Other Eating Disorders
It’s important to know that everyone will not have the same symptoms. Some people will have a mix of symptoms and you do not need to have all these symptoms to have an Eating Disorder.
Pica:
Pica,
a widely misunderstood phenomenon, is defined as a compulsive craving
for eating, chewing or licking non-food items or foods containing no nutrition.
These can include such things as chalk, plaster, paint chips, baking soda,
starch, glue, rust, ice, coffee grounds, and cigarette ashes. It may sometimes
be linked to certain mineral deficiencies (i.e. iron or zinc). Pica can
be associated with developmental delays, mental deficiencies and/or a
family history of the disorder. There may also be psychological disturbances
that lead to Pica such as conditions in which a child lives in a low-income
or poor family, or who lives in an environment of little love and support.
Because of the inherent danger in eating non-food items, it is extremely important that an individual suffering with Pica be evaluated by a doctor, given the correct diagnosis, and treated promptly. The treatment that will follow will depend on the causes of the behavior. If the compulsion is driven by a vitamin or mineral deficiency, supplements will be prescribed. Examination of the home environment, behavior-modification therapy and psychological treatment may also be needed.
Pica is fairly common in pregnant women and symptoms usually disappear following the birth of the child.
Complications of Pica can include lead poisoning, malnutrition, abdominal problems, intestinal obstruction, hypokalemia, hyperkalemia, mercury poisoning, phosphorus intoxication, and dental injury.
* It may be possible (but uncommon) for people with Anorexia and/or Bulimia to develop Pica because of the compulsive nature of these illnesses to binge, and/or the malnutrition that can set in. If the two disorders co-exist, it is important to tell your doctor of both. Click here for further information and help with Pica
Prader-Willi
Syndrome :
Prader-Willi
Syndrome is a congenital condition (present at birth) and is believed
to be caused by an abnormality that occurs in the genes, though statistically
it does not seem to run in families. Children born with Prader-Willi Syndrome
may have early feeding difficulties that lead to tube feeding, and often
have a degree of behavioral and/or mental problems, some of which can
be severe.
The person with Prader-Willi Syndrome has an insatiable appetite. This can lead to obesity, stealing, and eating pet foods and items that are spoiled. This continuous appetite is caused by a defect in the hypothalamus - a part of the brain that regulates hunger - that causes the person to never actually feel full. There may be sleep disorders and abnormalities, boughts of rage, a higher threshold for pain, compulsive behaviors such as picking at the skin, and even psychoses.
Physical problems associated with Prader-Willi Syndrome can be delayed motor development, abnormal growth, speech impairments, stunted sexual development, poor muscle tone, dental problems, obesity and diabetes type II. The life expectancy of a person with Prader-Willi Syndrome may be normal if weight is controlled.
Prader-Willi
Syndrome is a rare condition that puts a great deal of stress on the families
involved. It is important to get the proper diagnosis early and to find
medical and emotional support.
Click
here for further information and help with Prader-Willi Syndrome
Night
Eating Syndrome (NES):
The
1982 edition of the Merck Manual defines Night Eating Syndrome as someone
suffering from "morning
anorexia, evening hyperphagia (abnormally increased
appetite for consumption of food frequently associated with injury to
the hypothalamus) and insomnia. Attempts at weight reduction in these
2 conditions, (referring to bulimia as well),
are usually unsuccessful and may cause the patient unnecessary distress."
It is also suggested that this condition, as with other Eating Disorders, stems from stress and emotional disturbance.
Episodes
of Anorexia and Insomnia can begin at an early
age, usually in children who are overweight, and are sometimes accompanied
by joint paint.
People with Night Eating Syndrome are characterised as people that put
off eating until late in the day, who binge on food in the evenings and
who experience problems with falling asleep and/or staying asleep.
Click
here for further information and help with Night Eating Syndrome
Sleep-Eating
Disorder (SED-NOS):
Sleep Eating
Disorder typically falls into the category of Sleep Disorders, though
it is a combined sleep-eating problem. Sufferers tend to be overweight
and have episodes of recurrent sleep walking, during which time they binge
on usually large quantities of food, often high in sugar or fat. Most
often, sufferers do not remember these episodes, putting them at great
risk of unintentional self-injury.
Because of the compulsive nature of this illness, sufferers are at the same physical health risks as those of Compulsive Overeaters with the added risks of sleep walking. It is not uncommon to find a person suffering to be anxious, tired, stressed and angry. Click here for further information and help with Sleep-Eating Disorder
Orthorexia
Nervosa:
Orthorexia Nervosa, although
a condition that is not yet diagnosed by doctors as there are no clinical
guidelines for it, is an obsession with a "pure" diet, that
interferes with a person's life. It becomes a way of life filled with
chronic concern for the quality of food being consumed. When the person
suffering with Orthorexia Nervosa slips up from wavering from their "perfect"
diet, they may resort to extreme acts of further self-disipline including
even stricter regimes and fasting.
Orthorexia bears many similarities to Anorexia and Bulimia in the sense that whereas the Bulimic and Anorexic focus on the quantity of food, the Orthorexic fixates on its quality.
One should only become concerned about Orthorexia Nervosa when it becomes a long-term obsession and has a significant negative impact on an individual's life (i.e. thinking about food to avoid the stresses of life, thinking about how food is prepared to avoid negative emotions, thinking about food the majority of each individual's day). Click here for further information and help with Orhtorexia Nervosa
Bigorexia:
It should be noted that Bigorexia
is not a condition that a physician will diagnose, as there is currently
no clinical guideline for this disorder. It is a condition that has recently
been observed by several psychiatrists as the "opposite of Anorexia".
Found typically in body-building circles and known as muscle dysmorphia or reverse Anorexia, Bigorexia is a condition in which the sufferer is constantly worried that they are too small. This goes beyond the typical body-building gym-goer, and transcends into dangerous realms when men and women are willing to go to all lengths to increase muscle mass.
Bigorexia isn't as acutely life-threatening as Anorexia but its sufferers are more likely to take other risks with their health, such as using steroids or other bodybuilding drugs. Kidney failure is common due to the tendancy to go on high-protein diets and using steroids.
The person suffering from
Bigorexia is usually preoccupied with the idea that their body is not
lean and muscular. They spend long hours lifting weights and pay excessive
attention to diet. This preoccupation causes major distress or impairs
the person's social or professional life. The person may forego important
social, work-related or recreational activities. They may avoid situations
where their body will be exposed. The person continues to work out or
diet even when they know it could hurt their health or well-being.
The focus of the person's concerns is on being too small or not muscular
enough, as opposed to concerns about being fat.
Click
here for further information and help with Bigorexia