Types of Eating Disorders

This video discusses three types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. It provides an overview of the characteristics, symptoms, and potential health consequences of each disorder.

We will discuss three types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Let's begin with anorexia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by a relentless pursuit of a thin body, a distorted body image, an extreme fear of obesity, and restriction of food consumption. All of these factors lead to a significantly low body weight. People with anorexia nervosa may see themselves as overweight, even when they are at a healthy weight or dangerously underweight. They typically weigh themselves repeatedly, severely restrict the amount of food they eat, exercise excessively, and may force themselves to vomit or use laxatives to lose weight. Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any mental health condition. Over time, anorexia nervosa can have serious consequences on the body, including thinning of the bones, brittle hair and nails, organ failure, and more. Next, we'll look at bulimia nervosa. Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by the repeated rapid consumption of large amounts of food, which we'll call binge eating, followed by attempts to compensate for the excess food consumed. This compensation can take the form of purging, fasting, using laxatives or diuretics, or exercising excessively. People with bulimia nervosa often feel a lack of control over these episodes. They may be underweight, normal weight, or overweight. Bulimia nervosa can cause significant damage to the body, including an inflamed or sore throat, thinning teeth, severe dehydration, and gastrointestinal problems. Finally, we'll explore binge eating disorder. Binge eating disorder is an eating disorder characterized by the repeated consumption of unusually large amounts of food, known as binge eating, with a feeling of loss of control during and after the binge. Unlike bulimia nervosa, periods of binge eating are not followed by purging, excessive exercise, or fasting. People with binge eating disorder may become overweight or obese. Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the U.S. However, it is still a diagnosable condition that goes beyond the tendency to overeat. It is very common to occasionally experience a symptom of binge eating disorder, such as eating when one's not hungry. These symptoms become disordered when they cause severe emotional distress and inability to function properly in daily life. Symptoms of binge eating disorder include feeling uncomfortably full, rapid weight gain, and extreme distress or guilt about eating.