Do You Eat Well? The Other Side of Obesity!

EATING DISORDERS
Introduction:
Eating disorders are mostly chronic disorders. This means that they are long lasting and hence their treatment too is decided to be long term treatment.. More than 90% of the people who have eating disorders are women between the ages 12-25.They are often linked with mental illnesses like emotional distress and drug addiction. The three most common forms of eating disorders can be bulleted as follows:
• Anorexia nervosa
• Bulimia nervosa and
• Binge-eating disorder

Symptoms:
• Anorexia nervosa :
1. Avoiding food and meals
2. Picking at food
3. Weighing the food
4. Counting calories
5. Heavy exercising
• Bulimia nervosa :
1. Eating excessive amount of food in single episode
2. Making oneself purposely vomit using water pills and laxatives
3. Binge cycling
4. Intense dread of weight gain
• Binge-eating disorder :
1. Compulsive overeating
2. No purging
3. Eating at a very fast speed and eating alone
4. Eating without realizing whether they are hungry or full
5. Feeling of guilt over their actions
Effects:
• Anorexia nervosa :
1. Slows rate of heartbeat
2. Lowers blood pressure
3. Vomiting
4. Frequent urination
5. Heart failure
6. Brain damage
7. Hair and nail protein deterioration
8. Dr, yellowy skin
9. Development of lanugo
10. Mild anaemia
11. joint swellings
12. Reduced muscle tone
13. Nausea
14. Brittle bones

• Bulimia nervosa :
1. Tethering of outer teeth layer
2. Damage to oesophagus
3. Enlarge glands near cheek
4. Irregular heartbeats
5. Heart failure
6. Fatal chemical imbalance
7. Loss of essential minerals
8. Peptic ulcers
9. Pancreatitis
10. Long term constipation

• Binge-eating disorder :
1. High blood pressure
2. High cholesterol levels
3. Fatigue
4. Joint pain
5. Diabetes
6. Gall bladder disease
7. Heart disease
Diagnosis:
• Anorexia nervosa :
1. Weight lower than 15 % of the normal body weight
2. Disappearance of atleast three consecutive menstrual cycles
3. Has intense dread of weight gain
4. Relents to maintain normal body weight
5. Believes he / she is overweight although dangerously thin
• Bulimia nervosa :
1. Maintains a minimum of 2 binge/purge cycles a week for around 3 months;
2. Has no control over eating behavior
3. Obsessed with body figure or weight

• Binge-eating disorder :
1. Maintains a minimum of two binge-eating episodes a week for about 6 months
2. Has no control over eating behavior
Treatment:
• Anorexia nervosa :
1. Ensuring the person’s physical fitness and health
2. Restoring normal body weight
3. Individual psychotherapy
4. Behavioral therapy
5. Supportive group therapy

• Bulimia nervosa :
1. Treating drug abuse
2. Reduction procedure in the patient’s binge eating
3. Behavioral therapy
4. Psychotherapy
5. Prozac (antidepressant)
6. Family therapy

• Binge-eating disorder :
1. Similar to bulimia treatment
2. Subject of active research

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