Eating Disorders are disorders that involve difficulty around food – not eating enough, eating too much, or eating too much and then engaging in a behavior meant to prevent weight gain, such as throwing up or over-exercising. The three most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder.
When someone has Anorexia they think they look fat regardless of how little they weigh. They refuse to take in a healthy amount of calories in their effort to preserve their low weight. They will often engage in ritual type behavior with food or around meal time – cutting food up in small pieces, pushing food around on the plate to make it appear that they have eaten, or only eating a certain type of food or only at a certain time of day. People who suffer from anorexia develop serious medical complications – heart problems, hormone and electrolyte imbalances, osteoporosis, dry brittle hair and nails, fine growth of hair on body. Women will stop menstruating. Additionally, not feeding one’s body also results in an inability to concentrate, decreased energy and a tendency to get dizzy and faint. This is a serious disorder and needs intensive treatment, usually with a treatment team. This treatment team is usually comprised of a psychologist, a medical doctor, a nutritionist and other specialists as needed.
Bulimia nervosa is when a person eats too much food at one time – called a binge –and they feel as if they have no control over how much they eat during that period. After eating they engage in some behavior designed to prevent them from gaining weight, for example, they may vomit, exercise, fast, or use laxatives. Bulimia also has serious medical complications – heart problems, electrolyte imbalances, and problems with their esophagus. Dental problems are common as well. Bulimia is a serious disorder and needs treatment.
Binge eating disorder is when a person eats too much at one time – binges – but does not engage in behaviors designed to prevent them from gaining weight. The consequence of Binge Eating Disorder is in fact, weight gain, putting the person at risk for developing obesity. Obesity has many medical implications – diabetes, heart problems, back and joint pain and deterioration to name a few. Binge eating disorder is also serious and needs therapeutic intervention.
Eating disorders are more commonplace than most people think. There are many variations in the behaviors described above and each person needs individualized treatment to focus on their particular patterns and behaviors to be the most successful in treatment. We work with you. Your psychologist is interested in determining the best course of treatment for you in the context of your life and your history.
Don’t wait: call today. Help is just a phone call away. 512-236-9091
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