurs in people of average weight. When untreated, binge eating disorder can be severe, debilitating, and even life-threatening.