A Comprehensive Guide to Eating Disorder!

Eating disorder is a persistent eating behavior that affects the mental as well as physical health adversely. It comprises biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors. The disorder may be caused due to the distress of being overweight or concern about one's own body shape and stature. In the condition, the person has lower self-esteem and tries to boost it up by irregular patterns of eating. There are different types of eating disorders with different symptoms.

Types of Eating Disorders

There is no specific age constraint when it comes to eating disorders. However, the habit is mostly built during the teen years when one undergoes hormonal body changes. Some people tend to indulge in excessive eating, and some undergo forced vomiting, but there are specific symptoms of each disorder. Let's discuss the most common types.

Bulimia Nervosa

In Bulimia nervosa, repeated binge eating is involved. However, to counter the effect of overeating, forced vomiting or behaviors such as excessive exercise or massive intake of laxatives is done. The person suffering from the condition fears weight gain and make their body go through these extreme conditions. The condition leads to elevating the feeling of shame and guilt, making the person undertake counter-actions in private. Some common complications that can happen are:

• dehydration
• heart issues
• electrolyte imbalance
• gastrointestinal Issues
• body weakness

Anorexia Nervosa

In Anorexia nervosa, the person feels that he/she is overweight, even when signs of being underweight are pretty clear and obvious. The size of the meals reduces and the body loses a lot of important nutrients. The person sets unrealistic goals for weight loss and keeps reducing it by skipping the meals. This leads to some complications, such as:

• multi-organ failure
• heart problems
• infertility
• bone loss
• brain damage

Even in some scenarios, if the problem is not solved with sensitivity, the risk of death is also there.

Binge Eating Disorder

In binge eating disorder, a person loses control over eating habits. It is similar to bulimia nervosa, however, the counteractions like forced vomitings are not undertaken by the person. The condition leads to many other severe problems due to overeating.  Some of the problems are:

• extensive Stress
• embarrassment
• cardiovascular diseases
• obesity
• heart issues

Causes: How Does Someone Indulge in Eating Disorders?

There can be one or many reasons behind an eating disorder. Lack of self-esteem, complex disorders, self-acceptance issues, or even bullying. However, generally, it is said to be the mix of psychological, environmental, and biological abnormalities.

Biological Factors

• Hormonal change
• Genetics
• Nutritional imbalance

Psychological Factors

• Poor self-esteem
• Bad body image
• Bullying

Environmental Factors

• Family problems
• Career stress

All these causes contribute to eating disorders. The reason can be one or many, however, the result is the same. In such scenarios, doctor consultation is mandatory. Also, many times, one won't even know when your close one will be needing help as people suffering from eating disorder do it all privately. If you know someone going through the same, help them and take proper care.

Treatment: How Can it be Cured?

There is more than one way to treat eating disorders. Notwithstanding the type of eating disorder you fall into, it is really important to seek help from doctors, nutritionists, and therapists. Some of the ways to treat eating disorders are: Medical Care: It is of utmost importance to know all the medical abnormalities in the body. It helps in understanding if any of such medical condition is the reason behind an eating disorder. Thus, medical checkups and monitoring can reveal a lot of things which a person must be aware of. Therapy: Due to many psychological reasons, eating disorders come to play. Reasons like a disturbance in family relations or stress from friends or related groups add to eating disorders. Henceforth, it is crucial to undergo therapy sessions. This will help the person to recover from all the stress and see life beyond all the negative things. Diet: Proper diet and nutrition is important for healthy living and everyone agrees to the same as well. By taking proper diet, a person must learn why all the nutrients are important. Not only this, learning about how the individual must intake a stable and balanced diet is also crucial. Proper guidance of a nutritionist plays an important role in making the person understand all the important facts. Medicinal Treatment: In some cases, medication comes as a bliss. There are medicines available to help the person improve anxiety and mental issues. This can help the individual to stop binge eating.   https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/eating-disorder https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/warning-signs-and-symptoms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eating_disorder