The glamour world has brought beauty to a different scale. In the modern world, every girl & boy wants to be like the celebrities & influencers. They try to enact their styles to look like them. Furthermore, girls try to lose weight, as being thin is ‘considered’ as pretty across the globe. Eating disorders are a result of this culture that is prevailing across the globe. This article contains details of the following. Firstly, the definition, symptoms & what is Anorexia Nervosa. Secondly, different eating disorders. Thirdly, meaning & what is binge eating disorder.
What exactly are Eating Disorders?
Basically eating disorder is a psychological condition that can result in adverse negative impacts on health. They are body loss, bodyweight & body shape. Furthermore, they constantly keep thinking of the same and this behavior goes out of control.
When an eating disorder gets severe, one should consider therapy or counseling. If the individual doesn’t seek help soon, these disorders can be fatal if untreated & get out of control.
Teenagers/ adolescents & young adults are more prone. However, girls are keener & stress over body weight & body shape. But, on the other hand, there are a few boys who also go through these disorders.
Binge eating disorder is one in which an individual eat/binge repeatedly. They find this act stressful but do not attempt to vomit or purge the food out. Anorexia nervosa is a situation where a person eats nothing apart from minimum amounts of food intake. Secondly, they make sure body weight is less. Therefore, their weight can reduce to such an extent that it could be dangerous & fatal. Bulimia Nervosa is a disorder in which the person has no control over the food intake. Furthermore, after these intervals self-induce vomiting or use medicines to purge out the food they have eaten.
Anorexia Nervosa
The word literally means “nervous loss of appetite”. The main symptom of Anorexia & Bulimia nervosa is the extreme fear of gaining weight. Secondly, not having any- control of eating (indirectly fear of weight gain again). The proper definition of Anorexia is given by the APA.
Anorexia if not treated in the early times is fatal. The individual is very bony & dangerously thin. But they consider themselves fat. Therefore, they continue starving themselves. Decreasing weight drastically leads to low energy & the body is unable to cope with the environment.
Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa that can be clearly seen.
- Very Low bodyweight that is significantly visible. Furthermore, as compared to individuals of the same age & sex, their body weight is low.
- They have an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat. Furthermore, they consider themselves to be fat, even when they are actually underweight.
- Their eating patterns are very strict & restricted.
- Even after advice from friends & family, they have the deep stubbornness of being thin & maintain the unhealthy routine.
- They suddenly become very conscious of their weight. Fasting & repeatedly checking their weight are major symptoms of Anorexia.
- Self-induced vomiting & using laxatives, to get the food out of their body. This is merely due to the fear of gaining even a few grams of weight.
- An individual suffering from Anorexia has a very thin, scrawny & bony structure. However, even if their body structure is such, they feel they are fat
- Anorexic people are never satisfied with the weight they have lost. Even after a significant weight loss.
Severe medical complications occur is symptoms get worse. In severe cases, the following medicals conditions can occur. Firstly, acute cardiac failure. Secondly, due to constant purging, damage to the esophagus. This mainly happens due to acid reflux.
Bulimia Nervosa- Very different from Binge Eating Disorder.
Individuals with this disorder have repeated out of control eating episodes in a day. Secondly, they feel so guilty that they indulge in self-induced vomiting. In addition to that, they use medicines (laxatives ) & make several attempts to purge the food they have eaten.
Symptoms of Bulimia Nervosa
According to the DSM- V manual, symptoms are as follows:
- Repeated binge eating episodes
- Uncontrolled eating. Furthermore, feeling excessively full after eating.
- Purging or self-induced vomiting after binge eating episodes.
- People who face binge eating disorder or episodes are often embarrassed. Therefore, they eat alone and try to hide while eating repeatedly.
Many researchers have found out that CBT is one of the most effective ways of treating this disorder. But, there have been cases where short-term CBT has not been beneficial. Long-term CBT is more effective.
Binge Eating – explanation of the disorder in detail
This disorder is nothing other than eating a lot of food at once, in a small period of time. The meaning of binge eating is when an individual tends to eat even when not hungry. Furthermore, they end up having no or very less self- control over eating food. Therefore, they end up continuously eating, having no control, and how much one is eating. The proper meaning & definition of binge eating is given by APA (official Website).
Symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder
The symptoms of binge eating disorder are as follows :
- Repeated episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is shown by the following symptoms :
- Firstly, eating in a discrete period of time( for instance, in a two- hour period). The quantity of food is usually larger than what most people would eat & prefer, in the same conditions.
- A sense of control over eating is less or absent. For instance, an individual is unable to stop eating. Secondly, the lack of control over how much food they are eating is also present.
2. The binge eating disorder is characterized by binge eating episodes. These episodes must have three or more of the following symptoms:
- Eating at a faster rate than the normal speed.
