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Beyond Anorexia and Bulimia
Eating Disorders Not Specified
By Sue Marquette Poremba
Binge eating disorder (BED) has only recently been recognized as an eating disorder. According to Dr. Michael Kaplan of The Center for Medical Weight Loss, BED consists of the following symptoms:
- continue to eat after being full
- cannot stop eating
- lack of control of eating
- eating large quantities of food when not hungry
"It's an addiction – and no different from most addictions," Dr. Kaplan says. "The person gets an increased pleasure when participating in the activity, and they can't stop themselves."
To treat the disorder is also to treat the addiction. "We put patients on a low-calorie diet, and then get them counseling to help them to understand and break the addiction," he says.
According to Jane White, associate dean for research and graduate programs at Adelphia University School of Nursing, orthorexia happens to people who think they are eating healthy but aren't.
"They are using supplements, vitamins, minerals – supposedly healthy approaches, but they end up doing damage to their bodies," she says. People who insist on eating organic foods only are at risk for orthorexia, she says. "They won't or can't eat out normally. Eating organic becomes an obsession."
An obsession is one of the hallmarks of an eating disorder. Experts are quick to remind you that eating disorders aren't about the food or eating itself; it's the psychological problems that lead to dysfunctional views.
Disordered eating occurs in those who are obsessive about weight. Obviously, this can cover various eating disorders, but it also covers the person who eats disproportionately to compensate for too many calories at one meal or the person who skips a meal thinking this is the best way to lose weight.