Eating disorders are one of the unspoken secrets that effects individuals and families. Millions of Americans are afflicted with this disorder every year, primarily adolescents and young women. Rarely talked about, an eating disorder silently affects a large amount of women daily.

A person with an eating disorder should not be blamed for having it! These disorders are caused by a complex interaction of social, biological and psychological factors which bring about the harmful behaviors. The important thing is to stop as soon as you recognize these behaviors in yourself, or to get help to begin the road to recovery. In my practice treating those who struggle with eating disorders nearly always includes cognitive-behavioral. Helping one gain awareness and insight into their thinking behind their food restrictive behaviors brings empowerment to the individual which in turn motivates them to change. Medications may also be appropriate and have been found effective in the treatment of these disorders, when combined with psychotherapy. Each case is assessed on as needed basis.

There are 3 Main Types of Eating Disorders:

   Anorexia
   Bulimia
   Binge Eating Disorder

Anorexia (also known as anorexia nervosa) is the name for simply starving yourself because you are convinced you are overweight. If you are at least 15 percent under your normal body weight and you are losing weight through not eating, you may be suffering from this disorder.

Bulimia (also known as bulimia nervosa) is characterized by excessive eating, and then ridding yourself of the food by vomiting, abusing laxatives or diuretics, taking enemas, or exercising obsessively. This behavior of ridding yourself of the calories from consumed food is often called “purging.”

A person who suffers from this disorder can have it go undetected for years, because the person’s body weight will often remain normal. “Binging” and “purging” behavior is often done in secret and with a great deal of shame attached to the behavior. It is also the more common eating disorder.

Eating disorders are serious problems and need to be diagnosed and treated like any medical disease. If they continue to go untreated, these behaviors can result in future severe medical complications that can be life-threatening.