What is an eating disorder?
In our society that values thinness as body weights continue to climb, almost everyone worries occasionally about weight. Individuals with eating disorders take these concerns to extremes, developing abnormal eating habits that threaten well-being and even life. Those with anorexia nervosa have a distorted perception of their bodies that causes them to see themselves as overweight even though they are dangerously thin and malnourished. By refusing to eat and exercising excessively, they lose large amounts of weight and may even die from the effects of starvation. People with bulimia nervosa eat huge quantities of food and purge their bodies of the food and calories by using laxatives, enemas, or diuretics, vomiting and/or exercising. Acting in secrecy, they feel disgust and shame after overeating, but relieved of tension and other negative emotions after emptying their stomachs. Those with binge-eating disorder frequently have episodes of uncontrolled eating, but unlike bulimics, they do not purge their bodies of the food or calories. Anorexia and bulimia are usually preceded by very strict dieting and weight loss, and binge eating disorder can begin with occasional binge eating. Whenever eating starts assuming a central role in an individual's life and is having a destructive impact on functioning or self-image, it is time to seek the assistance of a highly trained mental health professional, such as a licensed psychologist experienced in treating people with eating disorders.