Eating disorders are a group of mental disorders that interfere with normal food consumption. They may lead to serious health problems and, in the case of both bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa, even death. The major recognized eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and rumination. Other mental disorders, such as clinical depression or anxiety can also disturb eating patterns, but these disorders are not considered eating disorders. In these cases, the change in eating behaviour is not considered a central feature of the disorder. The Scream, the famous painting commonly thought of as depicting the experience of mental illness. ... Bulimia nervosa, an eating disorder more commonly known as bulimia, is a psychological condition in which the subject engages in recurrent binge eating followed by intentionally doing one or more of the following in order to compensate for the intake of the food and prevent weight gain: vomiting inappropriate use... Anorexia nervosa (commonly shortened to anorexia) is an eating disorder characterised by voluntary starvation and exercise stress. ... Binge eating disorder is a medical syndrome in which, according to currently accepted definitions, people: feel their eating is out of control; eat what most people would think is an unusually large amount of food; eat much more quickly than usual during binge episodes; eat until so full they are... Rumination is an eating disorder characterized by repetitive regurgitation of small amounts of food from the stomach. ... In ordinary conversation, nearly any mood with some element of sadness may be called depressed. However, for depression to be termed clinical depression it must reach criteria which are generally accepted by clinicians; it is more than just a temporary state of sadness. ...

An eating disorder is a serious psychological condition. The sufferer is obsessed with food, diet and often body image to the point where their quality of life suffers, and their health is at extreme risk from their long-term poor or inadequate diet. Most victims of an eating disorder do not recognize that they have a problem and they will refuse treatment and attempt to hide their abnormal behaviour from others. Treatment of eating disorders can take decades, so early identification may be the difference between life and death for the patient. Food from plant sources Food is any substance normally eaten or drunk by living organisms. ... See also List of diets Dieting is the practice or habit of eating (and drinking) in a regulated fashion, usually with the aim of losing weight. ... A persons body image is their perception of their physical appearance. ...

The two major types of eating disorder which will be the most familiar to many are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Binge eating disorder is similar to bulimia. Large amounts of food are consumed at a sitting but retained in the stomach rather than being regurgitated. Some experts consider a complaint called orthorexia to be a valid eating disorder - the sufferer is overly obsessed with the consumption of what they see as the 'right' foods for them (vegan, raw foods, etc), to the point where their nutrition and quality of life suffers. Some people have food phobias about what they can and can't eat, which may also be a form of eating disorder. Another disorder which is somewhat qualitatively different from the foregoing is pica, or the habitual ingestion of inedibles, such as dirt, wood, hair, etc. This has been scientifically proven by numerous university-level studies. Orthorexia, or orthorexia nervosa in full, is closely related to the disorder anorexia nervosa. ... This article is about the dietary lifestyle, Vegan can also mean relating to vega, especially the star Vega, as in astronomical references to the Vegan system, or Science Fiction references to aliens from that system. ... The raw food diet (or living foods diet) is a dietary regimen consisting of uncooked and unprocessed organic foods. ... The term phobia, which comes from the Ancient Greek word for fear (φόβος, fobos), denotes a number of psychological and physiological conditions that can range from serious disabilities to common fears to minor quirks. ... Pica is an abnormal appetite for soil, flour, chalk, starch or other non-foods. ...

There are many different degrees of anorexia and bulimia. Anorexia may be mild, where a person may eat but only allow themselves certain foods, or severe to the point of literally starving themselves to the point of death. There are other forms of purging besides vomiting- compulsive exercise, laxatives, and enemas being the other main ones. Other sufferers also allow themselves a small variety of foods and exercise compulsively, being categorized as eating disorder not otherwise specified. Three-fourths of patients fall into this category and their symptoms may be more severe and life threatening than those suffering from anorexia, bulimia or binge eating disorder This article is about nutritional starvation. ... A laxative is a preparation used for the purpose of encouraging defecation, or the elimination of feces. ... This rectal bulb syringe may be used to administer small enemas. ...

Anyone can have an Eating Disorder, but it most often occurs with young teens because they are the most at risk, due to their extreme exposure to the media. Teen’s feelings of need to conform to an idea of beauty that the media projects can be too much for some to deal with and can force them to take drastic measures to change their appearance.

External links

• Eating Disorders: Counseling Issues (http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-922/eating.htm)
• Eating Disorder FAQs (http://web4health.info/en/index-ed.shtml)
• Eating Disorders (http://www.womenshealthzone.net/eating-disorders/eating-disorders/)
• Less-well-known eating disorders (http://www.anred.com/defslesser.html)