Types of eating disorders
Most people think of the main types of eating disorder as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.
However, there are many other patterns of eating disorder such as over-eating, under-eating, over-exercising and extreme-dieting. While these types of eating disorder are not seen as clinical conditions, unlike conditions such as anorexia and bulimia, they are nevertheless serious conditions that warrant serious attention when they cause harm to the sufferer or those around them.
Behaviours can co-exist
For example, someone may binge eat and purge regularly, but not so frequently than is required for a diagnosis of bulimia. Or they may restrict their calorie intake to such an extent that they are taking on only a few hundred a day but their weight has not dropped enough for a diagnosis of anorexia.
The fact is, just because a condition doesn't quite fit a specific diagnosis, it can still cause a great deal of distress to the sufferer, not to mention adverse health effects, poor nutrition and disruption to daily routines. Another important consideration is the fact that eating disorders can co-exist alongside one another.
Follow these links to find more information about patterns of eating disorders including symptoms, causes and effects: