Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are psychological conditions characterized by harmful eating patterns that can negatively impact both physical and mental health. These patterns might involve excessive or insufficient food intake, often accompanied by struggles with body image.
Common Types of Eating Disorders
Anorexia Nervosa
An eating disorder characterized by extreme restriction of food intake, intense fear of gaining weight, and a distorted body image, often leading to dangerously low body weight.
Bulimia
Involves cycles of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors like vomiting, excessive exercise, or fasting to avoid weight gain.
Binge Eating Disorder
Characterized by recurring episodes of eating large amounts of food in a short period, often accompanied by feelings of loss of control, shame, or guilt, but without purging.
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder
A diagnosis for eating disorders that don’t meet full criteria for anorexia, bulimia, or BED but still involve disordered eating behaviors that cause significant distress and impairment.
Common Signs of Eating Disorders
Potential Consequences of Eating Disorders
Common Treatment Plans
Hospitalization
Sometimes, people with eating disorders need to be hospitalized. The reasons for this vary from person to person, but sometimes, urgent medical complications need to be treated right away to keep you safe and alive. Hospitalization is often followed by residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, or outpatient therapy.