There was a time when mental illness was a taboo topic and no public discussions catered to this significant issue. Then came a time when people actually started acknowledging mental health and its problems and began accepting people suffering from the issue.

However, even now, when mental illnesses are not widely discussed, people do not know anything beyond common disorders, such as depression and anxiety.

Unfortunately, mental illnesses are much more than just anxiety and depression. While they might be the most common issues we see in our society today, there are also many other disorders that either go neglected or unheard of by most.

Today, we will be talking about one such category of serious disorders that is often neglected by the common public –eating disorders. Eating disorders are a wide class of mental disorders and are common in our society. If you are unsure what eating disorders are, keep reading.

What Are Eating Disorders?

Well, the name itself makes it quite evident that eating disorders are related to food and eating behavior – but in psychological terms, they are much more than that. Eating disorders are complex, serious, and potentially life-threatening mental health conditions that lead to disturbances in behaviors, distressed thoughts, and attitudes toward food. They do not only affect one’s mental health but can have a serious, negative impact on the affected individual’s physical and cognitive health and social functioning as well.

Eating disorders are quite common in our society these days; they affect approximately 6% of people in the world, out of which around 28.8 million are Americans who have experienced at least one eating disorder in their lifetime.

This brings us to the types of eating disorders – like we said, eating disorders are a class of mental conditions. Here are some common types of eating disorders.

Types of Eating Disorders

· Anorexia nervosa

The most common type of eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, develops during young adulthood and affects peoples eating habits and thoughts toward their food, diet, and weight. People with this condition consider themselves overweight, which forces them to restrict their food. The symptoms of anorexia nervosa are:

• fear of gaining weight
• restricted diet
• unusual and restricted eating patterns
• distorted body image

· Bulimia Nervosa

Another common eating disorder, bulimia, affects people in their adolescence or early adulthood. Bulimia is characterized by people eating unusually large amounts of food in a specific time period, frequently. Individuals with the condition basically alternate between restricted diet food and binge eating “forbidden” foods or, in easy words, between low-calorie and high-calorie foods.

People with bulimia can be overweight or underweight due to inconsistent eating habits. Binges last around a week, followed by “compensatory behavior” to prevent weight gain. Individuals can go upto various lengths during their periods – for example, they indulge in vomiting, fasting, and laxative misuse.

· Binge Eating Disorder

A well-known eating disorder, binge eating disorder, often ends up becoming a chronic illness among adolescents and affects others later in life as well. The disorder is similar to bulimic episodes and is often considered a subtype of anorexia. Binge eaters tend to eat unusually large amounts of food in short periods of time and feel a serious lack of control over their behavior and thoughts, leading to cravings. People with this disorder do not restrict their diet and indulge in purging behaviors.

Final Word

Eating disorders are a serious class of mental illnesses and should not be taken lightly. People with eating disorders tend to live their life fluctuating with an unhealthy diet – affecting their physical health all their life without consulting a doctor.

However, getting help and getting yourself treated for the problem is important. If you or someone you know is suffering from an eating disorder, it’s best to consult a doctor. If you are uninsured or underinsured for these issues, you can get in touch with Advocate My Meds for their full-service prescription assistance programs.