What is the disorder called when you eat a lot?
Eating disorders are conditions that cause people to have extreme thoughts or behaviors around their eating habits. These are serious, but treatable illnesses that can be helped with therapy and medical care.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that affects teenage girls, but it can also happen in adult women and men. It’s a chronic illness that causes people to have an obsession with being thin.
This condition may lead to other problems like depression, distorted body image and social isolation. It can be a very stressful and debilitating illness that requires professional help.
Binge eating is when you eat a large amount of food in a short period of time. The food is usually very fatty or high in carbohydrates. These types of foods release the brain chemical serotonin, which can make you feel happy and relaxed.
Many people with binge eating are overweight or obese. They often have feelings of shame or embarrassment about their binge eating and feel they are losing control over their eating.
Bulimia nervosa is another eating disorder that is similar to binge eating. However, instead of purging the extra food after a binge, people with bulimia use laxatives or water pills to prevent them from gaining weight. They might also exercise too much or take diet pills to lose weight.
Unlike people with anorexia nervosa, people with bulimia are usually close to their normal weight or even slightly overweight. But they have recurrent episodes of binge eating and then trying to get rid of the extra food through vomiting, using laxatives, fasting or exercising.
These types of symptoms can lead to other health problems, so it’s important to get them treated right away. Physical symptoms can include bone loss, kidney or heart problems. These problems can be life threatening, so it’s very important to seek treatment for them as soon as possible.
Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), previously known as selective eating disorder, is an eating disorder that limits the amount or types of food a person eats. It’s different from anorexia nervosa because it doesn’t have the same distress about body shape and size or fear of fatness.
Some people with ARFID also have a fear of certain types of food and will try to avoid them. They may also be afraid of certain types of people or situations, such as eating in public.
They might also eat smaller portions of food than others do, and they may go to great lengths to hide the food they are eating from other people.
The disorder can affect people at any age, but it usually begins in the teenage years or early twenties. If you think you might have binge eating disorder, talk to your GP as soon as you can. They’ll ask you about your eating habits and how you feel, and they can check your weight and overall health.
Eating disorders can cause a lot of stress, so they’re not something you should try to avoid. But they can be managed and treated successfully with a combination of therapy, medication and dietary changes.
