Do you or someone you know have an eating disorder? Would you know how to recognize it? I ask because many people associate eating disorders with women in their early teens into their 20s but don’t think to look at their friends and family later in life. This is an important distinction because an eating disorder can happen at any age, and while it more often affects women, men are also at risk.
There are a few types of eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia (purging and non-purging), and a "not otherwise classified" type that includes binge eating. No matter what, they can cause very serious, life-threatening complications that could result in death as they impact every aspect of the body from the endocrine system to the cardiovascular system, and even the neurological system.
Do not assume only very thin or overweight individuals are affected as the typical, normal weight person may suffer daily and keep it hidden. Typical symptoms to look out for with anorexia include: weight loss, change in eating patterns, skipping meals, reported "loss of appetite", ordering food and not eating, pushing food around the plate but not eating, chronic dieting, fad diets, use of diet pills, fatigue, hair loss, poor skin, loss of muscle tone, weakness, dizziness, headaches, moodiness, heart palpitations or skipped beats, shortness of breath, irregular periods, loss of period, infertility, bone fractures, depression, and mood swings.
Typical symptoms for bulimia include: weight change up or down (or both), change in eating patterns, skipping meals then eating in hiding, hiding food, use of diuretics or laxatives to lose weight, diarrhea due to laxatives, vomiting after meals, excusing themselves to the bathroom after meals, being secretive after eating, using purging medications, chronic dieting, teeth erosion, bad breath, fatigue, weakness, dizziness, mood swings, depression, poor skin, hair loss, headaches, heart palpitations or skipped beats, and changes in the menstrual cycle.
Typical symptoms for binge eating include: weight change typically increases, change in eating patterns, skipped meals then eating in hiding, hiding food, eating to hide emotions, eating when emotional or bored, chronic dieting, fad diets, use of diet pills, eating a lot of food at one time (the entire pizza, the entire box of cookies, the entire pint of ice cream), eating alone, fatigue, weakness, mood swings, moodiness, and depression.
Given all of this, the most severe symptoms are malnutrition, seizures, heart arrhythmias, bone fractures, suicidal ideations, self-harm, and death.
Many people with eating disorders go to extremes for attempted weight loss with laxatives, diet pills, diuretics, and over-exercising in an attempt to burn all of the calories away. In fact, those who use exercise as one of their tricks often put exercise above everything else in life and will exercise several times a day or for long periods of time for weight loss.
If you or someone you know has an eating disorder, don’t wait. Help them get the help they need and talk with your teenagers before it becomes a problem. Research is showing that eating disorders are on the rise in those less than 12 years old. Unfortunately, many may not know, care, or recognize that they have a problem in the first place. If it’s you or a family member, consult with your health care provider today and get supported before it’s too late.
References:
1. http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/743265?src=cmemp
2. http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/568982
3. http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/733387
Reviewed June 9, 2011
Edited by Alison Stanton