Understanding Eating Disorder: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

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Eating Disorder

by Alike Medical Team ∙ Updated on June 13, 2023

Additional names

This group contains additional names: - Atypical Anorexia - Feeding disorder - Disordered Eating - Pica Syndrome

General

Eating disorder describes a group of psychiatric disorders that cause unhealthy eating habits and may interfere with physical and mental health. These disorders include anorexia-nervosa, bulimia-nervosa, binge eating disorder, and more. Eating disorders are more common among women, especially at young ages.

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Signs & symptoms

Signes and symptoms differ between the different disorders, but may include: - *Reduced eating*, leading to *significantly lower body weight*. - Low body weight may cause physical damage to many systems, including heart, kidneys, gastric, and fertility complications. - *Emphasis on body weight* as an essential source and sometimes a single source of self-esteem. - Episodes of *binge eating* – consuming high amounts of food without control, usually followed by feeling disgusted or guilty afterward. - *"purifying" behavior* following binge episodes – for example, vomiting, using laxatives, or exercising excessively. - Notwithstanding the above, patients may have *normal or high body weight*, depend on the particular disorder.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is made via a *psychiatric assessment*, conducted by a psychiatrist – a medical doctor specializing in psychiatry. This assessment includes questioning, physical exams, cognitive exams, and other tests that might exclude other diseases or conditions.

Treatment

Treatments include *psychological therapy*, *cognitive-behavioral therapy*, and different medicines, based on the patient's symptoms, including *anti-depressant* and *anti-psychotic* drugs.

Note

☝ We provide information on prescription and over-the-counter medicines, diagnosis, procedures and lab tests. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

National Institutes of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ MedlinePluse ∙ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

☝ All information has been reviewed by certified physicians from Alike

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