In general eating disorder means having unhealthy eating behaviours. It is a common misconception to think that a person has an eating disorder only when he is starving himself. A disorder is any activity which is not normally present in a functioning individual and does not hinder him in his daily working routine. There are six types of eating disorders, avoidant or restrictive food intake disorder, according to nutritionists in this type of eating disorder people under eat particularly because they have a lack of interest in the food and find the food tasteless. The smell or aroma or the display of the food does not interest them due to which they slowly become underweight. They also tend to have an imbalanced diet and thus a nutritional deficiency as well. Such people avoid going to parties and places which put them in an uncomfortable position and so they slowly lose contact with most of their group of friends.
The second type of eating disorder is called anorexia nervosa which is the type of disorder which mostly comes to peoples’ mind when they think of eating disorders. People with this eating disorder are obsessed with perfecting their body. They like to be in control which they achieve by having a limit on the number of calories they consume. It is hard to realise that you are suffering from this disorder because you are constantly preoccupied with thoughts of perfecting your body image and achieving the ideal you have in mind. It can be described as a sort of a compulsive disorder because of its obsessive thoughts. They have high expectations from themselves and tend to fixate on the idea of acquiring the best body.
The third type of disorder is called bulimia nervosa in which consume large quantities of food. They indulge in eating after which they make themselves purge after a while. Purging gives them a sense of relief. This is similar to anorexia nervosa where the individual establishes a sense of control. Through purging they are assured that their body is in control which is a relaxing thought to them. It is hard to recognise this disorder by others as people are mostly able to maintain a steady weight.
The forth type of disorder is known as binge eating. People consume large amounts of food on a day to day basis because of which they are usually obese or overweight. These people do not feel in control of their bodies and feel ashamed of their body image. They also carry a risk to develop heart disease if left untreated.
The fifth eating disorder is called pica in which individuals consume items which are not edible such as paper, rock, hair etc. There has not been any reason found for this disorder but according to some hypothesis it could be because of stress or other development disorders. This disorder carries a risk of infections and nutritional deficiencies.
The last type of eating disorder is known as nocturnal sleep-related disorder. In this individuals eat during their sleep without themselves knowing it. They may eat in bed or roam around the kitchen and eat unusual combinations of food.
Where to look for therapy
Sometimes it can be hard to tell if a person is suffering from an eating disorder but through constant observation one is sure to find out the answer. If you do suffer from one then you should seek for recovery immediately so that your health is not affected anymore. Drug rehab orange county can be contacted for a brief analysis if you are not entirely sure if you have eating disorder.