Anorexia Nervosa
This is when someone restricts the amount of food they eat in order to try and control their weight. It can also mean they exercise excessively. There are two subtypes of anorexia: restricting and binge eating/purging. Those with restricting anorexia diet, fast and carry out excessive exercise in order to lose weight. With binge eating and purging, the person may eat very little or binge on food before purging through vomiting, exercising excessively or taking laxatives.
Bulimia Nervosa
When someone has lost control over how much they eat and consumes a large amount of food before taking drastic action to avoid gaining weight, they are suffering from bulimia nervosa. While bingeing, a person can feel that they cannot stop eating and will carry on until they feel uncomfortably full. They then purge through vomiting, using laxatives or diuretics, fasting, using enemas and excessive exercise.
Binge eating disorder (BED)
People with BED eat large amounts of food until they feel uncomfortably full. However, they don’t use purging behaviours or restrict calories.
Fortunately, there are treatments which can help people suffering from BED and other eating disorders. BEAT eating disorders charity says it’s important to realise you’re not alone.
As these are mental health conditions, counselling and therapies can help. If you are looking for mental health training courses Newport, training providers such as https://www.tidaltraining.co.uk/mental-health-training-courses/newport can offer options.
Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)
ARFID is when a person limits how much they consume or avoids certain foods, but not because of body weight or shape concerns. They usually suffer from a past experience such as choking on food or don’t like the texture, smell or taste of some foods.
Pica
A pica sufferer will eat items that are not food and provide no nutritional value. Examples include chalk, ice, dirt and cloth.
Rumination disorder
With rumination disorder, a person regurgitates food before re-chewing it and then spitting out or re-swallowing it, usually within half an hour after eating. Those who have it may also restrict how much food they eat, especially in front of others.
