6 Common Types of Eating Disorders

(and Their Symptoms)

1. Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is likely the most well-known eating disorder.

It generally develops during adolescence or young adulthood and tends to affect more women than
men (7).

People with anorexia generally view themselves as overweight, even if they’re dangerously
underweight. They tend to constantly monitor their weight, avoid eating certain types of foods and
severely restrict their calories.

Common symptoms of anorexia nervosa include (8):

 Being considerably underweight compared to people of similar age and height.

 Very restricted eating patterns.

 An intense fear of gaining weight or persistent behaviors to avoid gaining weight, despite being
underweight.

 A relentless pursuit of thinness and unwillingness to maintain a healthy weight.

 A heavy influence of body weight or perceived body shape on self-esteem.

 A distorted body image, including denial of being seriously underweight.

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms are also often present. For instance, many people with anorexia are
preoccupied with constant thoughts about food, and some may even obsessively collect recipes or
hoard foods.

Such individuals may also have difficulty eating in public and have a strong desire to control their
environment, limiting their ability to be spontaneous.

Anorexia is officially categorized into two subtypes — the restricting type and the binge-eating and
purging type (8).

Individuals with the restricting type lose weight solely through dieting, fasting or excessive exercise.

Individuals with the binge-eating and purging type may binge on large amounts of food or eat very
little. In both cases, after they eat, they purge using activities including vomiting, taking laxatives or
diuretics or exercising excessively.
Anorexia can be very damaging to the body. Over time, individuals living with it may experience the
thinning of their bones, infertility, brittle hair and nails and the growth of a layer of fine hair all over
their body (9).

In severe cases, anorexia can result in heart, brain or multi-organ failure and death.

SUMMARY: People with anorexia nervosa may limit their food intake or compensate for it through
various purging behaviors. They have an intense fear of gaining weight, even when severely
underweight.

2. Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is another well-known eating disorder.

Just like anorexia, bulimia tends to develop during adolescence and early adulthood and appears to
be less common among men than women (7).

People with bulimia frequently eat unusually large amounts of food in a relatively short period.

Each binge-eating episode usually continues until the person becomes painfully full. Moreover, during
a binge, the person usually feels that they cannot stop eating or control how much they are eating.

Binges can happen with any type of food, but most commonly occur with foods the individual would
normally avoid.

Individuals with bulimia then attempt to purge to compensate for the calories consumed and relieve
gut discomfort.

Common purging behaviors include forced vomiting, fasting, laxatives, diuretics, enemas and
excessive exercise.

Symptoms may appear very similar to the binge-eating or purging subtypes of anorexia nervosa.
However, individuals with bulimia usually maintain a relatively normal weight, rather than becoming
underweight.

Common symptoms of bulimia nervosa include (8):

 Recurrent episodes of binge eating, with a feeling of lack of control

 Recurrent episodes of inappropriate purging behaviors to prevent weight gain

 A self-esteem overly influenced by body shape and weight

 A fear of gaining weight, despite having a normal weight

Side effects of bulimia may include an inflamed and sore throat, swollen salivary glands, worn tooth
enamel, tooth decay, acid reflux, irritation of the gut, severe dehydration and hormonal disturbances
(9).
In severe cases, bulimia can also create an imbalance in body levels of electrolytes such as sodium,
potassium and calcium. This can cause a stroke or heart attack.

SUMMARY: People with bulimia nervosa uncontrollably consume large amounts of food in short
periods of time, then purge. They fear gaining weight despite being at a normal weight.

3. Binge Eating Disorder

Binge eating was only officially recognized as an eating disorder relatively recently.

However, it is currently believed to be one of the most common eating disorders, especially in the US
(10).

Binge eating disorder typically begins during adolescence and early adulthood, although it can also
develop later on.

Individuals with this disorder have similar symptoms to those with bulimia or the binge-eating
subtype of anorexia.

For instance, they typically eat unusually large amounts of food in relatively short periods of time and
usually feel a lack of control during binges.

However, contrary to the two previous disorders, people with binge eating disorder do not restrict
calories or use purging behaviors such as vomiting or excessive exercise to compensate for their
binges.

Common symptoms of binge eating disorder include (8):

 Eating large amounts of foods rapidly, in secret and until uncomfortably full, despite not feeling
hungry.

 Feeling a lack of control during episodes of binge eating.

 Feelings of distress, such as shame, disgust or guilt, when thinking about the binge-eating
behavior.

 No use of purging behaviors, such as calorie restriction, vomiting, excessive exercise or laxative or
diuretic use, to compensate for the binging.

People with binge eating disorder are often overweight or obese. This may increase their risk of
medical complications linked to excess weight, such as heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes (11).

