Statistics show that 28.8 million Americans, which is nearly a tenth of the US population, will have an eating disorder at some point in their lives. Moreover, these disorders cause 10,200 deaths annually. These numbers are scary, especially if you consider that these conditions affect people of all races, ages, gender identities, and economic backgrounds. Fortunately, anyone with an eating disorder can seek professional assistance from reputable treatment centers before their lives become unmanageable or worse. Below are some of the eating disorders tackled by professionals in these facilities.
What are Eating Disorders?
Eating disorders are health conditions that disrupt your diet and overall view of food. They are primarily psychological and associated with eating behavior disturbances. Moreover, they cause distressing thoughts that affect your mental health and wreak havoc on your physical and emotional well-being.
Types of Eating Disorders
Some of the most common eating disorders include:
1. Binge eating disorder
Binge eating disorder affects millions of Americans and mainly sets in during adolescence or early adulthood. This order makes you consume abnormally large food quantities within a short period. People that have it claim they lose control of their eating during these episodes, only to feel distressed afterward. Binge eating often leads to severe health issues, including hypertension, obesity, and diabetes.
2. Anorexia nervosa
One of the similarities between anorexia and disorders like binge eating and bulimia is it typically develops during early adulthood or adolescence. Otherwise, it's ironic that the people suffering from it view themselves as overweight despite being seriously underweight. As a result, they obsess over their weight and severely limit their calorie intake and eating patterns. Sometimes, people with anorexia nervosa binge eat then purge through vomiting, exercising excessively, and taking diuretics and laxatives.
3. Bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is characterized by eating enormous food quantities in a particular period until the individual in context is painfully full and nauseous. For instance, if you have bulimia, you can eat "safe" or low-calorie foods on weekdays and binge eat high-calorie meals that you consider "forbidden" during the weekends. Afterward, you may try to purge through induced vomiting enemas or excessive exercising. Symptoms associated with bulimia include tooth decay, acid reflux, and hormonal disturbances. In extreme cases, it can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
Get Professional Treatment
An eating disorder results in low self-esteem and obsessions over food and dieting, and negatively affects your life. But it doesn't have to be that way. You can regain control over these illnesses with the help of professionals in eating disorder treatment centers. Remember, an eating disorder is an illness that experts can fix with specialized care, treatment, and support.
For more information on treatment options for eating disorders, contact a center near you.
