Treatment for Eating Disorders

Anorexia is characterized by an extremely low body weight, an extreme phobia of gaining weight, and a distorted perception of one’s body weight. People with anorexia will go to any length to control their weight and shape, even if it destroys their entire quality of life. It is most common among teenagers and occurs more frequently in girls than in boys.

Usually, the main symptom is a severe restriction of how many calories are eaten. This control over calorie intake can be done by misusing laxatives, vomiting after eating, diuretics, enemas, or diet aids. Excessive exercise is another method to which people with anorexia may turn. However, no matter how much weight is lost – the individual will still have an intense fear of weight gain.

Other physical signs and symptoms of anorexia include a very thin appearance, fatigue, insomnia, dizziness or fainting, abnormal blood counts, fingers with a bluish discoloration, hair that falls out, loss of menstruation, abdominal pain, dry skin, irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, dehydration, and swollen arms or legs.

Emotional and behavioral signs include refusing to eat or regularly skipping meals, preoccupation with preparing food – but not eating it, adopting strict meal rituals, only eating in private, constantly looking in the mirror for perceived body flaws, covering up in layers of bulky clothing, irritability, and social withdrawal.

Anorexia nervosa has the highest risk of mortality of any mental illness. It also increases your chances of heart, kidney, and liver failure, cardiac problems, osteoporosis, anemia, low blood sugar, gastrointestinal issues, amenorrhea (loss of the menstrual cycle in women), infertility, low testosterone (in men), electrolyte imbalances, and suicide.

At its root, anorexia is not about food; it’s a life-threatening way to cope with emotional dysfunction that involves equating being thin with self-worth.

Bulimia is a potentially life-threatening eating disorder that involves repeatedly eating huge quantities of food and then purging to get rid of the excess calories. Bulimia is linked to self-image, and people become obsessed with their body shape and weight.

Typically, the person has a general sense of having no control over how much they are eating. People with bulimia may use various methods to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting, misusing laxatives, diuretics, weight-loss supplements, or enemas.

Signs of bulimia include a constant worry about being fat, having a distorted and negative body image, avoiding eating in public, going to the bathroom immediately after eating (or for long periods of time), sores or calluses on the hands or knuckles, swelling in the feet and hands, and inflammation in the face from enlarged glands.

Bulimia is associated with a higher risk for dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, kidney or heart failure, digestive problems, peptic ulcers (sores in the lining of the stomach or small intestine), pancreatitis, severe tooth decay, inflammation and rupture of the esophagus, acid reflux, irregular heartbeat, and broken blood vessels in the eyes.

Bingeing and compulsive eating both involve consuming unusually large quantities of food along with a feeling of not being able to stop eating. Not the same as simply overeating on occasion, these eating disorders are defined as excessive overeating that occurs regularly – with no sense of control. Unlike anorexia and bulimia, people who binge do not compensate for the extra calories by vomiting or exercising.

Most people with BED or CED are overweight or obese. It is common to rapidly eat large amounts of food in a short amount of time, often in secret and even when you’re not hungry.
People with binge-eating disorder and compulsive eating disorder may feel embarrassed or even disgusted about their overeating habits and take measures to stop. But the urge to eat is too strong to overcome without treatment.

Bingeing and compulsive eating disorders are linked to a high risk for stomach rupture, excessive weight gain, sleep apnea, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders.

This condition is developing into one of the most frequent eating disorders among children and adults, and it is typically caused by a multifactorial combination of risks, including environmental, hormonal, metabolic, genetic, physiological, psychological, and behavioral components. Increasing evidence supports that morbid obesity is not due to a problem with self-control or will power, but is a complicated disorder involving energy metabolism and appetite regulation.

Read more about obesity treatment in israel

Diagnosis is made mainly by determining a person’s body mass index (BMI), which is the ratio of one’s height to weight. If a person has a BMI of over 40, weighs more than 100 pounds over his/her ideal bodyweight, or has a BMI of over 35 and suffers from obesity-related health conditions (such as type 2 diabetes or hypertension), s/he is defined as morbidly obese.

Morbid obesity can interfere with basic body functions, such as walking and breathing, and it puts you at an increased risk for hypertension, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, body pain, sleep apnea, clinical depression and other mental disorders, and particular cancers.