SUMMARY: People with binge eating disorder regularly and uncontrollably consume large amounts
of food in short periods of time. Unlike people with other eating disorders, they do not purge.
4. Pica
Pica is another entirely new condition only recently recognized as an eating disorder by the DSM.

Individuals with pica crave non-food substances such as ice, dirt, soil, chalk, soap, paper, hair, cloth,
wool, pebbles, laundry detergent or cornstarch (8).

Pica can occur in adults, as well as children and adolescents. That said, this disorder is most frequently
observed in children, pregnant women and individuals with mental disabilities (12).

Individuals with pica may be at an increased risk of poisoning, infections, gut injuries and nutrition
deficiencies. Depending on the substances ingested, pica may be fatal.

However, to be considered pica, the eating of non-food substances must not be a normal part of
someone's culture or religion. In addition, it must not be considered a socially acceptable practice by
a person's peers.

SUMMARY:Individuals with pica tend to crave and eat non-food substances. This disorder may
particularly affect children, pregnant women and individuals with mental disabilities.

5. Rumination Disorder
Rumination disorder is another newly recognized eating disorder.

It describes a condition in which a person regurgitates food they have previously chewed and
swallowed, re-chews it and then either re-swallows it or spits it out (13).

This rumination typically occurs within the first 30 minutes after a meal. Unlike medical conditions
such as reflux, it is voluntary (14).

This disorder can develop during infancy, childhood or adulthood. In infants, it tends to develop
between three and 12 months and often disappears on its own. Children and adults with the
condition usually require therapy to resolve it.

If not resolved in infants, rumination disorder can result in weight loss and severe malnutrition that
can be fatal.

Adults with this disorder may restrict the amount of food they eat, especially in public. This may lead
them to lose weight and become underweight (8, 14).

SUMMARY:Rumination disorder can affect people at all stages of life. People with the condition
generally regurgitate the food they've recently swallowed. Then they chew it again and either swallow
it or spit it out.
6. Avoidant or Restrictive Food Intake
Disorder
Avoidant or restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a new name for an old disorder.

It actually replaces what was known as a "feeding disorder of infancy and early childhood," a
diagnosis previously reserved for children under seven years old.

Although ARFID generally develops during infancy or early childhood, it can persist into adulthood.
What's more, it is equally common in men and women.

Individuals with this disorder experience disturbed eating either due to a lack of interest in eating or a
distaste for certain smells, tastes, colors, textures or temperatures.

Common symptoms of ARFID include (8):

 Avoidance or restriction of food intake that prevents the person from eating sufficient calories or
nutrients.

 Eating habits that interfere with normal social functions, such as eating with others.

 Weight loss or poor development for age and height.

 Nutrient deficiencies or dependence on supplements or tube feeding.

It's important to note that ARFID goes beyond normal behaviors, such as picky eating in toddlers or a
lower food intake in older adults.

Moreover, it does not include the avoidance or restriction of foods due to lack of availability or
religious or cultural practices.

SUMMARY: ARFID is an eating disorder that causes people to under eat. This is either due to a lack of
interest in food or an intense distaste for how certain foods look, smell or taste.
 Body odor is the perceived unpleasant smell our bodies can give off when bacteria that live on
the skin break down sweat into acids.

Some say it is the smell of bacteria growing on the body, but it is actually the result of bacteria
breaking down protein into certain acids.

It is also known as B.O., bromhidrosis, osmidrosis, or ozochrotia.

What is body odor?

When a body gives off a scent others may find unpleasant, it is known as body odor.

Body odor usually becomes evident if measures are not taken when a human reaches puberty.
People who are obese, those who regularly eat spicy foods, as well as individuals with certain
medical conditions, such as diabetes, are more susceptible to having body odor.

People who sweat too much, such as those with hyperhidrosis, may also be susceptible to
body odor. However, often the salt level of their sweat is too high for the bacteria to break
down. It depends on where the excess sweating is occurring and which type of sweat glands
are involved.

Sweat itself is virtually odorless to humans. It is the rapid multiplication of bacteria in the
presence of sweat and their breaking down of sweat into acids that eventually causes the
unpleasant smell.

Body odor is most likely to occur in the following places:

 feet

 groin

 armpits

 genitals

 pubic hair and other hair

 belly button

 anus

 behind the ears

 the rest of the skin, to a lesser extent

Body odor can have a pleasant and specific smell to the individual and can be used to identify
people, especially by dogs and other animals. Each person's unique body odor can be influenced
by diet, gender, health, and medication.
Different Kinds Of Psychological Problems
1.Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Neurodevelopmental disorders are those that are typically diagnosed during infancy, childhood,
or adolescence. These psychological disorders include:

 Intellectual disability (or Intellectual Developmental Disorder) was formerly referred to

as mental retardation. This type of developmental disorder originates prior to the age of
18 and is characterized by limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive
behaviors.

