What are eating disorders?

These are psychiatric conditions with physical effects on BMI, such as in cases of overweight and obesity, characterized by abnormal behaviors related to eating and the perception of body weight. They can have physical, emotional, family, academic, and social effects that do not resolve on their own.

These disorders are real, complex, and devastating, and can have serious consequences for health, productivity, and interpersonal relationships, just as overweight and obesity do. A person struggling with an eating disorder needs professional help; the sooner they receive treatment, the greater the chance of physical and emotional recovery.

What is anorexia nervosa?

It is a disorder characterized by extreme restriction of food intake and excessive weight loss.

Some of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa are:

• Inability to maintain a healthy body weight appropriate for one's age, body type, and activity level.
• An intense fear of gaining weight.
• A feeling of being overweight or obese despite being obviously and dramatically thin.

Without proper treatment, this condition can have serious health consequences.

What is bulimia nervosa?

It is characterized by consuming large amounts of food—more than a person would normally eat in a single meal—in a short period of time, and then getting rid of the food and the calories it contains through self-induced vomiting, laxative abuse, and excessive exercise. It may also be accompanied by overweight or obesity.

Symptoms include:

• Eating without restraint, beyond the point where you feel comfortably full.
• After binge eating, resorting to self-induced vomiting, frequent use of laxatives, diet pills, and/or diuretics, and excessive exercise.
• Extreme concern about body weight and body shape.

Unlike anorexia, people with bulimia nervosa often maintain a normal body weight. However, it can also lead to serious health complications.

What Is Binge Eating Disorder?

It involves recurrent episodes of consuming a large amount of food in a short period of time, accompanied by a feeling of loss of control. After each binge, there is a feeling of intense remorse or shame.

Unlike bulimia nervosa, people with this disorder do not engage in compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting or the use of laxatives, to counteract the effects of binge eating. However, it can have significant physical and emotional consequences. It may also lead to overweight and obesity.

What is Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)?

It is characterized by very limited food intake in terms of variety or quantity. These are avoidant or restrictive behaviors, but they are not always linked to body image issues or a desire to lose weight; however, this restriction can lead to significant weight loss due to nutritional deficiencies and impaired psychosocial functioning.

Often, the disorder involves a significant aversion to or avoidance of certain foods due to their sensory characteristics, such as taste, texture, smell, or color. It is more common in childhood but can persist into adulthood. Unlike other eating disorders, this one is not generally associated with concerns about weight or body shape.

EDs are not exclusive to adolescents or women; they can occur across all ages, genders, and social and cultural backgrounds. At the Eating Disorders Clinic at Hospital Angeles shared goal is to seek and achieve the personal, family, and social well-being of our patients.

Including chronic cases of overweight and obesity underlying EDs.