Condition

Eating Disorders

An eating disorder is an illness that causes serious disturbances to your everyday diet, such as eating extremely small amounts of food or severely overeating.

Mental health

Overview

An eating disorder is an illness that causes serious disturbances to your everyday diet, such as eating extremely small amounts of food or severely overeating. A person with an eating disorder may have started out just eating smaller or larger amounts of food, but at some point, the urge to eat less or more spiraled out of control. Severe distress or concern about body weight or shape may also signal an eating disorder. Common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder (BED).

Eating disorders tend to develop during the teenage and young adult years, and they are much more common in girls and women. No one knows the precise cause of eating disorders, but they seem to coexist with psychological and medical issues such as low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, trouble coping with emotions, and substance abuse.

For some people, a preoccupation with food becomes a way to gain control over one aspect of their lives. Although it may start out as simply eating a bit more or less than usual, the behavior can spiral out of control and take over the person’s life. Eating disorders are a serious medical problem that can have long-term health consequences if left untreated.

It is common for people with eating disorders to hide their unhealthy behaviors, so it can be difficult to recognize the signs of an eating disorder, especially early on.

Symptoms

Extreme weight loss (15% or more below the normal weight)
Thin appearance
Abnormal blood counts
Fatigue
Insomnia
Dizziness or fainting
Bluish discoloration of the fingers
Hair that thins, breaks or falls out
Soft, downy hair covering the body
Absence of menstruation
Constipation
Dry or yellowish skin
Intolerance of cold
Irregular heart rhythms
Low blood pressure
Dehydration
Osteoporosis or loss of bone strength
Swelling of arms or legs
Confused or slow thinking, along with poor memory or judgment
Dry mouth
Wasting away of muscle and loss of body fat
Preoccupation with food
Refusal to eat
Denial of hunger
Fear of gaining weight
Lying about how much food has been eaten
Flat mood (lack of emotion)
Social withdrawal
Irritability
Reduced interest in sex
Depressed mood
Thoughts of suicide
Being preoccupied with body shape and weight
Living in fear of gaining weight
Feeling that you cannot control your eating behavior
Eating until the point of discomfort or pain
Eating much more food in a binge episode than in a normal meal or snack
Forcing yourself to vomit or exercise too much to keep from gaining weight after binge eating
Misusing laxatives, diuretics or enemas after eating
Restricting calories or avoiding certain foods between binges
Using dietary supplements or herbal products excessively for weight loss
Compulsive exercise
Suddenly eating large amounts of food or buying large amounts of food that disappear right away
Regularly going to the bathroom right after meals
Throwing away packages of laxatives, diet pills, emetics (drugs that cause vomiting), or diuretics
Broken blood vessels in the eyes (from the strain of vomiting)
Dry mouth
Pouch-like look to the cheeks
Rashes and pimples
Staining or discoloration of the teeth
Cuts and calluses on the hands and fingers from inducing vomiting
Evidence of binge eating, including the disappearance of large amounts of food in short periods of time or lots of empty wrappers and containers indicating consumption of large amounts of food.
Secretive food behaviors, including eating secretly (e.g., eating alone or in the car, hiding wrappers) and stealing, hiding, or hoarding food.
Disruption in normal eating behaviors, including eating throughout the day with no planned mealtimes; skipping meals or taking small portions of food at regular meals; engaging in sporadic fasting or repetitive dieting; and developing food rituals (e.g., eating only a particular food or food group [e.g., condiments], excessive chewing, not allowing foods to touch).
Extreme restrictions and rigidity with food and periodic dieting and/or fasting.
Periods of uncontrolled, impulsive, or continuous eating beyond the point of feeling uncomfortably full, but does not purge.
Lifestyle schedules or rituals to make time for binge sessions.
Feelings of anger, anxiety, worthlessness, or shame preceding binges.
Co-occurring conditions such as depression may be present.
Feelings of disgust about body size.
Certain thought patterns and personality types are associated with BED, including:
Rigid and inflexible “all or nothing” thinking
A strong need to be in control
Difficulty expressing feelings and needs
Perfectionistic tendencies
Working hard to please others

Causes & risk factors

Eating disorders are caused by a complex interaction of genetic, biological, behavioral, psychological, and social factors.

Researchers are studying questions about behavior, genetics, and brain function to better understand risk factors, identify biological markers, and develop specific psychotherapies and medications that can target areas in the brain that control eating behavior. Neuroimaging and genetic studies may provide clues for how each person may respond to specific treatments for these medical illnesses.

When to get help

Reach out to a doctor if eating patterns, fear of weight gain, or body image are taking over daily life. Seek emergency care for fainting, chest pain, or irregular heartbeat, and call or text 988 for thoughts of self-harm.

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All information on this site is provided “as-is” for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. You should consult with a medical professional if you have any questions about your health.