Eating disorders and Symptoms

Eating disorders are a group of serious conditions in which you're so preoccupied with food and weight that you can often focus on little else. The main types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder.

Eating disorders can cause serious physical problems and, at their most severe, can even be life-threatening. Most people with eating disorders are females, but males can also have eating disorders. An exception is binge-eating disorder, which appears to affect almost as many males as females.

Treatments for eating disorders usually involve psychotherapy, nutrition education, family counseling, medications and hospitalization.

Symptoms

Eating disorders symptoms vary with the particular type of eating disorder.

Anorexia nervosaWhen you have anorexia nervosa (an-o-REK-see-uh nur-VOH-suh), you're obsessed with food and being thin, sometimes to the point of deadly self-starvation.

Anorexia signs and symptoms may include:

• Refusal to eat and denial of hunger
• An intense fear of gaining weight
• A negative or distorted self-image
• Excessive exercise
• Flat mood or lack of emotion
• Irritability
• Fear of eating in public
• Preoccupation with food
• Social withdrawal
• Thin appearance
• Trouble sleeping
• Soft, downy hair present on the body (lanugo)
• Menstrual irregularities or loss of menstruation (amenorrhea)
• Constipation
• Abdominal pain
• Dry skin
• Frequently being cold
• Irregular heart rhythms
• Low blood pressure
• Dehydration