Limitations to intellectual functioning are often identified through the use of IQ tests,
with an IQ score between 70 and 75 often indicating the presence of a limitation.
Adaptive behaviors are those that involve practical, everyday skills such as self-care,
social interaction, and living skills.
 Global developmental delay is a diagnosis for developmental disabilities in children who
are under the age of five. Such delays relate to cognition, social functioning, speech,
language, and motor skills. It is generally seen as a temporary diagnosis applying to kids
who are still too young to take standardized IQ tests. Once children reach the age where
they are able to take a standardized intelligence test, they may be diagnosed with
intellectual disability.
 Communication disorders are those that impact the ability to use, understand, or
detect language and speech.. The DSM-5 identifies four different subtypes of
communication disorders: language disorder, speech sound disorder, childhood onset
fluency disorder (stuttering), and social (pragmatic) communication disorder.
 Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by persistent deficits in social interaction and
communication in multiple life areas as well as restricted and repetitive patterns of
behaviors. The DSM specifies that symptoms of autism spectrum disorder must be
present during the early developmental period and that these symptoms must cause
significant impairment in important areas of life including social and occupational
functioning.
 Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is characterized by a persistent pattern of
hyperactivity-impulsivity and/or inattention that interferes with functioning and
presents itself in two or more settings such as at home, work, school, and social
situations. The DSM-5 specifies that several of the symptoms must have been present
prior to the age of 12 and that these symptoms must have a negative impact on social,
occupational, or academic functioning.
2.Bipolar and Related Disorders

Bipolar disorder is characterized by shifts in mood as well as changes in activity and energy
levels. The disorder often involves experiencing shifts between elevated moods and periods of
depression. Such elevated moods can be pronounced and are referred to either as mania or
hypomania.

Compared to the previous edition of the DSM, in the DSM-5 the criteria for manic and
hypomanic episodes include an increased focus on changes in energy levels and activity as well
as changes in mood.

 Mania is characterized by feeling overly excited and even hyper. Periods of mania are
sometimes marked by feelings of distraction, irritability, and excessive confidence.
People experiencing mania are also more prone to engage in activities that might have
negative long-term consequences such as gambling and shopping sprees.
 Depressive episodes are characterized by feelings of intense sadness, guilt, fatigue, and
irritability. During a depressive period, people with bipolar disorder may lose interest in
activities that they previously enjoyed, experience sleeping difficulties, and even have
thoughts of suicide.

Both manic and depressive episodes can be frightening for both the person experiencing these
symptoms as well as family, friends, and other loved ones who observe these behaviors and
mood shifts. Fortunately, appropriate and effective treatments, which often include both
medications and psychotherapy, can help people with bipolar disorder successfully manage
their symptoms.

3.Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders are those that are characterized by excessive and persistent fear, worry,
anxiety and related behavioral disturbances. Fear involves an emotional response to a threat,
whether that threat is real or perceived. Anxiety involves the anticipation that a future threat
may arise.

In one survey published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, it was estimated that as many as
18 percent of American adults suffer from at least one anxiety disorder.

Types of anxiety disorders include:

 Generalized anxiety disorder which is marked by excessive worry about everyday

events. While some stress and worry are a normal and even common part of life, GAD
involves worry that is so excessive that it interferes with a person's well-being and
functioning.
 Agoraphobia is characterized by a pronounced fear a wide range of public places.
People who experience this disorder often fear that they will suffer a panic attack in a
setting where escape might be difficult.

Because of this fear, those with agoraphobia often avoid situations that might trigger an
anxiety attack. In some cases, this avoidance behavior can reach a point where the
individual is unable to even leave their own home.
 Social anxiety disorder is a fairly common psychological disorder that involves an
irrational fear of being watched or judged. The anxiety caused by this disorder can have
a major impact on an individual's life and make it difficult to function at school, work,
and other social settings.
  Specific phobias involve an extreme fear of a specific object or situation in the
environment. Some examples of common specific phobias include the fear of spiders,
fear of heights, or fear of snakes. The four main types of specific phobias involve natural
events (thunder, lightening, tornadoes), medical (medical procedures, dental
procedures, medical equipment), animals (dogs, snakes, bugs), and situational (small
spaces, leaving home, driving). When confronted by a phobic object or situation, people
may experience nausea, trembling, rapid heart rate, and even a fear of dying.
 Panic disorder is a psychiatric disorder characterized by panic attacks that often seem to
strike out of the blue and for no reason at all. Because of this, people with panic
disorder often experience anxiety and preoccupation over the possibility of having
another panic attack.