- The individual ends up eating till they feel uncomfortably full.
- Consuming food even when not physically hungry. Binging on food when not hungry basically.
- Individuals who are facing these episodes try to eat alone. Moreover, this decision of eating alone is because they feel embarrassed about how much they eat and the lack of control over it.
- After consuming huge amounts of food, they feel disgusted with themselves. In addition to that, they feel depressed & guilty over their actions.
Binge eating is the most in junk food eating. This kind of eating is harmful to the body if eaten on a regular basis. There are several disadvantaged of junk food. Click here.
Who is more Prone to get an Eating Disorder?
Eating disorders like binge eating disorder, Anorexia & Bulimia Nervosa can end up happening to anyone across the globe. This disorder is not specific to any race, ethnicity, or any other aspect. However, it is related more to how a person thinks he/she must be or look. Furthermore, the surroundings/ environment of an individual is important. For instance, environments that continuously keep making an individual conscious of their weight can lead to serious damage.
However, research and studies have found that teens are more prone to get eating disorders. Teens are in the age of imitating their role models and famous influencers across the world. In recent times beauty in the sense of being thin is also a consideration. Therefore, young adults & teens are more prone to getting these disorders. Research has found that eating disorders can be developed in childhood and after the age of 40 years also.
People studying these disorders haven’t found any exact cause for this. They say that it could be a combination of various factors. For instance, genetic, social, behavioral & psychological factors an individual can be influenced by.
What are the Causes Of Eating Disorders?
There can be several reasons that lead to eating disorders. Firstly, the environment. Secondly, the state of mind. Thirdly, the events that are taking place in their lives. Lastly, their own personality & behavior is a huge aspect. Details on each aspect is given as follows:
- Environment & social aspects: when growing up we have given a lot of importance to what society thinks of us. The surroundings you grow in is extremely important. Health-conscious people give more priority to eating healthy & being fit. If this goes to the extreme, it can lead to unnecessary pressure. In addition to that, we must enjoy eating all kinds of food with a limited amount. Furthermore, in today’s generation, being thin is considered to be beautiful. This is a completely wrong notion. Teens often under peer pressure end up dieting. Therefore, this eventually leading to eating disorders.
- Events taking place in one’s life: The competitive world stresses all the generations in some way or the other. For instance, the approaching of a very important exam can be stressful. Therefore, leading to stress eating or not eating at all. When the mental health of a person declines, the person either loses appetite or might binge eat. Small events like being bullied or teased, only because the body figure is on the healthier side, is another factor. Furthermore, events like loss of a loved one, separation from family, loss of jobs can also be a factor of eating disorders in some.
- Behavioral Aspects in detecting Eating Disorders– there are some personality traits that seem to be more prone to getting these disorders. Those who consider other people’s opinions is very important. In addition to that, if they are self-critical. Then they are more prone of falling into the trap of eating disorders.
Summary
In this article, you read the overview of what eating disorders are exactly. In the different sections, various aspects were explained. Firstly, the definition of Anorexia & symptoms of Anorexia. Secondly, the symptoms and meaning of Bulimia eating disorder. Thirdly, the meaning of Binge eating disorder & its symptoms. Lastly, who is more prone to these disorders.
Hopefully, you may have received some really important information on eating disorders. Moreover, the definition & what Anorexia is. Furthermore, various other disorders like the meaning of binge eating and their causes.
FAQ | Binge Eating Disorder – Anorexia | Symptoms & Definition.
Binge eating is repetitive eating with a sense of lack of control over it. Moreover, the individual feels guilty after eating so much food. On the other hand, Bulimia Nervosa is also eating uncontrollable eating. But, when the individual feels guilty, they indulge in self-induced vomiting & use laxatives after the eating episode.
In simple terms, Anorexia is the loss of appetite in terms of food. According to APA, people suffering from Anorexia think that they are fat, even when they are extremely thin. Furthermore, as they consider themselves fat, they continue to starve themselves.
In simple & layman’s terms binge- eating is eating a lot of quantity of food in small a duration. In Binge- eating disorder, they have very little sense of control over the amount of food they are eating. Often, individuals suffering from this, eat alone as they are embarrassed.
Editor’s Note | Binge Eating Disorder
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on each & every person’s mind. The lockdowns & global situation has forced everyone to stay indoors. Even though everyone is sitting comfortably at home, they are stressed & worried. These few months have been difficult as businesses and jobs were on standstill. There is a huge possibility that some may indulge in stress eating, and not even realize that they are. Furthermore, many of us are not used to sitting at home for a long duration of time. So often, the new trend has come to, many people eat food when they are bored. Netflix & Amazon Prime are the current go-to places for each one across the globe. The huge chances of binge-eating can take place while watching movies & series every day. We must make a conscious effort & choice of eating healthy and increasing our immunity, especially in this difficult period.
