Eating Disorders 

 Binge Eating Disorder:

• Eating disorder characterized by eating large quantities of food in a short amount of time until point of discomfort and then feeling shame and guilt and even the need to begin purging                                   
• Most common eating disorder in the U.S. affecting 3.5% of women, 2% of men and 1.6% of adolescents                                                                                                                                       
• Symptoms and diagnostic criteria include: Recurrent episodes of binge eating, Marked distress regarding binge eating, the binge eating occurs at least once a week for 3 months, the binge eating is not associated with anorexia or bulimia                                                                                               
• Behavioral Characterisitcs- secretive eating habits, disruption in normal eating behaviors, periodic dieting or fasting, has periods of impulsive eating without purging, creating schedules that include binge eating                                                                                                                                                
• Emotional and Mental- anger, anxiety, worthlessness, depression, avoiding conflict, working hard to please others                                                                                                                                     
• Health risks- high blood pressure and cholesterol, heart disease, type II diabetes, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea                                                                                                                                       
• Causes- unknown but genetics, biological factors, long-term dieting and psychological issues increase your risk                                                                                                                                           
• Psychotherapy and medication used to treat binge eating 

 Anorexia:

• excessive weight loss and self- starvation
• Warning signs: dramatic weight loss, preoccupation with weight gain, refusal to eat certain foods, binge/purging, excessive exercise 
• 90-95% of anorexia sufferers are girls and women, 5-20% will die, one of the highest death rates of any mental health disorder 
• Treatments: therapy and medications to treat anxiety and depression as well 

 Bulimia:

• Symptoms: consuming very large amounts of food followed by vomiting, feeling out of control during these episodes
• Warning signs: evidence of purging behaviors (frequent visits to bathroom after meals), excessive exercise regimen, calluses on back of hands and knuckles from self- induced vomiting, unusual swelling of the cheeks and jaw area, tooth decay from staining of stomach acids 
• Health consequences: electrolyte imbalance, inflammation and possible rupture of esophagus, tooth decay from frequent vomiting