There are many different types of eating disorders known to the medical community. Those in all walks of life can start having problems in this area. It is an issue that impacts individuals of all ages and from all economic backgrounds.
You can find eating disorder treatment in Vermont if you need it. Before you look for it, though, you should know about some of the most common kinds of eating disorders and how they typically manifest themselves.
Anorexia
Anorexia is an extremely common type of eating disorder. If you have it, then you will often eat very little. You might constantly tell people that you’re on a diet and you restrict the amount and kind of food that you eat.
You may look in a mirror and feel that you are overweight, but the reality is different. Someone else who looks at you may feel that you’re slender or even dangerously thin, but you’re not able to see that when you look at yourself.
Bulimia
Those who have bulimia will eat as though they have a healthy appetite. However, they will then force themselves to throw up the food that they’ve eaten in an effort to make themselves stay thin.
You might notice someone who has bulimia because they will always excuse themselves at some point after a meal so that they can vomit up what they have just eaten. This behavior is compulsory, so if someone does it every day, eventually, it usually becomes evident to those around them.
Binge Eating Disorder
Individuals with binge eating disorder usually have triggers that cause them to eat foods in a compulsory fashion. Those are often foods that are considered to be unhealthy.
Their triggers might be stressful situations, such as talking with a parent on the phone who belittles them. Whenever they encounter one of those triggers, they will eat large amounts of their unhealthy food of choice, which often leads them to be overweight. They will take no pleasure in the food they eat, though.
Rumination Disorder
Rumination disorder usually involves someone regurgitating food that they previously swallowed. They will expel the food back into their mouths, then chew it up and swallow it again.
Usually, those who exhibit this disorder appear thin or underweight. It’s more common in children, but the behavior sometimes appears in adults as well. Those who exhibit it during adulthood often require intervention from mental health professionals.
Pica
People with pica have a strong desire to ingest things that aren’t food. Those might include hair, dirt, chalk, soap, pebbles, and other small objects.
Those who have pica often have an additional condition that’s driving them to act in this way. For instance, certain kinds of autism can lead a person to develop pica.
If you are demonstrating any of the behaviors we’ve mentioned, or you know someone who you suspect has an eating disorder, finding help is the best thing you can do. If the situation continues, serious health problems can be the result.