The three main types of eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. People with these eating disorders are usually hiding from emotions, filling a void, and/or trying to cope with everyday stresses.

If you think you have one of these disorders or suspect a friend or loved one does, we’ll show you the symptoms as well as some eating disorder treatment options.

Anorexia
Anorexia is characterized by self-starvation and extreme weight loss and can be life threatening. Those with the disorder weigh at least 15% less than their normal body weight. Those with anorexia are unusually sensitive to being perceived as fat.

Symptoms of Anorexia

  • Dramatic weight loss over several weeks or months
  • Obsession with weight
  • Obsession with counting food calories and fat content
  • Strange eating habits such as fear of eating with others
  • Bizarre food habits like using the teeth to scrape food off the fork, cutting food into tiny pieces
  • Wearing baggy clothes to hide weight loss
  • Feeling fat even though they are underweight
  • Obsession with exercise
  • Using laxatives, diuretics or diet pills
  • Frequent illness
  • Cannot realistically assess their own weight
  • Depression, irritability
  • Social withdrawal
  • Self critical
  • Perfectionist when it comes to their looks

Bulimia
Bulimia is characterized by eating large quantities of food in one sitting (binging) followed by vomiting, enemas, fasting, exercise or laxatives. This behavior is usually done in secret because of the shame and disgust the person feels.

Bulimia often begins in late childhood or the early adult years and is experienced in females more than males. Although bulimics are usually normal for their weight, they feel they are overweight.

Symptoms of Bulimia 

  • Binging followed by purging
  • Using the bathroom often after meals
  • Obsessive about body weight
  • Vomiting or using laxatives to lose weight
  • Sore throat
  • Depressed
  • Irregular periods
  • Frequently tired and weak

Binge Eating
Also known as compulsive overeating, binge eating is uncontrollable eating and the resulting weight gain. Binge eaters use food as a “way to cope with uncomfortable feeling and emotions,” says Webmd

Often in binge eating, the person gains weight quickly and then loses the weight quickly. It’s also more common in women. Binge eating can bring serious health problems if not treated.

According to the eating disorder website www.something-fishy.org, people who binge eat are “at health risk for a heart attack, high blood-pressure and cholesterol, kidney disease and/or failure, arthritis and bone deterioration, and stroke.”

It’s no wonder that getting eating disorder treatment for disorders like binge eating is so important.

Symptoms of Binge Eating
Just because you overeat periodically does not mean you have binge eating disorder. Here are some signs of serious binge eating problems:

  • Frequently eating large quantities of food; more than most people would eat
  • Eating very quickly
  • Eating until uncomfortably full
  • Eating a lot even though you’re not hungry
  • Eating alone because your embarrassed at the large quantities you’re eating
  • Low self-esteem, depression
  • Big fluctuations in weight
  • Frequent dieting

Treating Eating Disorders

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, “The most effective and long-lasting treatment for an eating disorder is some form of psychotherapy or psychological counseling, coupled with careful attention to medical and nutritional needs.”

Eating disorder treatment takes many forms and may require trial and error before success. Here are some of the treatment options:

Medication is used to treat depression and anxiety. Finding the right medication is an important first step for many with eating disorders because it can help stabilize the patient before they even enter treatment.

Group Support can take place in inpatient, outpatient or therapist’s office or it can be within a support group like Eating Disorders Anonymous and Overeaters Anonymous . These organizations have meetings throughout the country and even offer online (Facebook) and phone meetings.

In group support, people talk about their issues and try to learn from one another. Some groups are facilitated by a professional therapist while others are led by someone who is recovering from an eating disorder. The “anonymous” groups use the 12-step approach, which is spiritually based.

Individual Counseling/Therapy is a one-on-one approach with a licensed therapist, social worker, psychiatrist or psychologist trained in eating disorder recovery.

One approach is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which focuses on changing the way you think about yourself. CBT often employs role-playing and coming up with ways to avoid negative thoughts.

Psychoanalytic therapy tries to gain access to the subconscious, digging deep for the underlying problems of the patient, which can include social and cultural factors.

Dieticians or Nutritionists can help you improve your health and eating habits. According to Something-Fishy “they will help you to incorporate healthy behaviors into your everyday life. Their goal should not be to "change" your habits overnight, but to teach you over a period of time how to promote a healthier relationship with the food you consume.”

Inpatient Treatment Programs can last from several weeks to several months and are similar to other addiction treatment programs. The facilities employ a staff of doctors, nurses, therapists and dieticians to work with you around-the-clock.

In these facilities, you’ll be treated with a variety of techniques like those that the ones listed above. The advantages to inpatient treatment are that your treatment is highly focused and personalized, and you are in the facility 24/7, making it highly structured. The disadvantage is it’s expensive.

Outpatient Treatment Programs are often performed at mental health clinics or hospitals with “sessions” occurring daily or weekly depending on your needs. Again, you’ll meet with doctors, nurses, dieticians and therapists who will evaluate and address your treatment needs.

Treatment can include individual and group therapy, art therapy, educational classes, weigh-ins, and other approaches depending on the needs of the patient.

Summary

Now you that have the tools to recognize eating disorders and know some options for treating eating disorders, it’s time to get help. Start by searching recoverycorps.org’s database for a treatment center near you.