| An eating disorder is a mental illness in which the | | | | electrolytes and minerals. The Purging disorder, |
| affected person eats in an unusual and unhealthy | | | | along with the abusive use of laxatives, can bring |
| way. This ends up in affecting health. The eating | | | | a long period of bowel dysfunction. Esophagus |
| may either be excessive, insufficient, or wrong | | | | tearing, stomach ruptures, and deadly irregularities |
| choices of diet. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia | | | | of the heart beat derived from these disorders |
| nervosa are the two most common eating | | | | are other complications that may result. |
| disorders. Anorexic people eat very little to | | | | It is usually difficult to tell when a person suffers |
| nothing, and bulimic people have enormous eating | | | | from an eating disorder by simply looking at them. |
| binges and then vomit up the food. People with | | | | They might be people just a little overweight, |
| eating disorders sometimes have both disorders. | | | | they can be of normal weight, they can be very |
| Most ill people have severe mental depression | | | | thin, they can be very obese. Judging by the |
| along with their eating disorder. Orthorexia is also | | | | appearance of someone with an eating disorder |
| considered an eating disorder. Orthorexia is when | | | | can be very misleading, for their physical |
| a person is overly obsessed with what the "right" | | | | appearance might not correspond to their real |
| food to eat is, so they end up eating too much | | | | health. |
| Vegan food, raw food, etc., and become | | | | Eating disorder treatment, nevertheless, can be |
| nutritionally unbalanced. A bizarre yet not unusual | | | | very effective and the person can go back to |
| eating disorder is Pica, in which the ill person | | | | normal if they follow the treatment until the end. |
| consumes what is not generally considered food, | | | | The sooner the patient is detected as suffering |
| such as hair, wood, glass, metal or rubber. | | | | from an eating disorder, the more effective the |
| The Purging disorder is when a person takes | | | | treatment will be. Yet, the mental complications of |
| laxatives and vomits excessively without having | | | | a person with such mental illness can lead to |
| eating binges. This person usually wants to | | | | thorough psychological and psychiatric treatment |
| maintain a certain amount of weight and not gain | | | | in the long run. Anorexia treatment follows three |
| any more. Scientists suspect that more people | | | | basic steps: 1) restore the weight lost, 2) |
| have the Purging disorder than anorexia and | | | | psychological treatment, 3) achieve long-term |
| bulimia combined. | | | | remission. Bulimia treatment is first concerned with |
| The physical symptoms of a person with an | | | | ending eating binges and purging. In order to do |
| eating disorder can vary, but they are all equally | | | | this, nutritional rehab, psychosocial intervention, |
| deadly. Starvation caused by Anorexia Nervosa | | | | and medication are all used. |
| can make most of the organ systems defective. | | | | Even though there are many effective ways of |
| Along with that comes constipation, very low | | | | treating eating disorders, the most difficult step is |
| heart rate, dry skin, hypotension, body hair can | | | | the first one: admit that you have an eating |
| become thinner, and periods can became scarce | | | | disorder. If the person who suffers from an |
| or simply not come. Anorexia causes | | | | eating disorder does not recognize their illness, |
| cardiovascular problems, anaemia, brain structure | | | | treatment will not be effective because they will |
| modification, juvenile osteoporosis and kidney | | | | resist it. So, the most important thing while |
| dysfunction. | | | | approaching an anorexic or bulimic is to maintain |
| Bulimia and other eating disorders that involve | | | | personal contact and to be open-hearted so they |
| vomiting can cause salivary glands to swell, the | | | | can feel as comfortable as they can to talk about |
| tooth enamel to erode, and disturbances to | | | | their problems. |