Demi Lovato, Lady Gaga, Russel Brand, and Princess Diana are all famous personalities. They are well known American singers, a famous English comedian-actor, and a member of the British Royal family. Do you know they all had something in common? They’ve all suffered from eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, diabulimia, muscle dysmorphia, restrictive eating disorder, rumination disorder, and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) are all different types of eating disorders.

Let us understand 3 common types of eating disorders here:

1. Anorexia Nervosa
An intense, obsessive fear of gaining weight invariably makes people with this disorder restrict the foods they eat. They do not maintain an appropriate weight in proportion to their age and height. In spite of being underweight, people with Anorexia Nervosa typically tend to believe they are overweight and have an extremely negative and unrealistic self-image. Anorexia patients could run the risk of brain and heart damage, multi-organ failure, brittle hair, and nails, thinning of their bones and infertility.

2. Bulimia Nervosa
People suffering from Bulimia Nervosa consume an enormous quantity of food in a very short time. Then feeling disgusted and guilty after overeating, they resort to purging all the food they have eaten. In spite of maintaining normal body weight, they exercise obsessively, follow unreasonable fasting habits, constantly feel the need to promptly expel the food they have eaten. Being severe self-critics, they tend to indulge in purging by self-induced forced vomiting or use laxatives and diuretics excessively. They binge-eat to the point where they feel so incredibly uncomfortable but are unable to voluntarily control portion sizes. Bulimia Nervosa could cause inflammation and sore throat because of continuous vomiting, resulting in swollen salivary glands, tooth decay, acid reflux, severe dehydration, and hormonal disturbances. In severe cases, it could also result in a stroke or heart attack.

3. Binge Eating Disorder
Despite not feeling any hunger, people suffering from this type of eating disorder gulp down large quantities of food in a few minutes. In extreme cases, they also steal and hoard a lot of food. Of course, this constant urge to eat leads to them being obese and overweight. Because of the apparent lack of control, they exhibit when they eat food, feelings of embarrassment, shame and depression arise. This naturally becomes a sequential cycle that leads them to eat more. Potential complications of binge eating disorders may lead to type 2 diabetes, stroke, or even heart disease.

Different types of eating disorders can be caused by several factors like genetics, malfunctioning hormones, certain nutritional deficiencies, negative self-esteem and body image, childhood trauma, a debilitated family or societal environment, peer pressure, and stress. Ever so often, even a self-imposed emotional yearning to fit into a preconceived social image of a model, dancer, actor, gymnast, or athlete could trigger an eating disorder. Make sure you consult a specialist for timely diagnosis and prognosis of the type of eating disorder you are suffering from.