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Eating disorder

An eating disorder is a compulsion to eat, or avoid eating, that negatively affects both one's physical and mental health. Eating disorders are all encompassing. They affect every part of the person's life. According to the authors of Surviving an Eating Disorder, "feelings about work, school, relationships, day-to-day activities and one's experience of emotional well being are determined by what has or has not been eaten or by a number on a scale. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the most common eating disorders generally recognized by medical classification schemes, with a significant diagnostic overlap between the two. Together, they affect an estimated 5-7% of females in the United States during their lifetimes. There is a third type of eating disorder currently being investigated and defined - Binge Eating Disorder. This is a chronic condition that occurs when an individual consumes huge amounts of food during a brief period of time and feels totally out of control and unable to stop their eating. It can lead to serious health conditions such as morbid obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.

Who is at risk?


Anorexia nervosa


  • An abnormally low body weight (the suggested guideline ≤ 85% of normal for age and height, or BMI ≤ 17.5).
  • For postmenarcheal females, amenorrhea (the absence of three consecutive menstrual cycles).



Bulimia nervosa



Binge Eating

Binge eating is one of the most common eating disorders. It involves the consumption of very large amounts of food in a short period of time. About 3% of all adults in the United States struggle with Binge eating. People at any age can develop this particular order, but it is seen in most adults ranging from age 46 to around age 55. Clinical studies have continued to find that obese binge eaters have much higher levels of depression than other obese individuals that do not have a binge eating disorder (Susan Himes, 2005). The individual has feeling of disgust and guilt which in turn leads to depression. People that struggle with Binge eating are likely to have alcohol problems, and impulsive behavior, such as not thinking before acting out. They do not feel like they can control themselves, are typically not close with their community, and have difficulty discussing their problems and feelings. They also report to have more health problem, a hard time sleeping at night, joint pain, muscle pains, menstrual problems and headaches. These people often think suicidal thoughts, struggle digesting their food, and are stressed. People that have a Binge eating disorder are usually very ashamed and become very good at hiding the fact that they have it. They become so good at hiding their disorder that most people around them, including close friends and family members, do not even know about their struggle ("Binge Eating Disorder", 2008)

Orthorexia Nervosa

Orthorexia Nervosa is a recently discovered disease because it was thought to be Anorexia earlier on. This type of disorder is an obsession with eating only healthy types of foods. This disease usually occurs when people are so driven to become thin that they start to become obsessed with everything that they are consuming. Someone who struggles with Orthorexia Nervosa will do things like planning out their meals for the next day. This means that they will have a strict planned schedule of breakfast, lunch and dinner. This person will try to be constantly limiting the amount of food that he/she is eating in order to maintain a certain weight. People who have Othorexia Nervosa are often critical of what others eat, and usually isolate themselves from social surroundings ("Eating Disorders", 2001).

Compulsive exercising

Compulsive excercising is another type of eating disorder. One that struggles with this disorder takes part of vigorous physical activity to the point that it is not healthy and unsafe. It is often referred to as obligatory exercise or anorexia athletic. The individual usually starts to feel compelled to exercise and has problems with anxiety and guilt if he/she does not get their exercises in. Someone that has compulsive exercising disorder will still force themselves to work out even if he/she is sick or injured. They often calculate how much they have eaten and exercise on the amount of calories they have eaten and usually have low energy because of all the calories they have burned (Tiemeyer, 2008). People who struggle with this disorder usually do it to have more control in their life. Praise is often given to the individual about how in shape he/she may look which gives that person more of a drive to continue to work out. Females most commonly have compulsive exercising disorder and measure their self worth through their performance. They often take out their emotions like anger, depression, or frustration when exercising by pushing their bodies to the limit (Mary L. Gavin, 2007).







Cortisol is a hormone released by the adrenal cortex which promotes blood sugar and increases metabolism. High levels of cortisol were found in people with eating disorders. This imbalance may be caused by a problem in or around the hypothalamus. A study in London at Maudsley Hospital found that anorexics were found to have a large variation of serotonin receptors and a high level of serotonin.

Many of these chemicals and hormones are associated with the hypothalamus in the brain. Damage to the hypothalamus can result in abnormalities in temperature regulation, eating, drinking, sexual behavior, fighting, and activity level. Uher & Treasure (2005) performed a study researching brain lesions effects on eating disorders. They evaluated 54 formally published cases of eating disorders and brain damage. They found many correlations between eating disorders and damage to the hypothalamus. People with brain lesions in the hypothalamus had abnormal eating behaviors; unprovoked and self induced vomiting, over concern with becoming fat, cheating with eating, frequent sleepiness, depression, obsessive compulsive behavior and diabetes insipidus.

While scientists have determined that there are possible biochemical or biological causes leading to eating disorders because certain chemicals which control hunger, appetite or digestions are out of balance, experts such as Dr. Edward J. Cumella, executive director of the Remuda Treatment Programs, states that there are three components to eating disorders: 1. The genetic component; 2. The unique environmental factors, such as personal experiences; and 3) The shared environmental factors, such as culture. According to Dr. Cumella, "Some people are born with a predisposition to having an eating disorder and there are genetic markers that can push a person in the direction of anorexia or bulimia...but it does not guarantee that a person will automatically suffer from an eating disorder. The environment - a person's life experience - still has to pull the trigger.

Developmental etiology




Gender Differences


Exercise addiction is common in men and women, especially in those who suffer from eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is the result of a fear of becoming fat, a rude dislike of the piknoid body type and allowing their need to stay fit to overtake their lives. Exercise addicts are risking their health in order to get a "runner's high." They are in search of the ideal body type and place the importance of exercise above the needs of their children, parents, friends and health.




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