Eating Disorders: Types, Symptoms and Treatment

Type of Eating Disorders

Anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa (often shortened to just "anorexia") has the highest fatality rate of all mental health disorders. People with anorexia have a distorted body image that causes them to perceive themselves as fat, even if they are dangerously underweight. They are fixated on weight loss and/or maintaining a very low body weight, which drives them to engage in severe caloric restriction and excessive exercise. Those affected by anorexia are usually teenage girls and young women.

Bulimia nervosa

As with Anorexia nervosa, those with Bulimia nervosa (or just "bulimia") are usually teenage girls and young women who have developed an intense fear of gaining weight. However, unlike with anorexia, people with bulimia do not typically severely restrict their food intake. Instead, someone with bulimia experiences episodes of binge-eating and purging. A purging episode can consist of induced vomiting, extreme exercise, taking laxatives, or other unhealthy behaviours.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is characterised by recurring episodes of binge eating/bingeing, and feeling unable to stop or out of control when it comes to their eating behaviours. While people with Bulimia nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder both engage in binge eating behaviours, those with bulimia follow bingeing episodes with purging episodes, such as vomiting or taking laxatives, while those with Binge Eating Disorder do not purge after an episode of bingeing.

Treatments for Eating Disorders

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a well-regarded evidence-based method for treating eating disorders. This therapy can be effective on its own, or combined with other courses of treatment for optimal results.

Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing and mindfulness-based therapies are other eating disorder treatment approaches that have proven to be successful