Health Information
Eating Disorders
Reference Eating disorders Opens New Window most often occur in teenage girls and young women. These disorders cause a person to have unhealthy thoughts and behaviors related to food and body image. Eating disorders include:
- Reference Anorexia nervosa Opens New Window. People with anorexia nervosa have a distorted perception of their body size and shape and are very afraid of gaining weight or getting fat. They eat very little and often become extremely thin. But even when they become very thin, they still believe they are overweight and continue trying to lose weight. Some people with anorexia make themselves vomit. Females often stop (or never start) having menstrual periods. Complications, such as Reference anemia Opens New Window or Reference irregular heartbeats Opens New Window, may also develop.
- Reference Binge eating Opens New Window. This is a condition in which people have episodes when they feel as if eating is out of their control. They consume more food than they normally would eat. People who have binge eating disorder are often embarrassed or feel guilty about their behavior. Binge eating disorder may be the most common eating disorder.
- Reference Bulimia nervosa Opens New Window. People who have bulimia nervosa are overly concerned or worried about their body shape and weight. They also feel out of control of their eating and have binge eating episodes. To try to prevent weight gain, people with bulimia nervosa use "purging"—self-induced vomiting, laxatives or water pills, or excessive exercise—after a binging episode.
Credits
| By: | Reference Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: August 25, 2011 |
| Medical Review: | Reference Adam Husney, MD, MD - Family Medicine
Reference W. Stewart Agras, MD - Psychiatry |
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