Types of Eating Disorders and their Symptoms & Treatment
Eating
disorders are typical set of conditions wherein the person exhibits unhealthy
and abnormal patterns of food intake. Eating disorders should never be taken casually since
they can have serious repercussions in life. This debilitating disorder breaks
all barriers and its consequences are devastating both on the body and mind.
The victims definitely require medical help in addition to psychological
counseling and assistance so as to overcome this disorder. The journey is
undoubtedly ongoing and arduous but well worth the effort.
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of eating disorders but it
is observed that they manifest with associated medical and psychological
problems such as
depression, substance abuse, low self-esteem, emotional turmoil etc
Types of eating disorders
There are different types of eating disorders. These include;
·
anorexia
·
nervosa
·
bulimia
·
binge
eating
On early detection and recognition of
the symptoms of eating disorder the
chances of recovery increase . Hence it is very important to know the early
warning signs and identify the symptoms;
·
always
feeling guilty and depressed after overeating
·
The
person keeps eating until uncomfortably full
·
The
persons frequently eat alone due to
being embarrassed over excessive food consumption
·
The person eats faster than usual
·
The
person consumes large quantities of food,
even when not specifically hungry
·
The
person refuses to maintain optimum body weight
·
Skipping meals or taking small portions of food at regular
meals
·
Gains
weight very fast
·
Experiences
acute fear of gaining weight even if
underweight
·
Always
concerned about how others perceive his size, shape and body weight
·
Denial in admitting
the serious issue of overweight
·
Withdrawal from friends and social activities
·
Difficulties in concentration
·
Menstrual irregularities in women
·
Extreme
and frequent mood swings
·
Impaired immune functions
·
Dental and skin problems
·
Muscle weakness
·
Over
exercise
Effective
treatment for eating disorders
Usually the person suffering from eating
disorder is treated medically, psychologically and nutritionally. Family
support is also recommended by experts. The treatment plan varies
depending on the severity and type of symptoms .The team of medical
experts, psychotherapists, clinical
counselors, nutritionists, and
psychiatrists working in eating disorder treatment centers help to create an effective treatment plan for treating eating disorders. A combination of psychological
therapy, nutrition education, medication and medical monitoring and sometimes
medications are an important part of eating disorder treatment. A multidisciplinary
approach is essential and proves to be effective in curing eating disorders.
The treatment encompasses anti depression medications, gastric intestinal
surgeries, yoga, behavioral therapies art therapy , equine therapy or even simple
self help counseling. Eating disorders need to be handled on a proactive basis
and thus a typical standalone mode of treatment will not work. Hence a multi
disciplinary approach in eating
disorder treatment is
generally the ideal way for road to recovery.
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