Eating Disorders Support Group

An eating disorder is a compulsion in which the main problem is a person eats in a way which disturbs their physical health. The eating may be too excessive (compulsive over-eating), too limited (restricting), may include normal eating punctuated with episodes of purging, may include cycles of binging and purging, or may encompass the ingesting of non-foods. The best-known eating disorders are Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa, and Pica. There are numerous theories as to the causes and mechanisms leading to eating disorders. The two most common eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia. Both of these have severe consequences to a person's health and can even cause death.

Types of eating disorders include Anorexia nervosa, Beriberi, Binge eating disorder, Bulimia nervosa, Hyperphagia, Rumination, Obesity as a result of eating disorders, Obligatory Exercise and Pica.

PLEASE NOTE: This community is for the discussion of how to overcome eating disorders. It is not a forum for discussing the merits of eating disorders or promoting the positive aspects of ED's. Thank you for respecting this rule - members who fail to follow these rules will have their comments deleted and may be removed from DS.

Over 50% of the sufferers of an eating disorder also have a comorbid diagnosis of severe mental depression. The American Psychiatric Association lists eating disorders and severe depression as primary diagnoses.

Some psychologists also classify a syndrome called orthorexia as an eating disorder, or, more properly, "disordered eating" - the person is overly obsessed with the consumption of what they see as the 'right' foods for them (vegan, raw foods, etc), to the point that their nutrition and quality of life suffers. In addition, some individuals have food phobias about what they can and cannot eat, which some also call an eating disorder. Another condition that is somewhat qualitatively different from those previously mentioned is pica, or the habitual ingestion of inedibles, such as dirt, wood, hair, etc. This is a condition particularly prevalent in children.