Everyone has their own connection with food. Food is a necessity to survive. Your favorite things to eat or avoid are unique to you. It might be hard to see when an eating disorder is present because you’ve grown accustomed to it. The symptoms of eating disorders are different for every person. These are behavioral conditions caused by a constant disturbance in eating behaviors and associated distressing thoughts and emotions. Around 9% of the population suffer from these disorders (ANAD, 2024), so people have the right to be involved in discussions and make informed decisions about their behavioral health.
What is an Eating Disorder?
Eating disorders are mental health conditions that cause disturbance in eating behaviors. It is also associated with distressing thoughts and emotions. They can cause severe damage to physical, psychological, and social functions. Eating disorders often co-occur with other psychiatric disorders, most commonly mood disorders, specifically bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders including PTSD and generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and addictions like alcohol and substance use disorders.
Types of Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are of different types. We will see the different types of eating disorders and then see the signs of eating disorders for different types.
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is caused by minimum appetite, self-starvation, and loss of weight. It involves extremely restricted calorie intake, fear of gaining weight, and distorted body image. This condition results in low weight for height and age. Dieting behavior in anorexia nervosa is the result of an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat. According to the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the body mass index or BMI, a measure of weight for height, for a person with anorexia nervosa, is typically under 18.5 in an adult individual. Some people claim that they try to gain weight even in anorexia nervosa, but their behavior does not allow them to act according to the plan. For example, they may only eat small amounts of low-calorie foods and exercise excessively.
Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa
Eating disorder signs for anorexia include the following symptoms:
Changed body image
Fixation with making food
Extreme fear of becoming fat
Low body weight
Excessive physical activity
Denial of hunger
Abnormal or obsessive eating behaviors
Bulimia Nervosa
Individuals with bulimia nervosa typically alternate dieting, or eating only low-calorie, with binge eating on high-calorie foods. Binge eating is eating a lot of food in a small amount of time without thinking about the appetite and the effects of food on your stomach. Binge behavior is associated with feelings of shame or embarrassment. Binges may be very large, and food is often consumed rapidly.
Symptoms of Bulimia Nervosa
The behavioral changes in bulimia nervosa include forced vomiting, fasting, and excessive exercise. Side effects may include dehydration and sore throat. Other symptoms include frequent trips to the bathroom or misuse of water pills.
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Binge Eating Disorder
Binge eating disorder signs are eating large amounts of food in secret until uncomfortably full, despite not feeling hungry. Feelings of acute stress, guilt, and shame may also occur after doing this. This is almost the same as bulimia nervosa, but these people do not have to practice forced vomiting and excessive exercise. The shame and guilt may lead to MDD (major depressive disorder) and cause anxiety disorders.
Pica
Pica is an eating disorder in which a person frequently eats things that are no food and have no nutritional value. This includes eating substances like ice, dirt, chalk, soil, soap, paper, cloth, or detergent. If a person eats all these things, it might not be a sign of an eating disorder. There are signs of inability to function in the daily lives of these patients. Its signs include autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. Sometimes, it can also cause mood changes, leading to bipolar disorder.
Rumination Disorder
Rumination disorder involves the repeated re-chewing of food after eating, and swallowed food is brought back up into the mouth voluntarily and is re-chewed. This disease mostly occurs in infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and rarely in adulthood. For diagnosis, the symptoms must occur repeatedly over at least 1 month and not occur as part of one of the other behavioral eating disorders.
How Common Are These Eating Disorders?
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) shows that almost 28 million people in the United States suffer from an eating disorder in their lifetime. So, it is a pretty common disorder. It is capable of causing around 10,000 deaths annually and 26 percent of the suffers try to commit suicide or at least practice suicidal ideation (Linardon, 2024).
Additionally, these conditions are more than capable of affecting both men and women and are highly prevalent in the members of the LGBTQIA+ young people as they are three times more likely to have eating disorders than the general population (Just Like Us, 2022) and similar or higher rates are reported for all racial and ethnic groups (NEDA, 2025). These are not just mere numbers or statistics but evidence that raises the stakes for every stakeholder involved, and therefore increases the paramount importance of recognizing and treating the symptoms of eating disorders. This importance can only be catered with treatment and psychoeducation (which we obviously dwell in the words below).
Sleep Quality in Eating Disorders
People who suffer from eating disorders have poor subjective sleep quality in patients. Whether you are suffering from anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder, you may have sleep issues. Research has been done, and poorer physiological sleep was present in people with the most common eating disorder: anorexia nervosa. However, the sleep cycle can be improved with therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy.
Diagnosis of Eating Disorders
Eating disorder awareness is necessary for people. In today's digital era, most people still ignore their eating issues because of the stigma of mental health. However, it is indispensable to diagnose and find a cure for eating issues. Eating disorders are diagnosed based on symptoms and a review of eating habits and behaviors. You may see your healthcare provider and a mental health professional for a diagnosis. To get a diagnosis, you may need a physical exam, a mental health evaluation, and other studies.
Your healthcare provider will investigate all the reasons behind your eating issues. The provider may also order lab tests. Then, there comes mental health evaluation. In a mental health evaluation, a mental health professional asks about your thoughts, feelings, eating habits, and behaviors. You may also be asked to answer a series of questions to help with the diagnosis. Then, other medical tests may be done to check for any complications related to your eating disorders.
Treatment for Eating Disorders
Treatment for eating disorders is different for different people. For example, if you want to have a solution for eating disorders in teens, there will be one solution, and if you are looking for a remedy for eating disorders in children or eating disorders in adolescence, then there are other solutions. Multiple solutions are available, including medicated assisted treatment, psychiatric medication management, psychotherapy, and self-care activities.
Medicated Assisted Treatment for Eating Disorders
In children, eating disorders are mostly treated with medicated assisted solutions. Children cannot be treated with therapy because it is for adults and teens. Children who have eating disorders are cured with medications. If you are looking for a treatment plan for your adolescent for an eating disorder, Inland Empire Behavioral Group provides the best mental health solutions for people in the United States.
Psychotherapy for Eating Disorders
Psychotherapy is the best solution for adults suffering from eating disorders. Psychotherapy is talk therapy, and multiple types of talk therapy help in taking control of your behavior. Its types include cognitive behavioral therapy (best for anorexia nervosa and pica) and interpersonal therapy (perfect for bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder). This could be taken up at a place like the Inland Empire Behavioral Group. Whether you want telepsychiatry services or clinical solutions for something like psychosis.
Psychiatric Medication Management for Eating Issues
The next solution for eating disorders is psychiatric medication management. Taking the right pill at the right time is really necessary for mental health issues. This is why medication management is essential. However, the best solution for eating disorders is a combination of medication and psychotherapy.
Self-Care Activities
Another solution for eating disorders is self-care activities. Eating nutritional food, drinking a lot of water, waking up early, and exercising daily can help a person with an eating disorder. Trying yoga and meditation can also aid in managing eating issues. Meditation allows you to control your behavior and ultimately improve your mind and body combination.
Conclusion
Eating disorders are mental health conditions that cause disturbances in eating behaviors. There are multiple types of eating disorders, and each type has its own symptoms and treatment. The most famous treatment options are psychotherapy, medication management, and self-care activities. Whether you need clinical solutions or telehealth services, they have got you covered.