Eating Disorder Articles

• Complications of Eating Disorders
  Anorexia and bulimia are two eating disorders that can result in serious health complications. Along with the psychological and emotional distress that accompany eating disorders, the patient may suffer from very serious health complications, even after the root cause of the disorder has been treated. Here is a brief overview of the most common health complications that can stem from an eating disorder.
  
  
• Eating Disorders Screening and Diagnosis
  If you suffer from an eating disorder, you are not alone. Since the 1970s, the number of people diagnosed with an eating disorder has increased dramatically. There is no longer the shame or stigma that was once attached to this often debilitating and serious disorder. If you suspect you may be suffering from an eating disorder, here is what you can expect in terms of screening and diagnosis.
  
  
• Four Therapy Treatments for Eating Disorders
  As doctors and mental health professionals better understand eating disorders, more treatment options have become available for treating these sometimes life-threatening conditions. Individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating disorders should receive some type of therapy as soon as possible.
  
  
• Men and Eating Disorders
  Most of us think of eating disorders as a condition that is more common among young women than any other part of the population. But men can also develop eating disorders; in fact, these types of conditions appear to be on the rise among the male population. Research studies indicated that roughly ten percent of those affected by anorexia are men.
  
  
• Seven Ways to Approach a Friend with Anorexia
  If you suspect that a friend or loved one suffers from the eating disorder anorexia, can you do to help them? People who suffer from an eating disorder may feel defensive, depressed, or ashamed of their condition, so the subject must be broached with considerable sensitivity. If you think that your friend has anorexia, here are a seven suggestions for how to approach a friend that you think suffers from anorexia.
  
  
• Signs of Anorexia
  How do you know if your best friend, daughter, or another loved one is suffering from anorexia? Anorexia can sometimes be a difficult condition to spot because it is often accompanied by other symptoms. For instance, anorexia is often accompanied by feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. A person may seem to be going through a slump, but secretly they are struggling with something much more serious.
  
  
• Teenagers and Binge Eating Disorder
  Binge eating is a little understood eating disorder that tends to affect younger people, including teenagers. This eating disorder can be understood in terms we are all probably familiar with. Remember the feeling of gorging yourself on food on Thanksgiving Day, and the inevitable stomachache and shame that comes afterward? Binge eating resembles this experience, only it occurs on a much more regular basis, and the shame and embarrassment that accompanies it tends to hit harder.
  
  
• The Three Types of Eating Disorders
  Eating disorders can be described as any type of disorder that can be characterized as obsessive and long-term in nature and that is related to food or body image. Since the 1970s there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of individuals affected by eating disorders. Part of this dramatic increase can at least be partially attributed to the rise in body consciousness and objectification of the body in popular culture and media. It is estimated that 10 to 15 percent of all adolescent and young women in the United States will develop some form of eating disorder. Men are also susceptible to developing and eating disorder although it is substantially less common. Among men, eating disorders are more common among weight conscious athletes. Here is a brief overview of the three different types of eating disorders.
  
  
• Treatment for Eating Disorders
  Eating disorders are serious health conditions that are characterized by an individual's unhealthy relationship to food and an obsession related to body image. Almost anyone can suffer from some kind of eating disorders, although women are much more likely to be diagnosed than men. Anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorders are the three primary types of eating disorders. All can result in serious health risks and complications, including death.
  
  
• What Causes Anorexia
  Anorexia is a complicated disorder that touches the lives of whole families. Anorexia nervosa is described as a disorder marked by obsession and a distorted body image. A person affected by anorexia has a great fear of gaining weight, and will pursue weight loss goals in an often-obsessive manner. They may avoid eating or eat very sparingly, and take part in an obsessive weight-loss exercise regime. Because of this focus on not eating and losing weight, anorexia patients tend to be very thin.