There are three main types of eating disorder; these are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder. The term eating disorder is used to describe any eating patterns that are obsessive and long lasting. In the last 20 to 30 years or so there has been a marked increase in the amount of people troubled by these disorders. Let’s have a brief look at the three variants.

Anorexia nervosa

Anorexia is an eating disorder where individuals starve themselves of food, because they have an obsessive longing to be thin. This disorder tends to affect mainly teenage girls, but can also affect men, and it is serious and sometimes even fatal. About half of the people with anorexia who have hospital treatment still struggle with the disorder and have symptoms for a long time afterwards. One trait of sufferers seems to be a lack of self-esteem.

Bulimia nervosa,

Bulimia nervosa, usually shortened to bulimia, is an eating disorder where individuals have a binge-eating session; this is usually then followed by them making themselves sick. This self-induced vomiting is because of feelings of guilt at having eaten so much. People with bulimia tend to suffer from an unnatural preoccupation with their own body, and as with anorexic patients they have a fear of gaining weight. Individuals who suffer with bulimia will devour huge quantities of food in an attempt to reduce stress, and help them deal with feelings of anxiety.

Binge eating disorder

Binge eating disorder involves bouts of overeating high calorie foods on a regular basis, but unlike bulimia sufferers, they don’t make themselves vomit. People with this disorder not surprisingly, are usually overweight. This disorder was first recognized about 45 years ago; but it is only in recent times that it has been seen as a widespread problem. Studies have shown that binge eating disorder seems to run in families, so it looks like there is a genetic link.

The rather worrying news is that the big three eating disorders – anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, are reported to be on the rise all around the world.

Agoraphobia is a very common anxiety disorder. It affects roughly 1 in 20 Americans in varying forms and degrees. The only disorder more common is alcoholism. This type of anxiety is fear based. You are afraid that you will be caught in a situation where it will be difficult or embarrassing to leave quickly if you have a panic attack. 

Agoraphobia and panic attacks are really necessary companions because it really boils down to being afraid of attacks. 

It is a condition that usually develops following panic. Since the panic was so frightening and made you so anxious you avoid situations that you associate with the potential to cause another attack.

Avoidance becomes a way of life and fear your middle name. People suffering from agoraphobia tend to avoid situations where escape would be difficult or embarrassing in the event of a panic attack.

For example, sufferers tend to avoid grocery stores, department stores and restaurants. They also don´t like confined spaces like tunnels, tents, buses, subways, bridges or even the hair dresser´s chair. Being at home alone can also be a great source of worry because who would help you if you had an attack? 

Agoraphobia is a fear based phobia that can severely limit your travel and associations with other people. It can have an extremely damaging effect on your life and can continue to spiral out of control. Of course, becoming a recluse and a shut in, afraid to venture out of your home is a worst case scenario.

There are many stages well before this and the disorder is treatable. You can help yourself, control the attacks and reduce or eliminate it.

The two basic criteria for diagnosis are:

1. You have anxiety about being in places or situations that it is either difficult or embarrassing to leave or it would be difficult to get help if you had panic symptoms strike.

2. You avoid places or situations where you are afraid you might have an attack or experience significant distress and anxiety.

The concept of avoidance is the crucial component in a diagnosis.  You may also have panic disorder or social phobia, which have common characteristics.

Agoraphobia is a particularly hard anxiety based problem to deal with because it goes to the heart of a person´s concern for their safety and security. With this disorder, particularly in more severe cases, it is hard to feel safe anywhere.  

Elevators, theaters, sporting events, lines, the subway, the bus, shopping malls, airplanes, bridges, these all become problematic and thus, you don´t go there. You name it, you feel unsafe there, and you worry about a panic attack overtaking you. 

What if you have a panic attack and no one is there to help you? Or worse, what if you have an attack and you have people staring at you, or you have to ask someone for help? That´s just too embarrassing! 

Eating disorder is getting prevalent in the cities of today. We may call it as psychiatric disorder. It is caused mostly by no regular exercise, no control over consumption of food and eating junk foods containing high calories and cholesterol. Because of these habits people also suffer some serious problems like blood pressure, diabetes other than eating disorder.

Most of the people assume that eating disorders occurs in peoples with excessive weight only but the fact is average weight people can also face these types of problem. Depression can also lead to eating diseases; in fact it is the main cause of binge eating disorder.

Symptoms of Eating Disorders:

Eating disorders are prevalent in many types –

• Binge eating disorder
• Compulsive overeating
• Blumia
• Anorexia nervosa
• Diabulmia
• Night eating syndrome
• Orthorexia nervosa
• Pica
• Rumination
• Starvation diet
• Anorexia

The most common are:

Binge eating disorder: - Can’t stop to eat, eat without checking there profit and loss Because of this behavior people also suffer some serious problems like eating disorder.

• Eats until physically uncomfortable
• Periodically does not exercise to control over consumption of food
• Often eats alone during periods of normal eating, owing to feelings of embarrassment about food
• Eats an unusually large amount of food at one time — more than a normal person would eat in the same amount of time.
• Eats much more quickly during binge episodes than during normal eating episodes
• Eats large amounts of food even when they are not really hungry
• Usually eats alone during binge eating episodes in order to avoid discovery of the disorder
• Feels disgusted, depressed, or guilty after binge eating

Compulsive overeating - Overeating or addiction of over eating is called compulsive overeating. People suffering from their abnormal eating, feels uncomfortable in society. Compulsive Overeater is at risk for a heart attack, high blood-pressure and cholesterol, kidney disease and/or failure, arthritis and bone deterioration, and stroke.

Bulimia :- Bulimia nervosa, known as bulimia, is an eating disorder and psychological condition in which the subject engages in recurrent binge eating followed by feelings of guilt, depression, and self-condemnation and intentional purging to compensate for the excessive eating, usually to prevent weight gain. Purging can take the form of vomiting, fasting, inappropriate use of laxatives, enemas, diuretics or other medication, or excessive physical exercise.

Night eating syndrome: - Night eating syndrome is an eating disorder this is an ongoing, persistent behavior, unlike the occasional late snack or skipped meal that most people have from time to time. In fact, people with this disorder are often unaware of their nocturnal meals, although some feel they won’t be able to sleep without eating first.

Eating Disorder Prevention Tips

• Make your whole life better through food and eating
• Dieting is about losing some weight in a healthy way so how you feel on the outside will match how good you already feel inside.
• Convinced your self-esteem is hinged on what you weigh and how you look

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• Attempt to control your weight a bit better
• Control your life and emotions through food/lack of food — and are a huge neon sign saying “look how out of control I really feel”
• Everything gets going in life — stress, coping, pain, anger, acceptance, validation, confusion, fear — cleverly hidden behind phrases like “I’m just on a diet”