People may begin to avoid situations and settings where attacks have occurred in the
past or where they might occur in the future. This can create significant impairments in
many areas of everyday life and make it difficult to carry out normal routines.
 Separation anxiety disorder is a type of anxiety disorder involving an excessive amount
of fear or anxiety related to being separated from attachment figures. People are often
familiar with the idea of separation anxiety as it relates to young children's fear of being
apart from their parents, but older children and adults can experience it as well. When
symptoms become so severe that they interfere with normal functioning, the individual
may be diagnosed with separation anxiety disorder.

Symptoms involve an extreme fear of being away from the caregiver

or attachment figure. The person suffering these symptoms may avoid moving away
from home, going to school, or getting married in order to remain in close proximity to
the attachment figure.

4.Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders

Trauma- and stressor-related disorders involve the exposure to a stressful or traumatic event.
These were previously grouped with the anxiety disorders but are now considered a distinct
category of disorders.

Disorders included in this category include:

 Acute stress disorder, which is characterized by the emergence of severe anxiety within
a one month period after exposure to a traumatic event such as natural disasters, war,
accidents, and witnessing a death.

As a result, the individual may experience dissociative symptoms such as a sense of

altered reality, an inability to remember important aspects of the event, and vivid
flashbacks as if the event were reoccurring. Other symptoms can include reduced
emotional responsiveness, distressing memories of the trauma, and difficulty
experiencing positive emotions.
 Adjustment disorders can occur as a response to a sudden change such as divorce, job
loss, end of a close relationship, a move, or some other loss or disappointment. This
type of psychological disorder can affect both children and adults and is characterized
by symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, depressed mood, worry, anger, hopelessness,
and feelings of isolation.
 Post-traumatic stress disorder can develop after an individual has experienced a
stressful life event. Symptoms of PTSD include episodes of reliving or re-experiencing
the event, avoiding things that remind the individual about the event, feeling on edge,
 and having negative thoughts. Nightmares, flashbacks, bursts of anger, difficulty
concentrating, exaggerated startle response, and difficulty remembering aspects of the
event are just a few possible symptoms that people with PTSD might experience.
 Reactive attachment disorder can result when children do not form normal healthy
relationships and attachments with adult caregivers during the first few years of
childhood. Symptoms of the disorder include being withdrawn from adult caregivers and
social and emotional disturbances that result from patterns of insufficient care and
neglect.

5.Dissociative Disorders

Thomas Barwick / Getty Images

Dissociative disorders are psychological disorders that involve a dissociation or interruption in

aspects of consciousness, including identity and memory.

Dissociative disorders include:

 Dissociative amnesia involves a temporary loss of memory as a result of disassociation.

In many cases, this memory loss, which may last for just a brief period or for many
years, is a result of some type of psychological trauma.

Dissociative amnesia is much more than simple forgetfulness. Those who experience
this disorder may remember some details about events, but may have no recall of other
details around a circumscribed period of time..
 Dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder, involves
the presence of two or more different identities or personalities. Each of these
personalities has its own way of perceiving and interacting with the environment.
People with this disorder experience changes in behavior, memory, perception,
emotional response, and consciousness.
 Depersonalization/derealization disorder is characterized by experiencing a sense of
being outside of one's own body (depersonalization) and being disconnected from
reality (derealization). People who have this disorder often feel a sense of unreality and
an involuntary disconnect from their own memories, feelings, and consciousness.

6.Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders

Formerly referred to under the heading of somatoform disorders, this category is now known as
somatic symptom and related disorders. Somatic symptom disorders are a class of
psychological disorders that involve prominent physical symptoms that may not have a
diagnosable physical cause.

In contrast to previous ways of conceptualizing these disorders based on the absence of a

medical explanation for the physical symptoms, the current diagnosis emphasizes the abnormal
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that occur in response to these symptoms.

Disorders included in this category:

 Somatic symptom disorder involves a preoccupation with physical symptoms that

makes it difficult to function normally. This preoccupation with symptoms results in
 emotional distress and difficulty coping with daily life.

It is important to note that somatic symptoms do not indicate that the individual is
faking his or her physical pain, fatigue, or other symptoms. In this situation, it is not so
much the actual physical symptoms that are disrupting the individual's life as it is the
extreme reaction and resulting behaviors.
 Illness anxiety disorder is characterized by excessive concern about having an
undiagnosed medical condition. Those who experience this psychological disorder worry
excessively about body functions and sensations, are convinced that they have or will
get a serious disease, and are not reassured when medical tests come back negative.

This preoccupation with illness causes significant anxiety and distress. It also leads to
changes in behavior such as seeking medical testing/treatments and avoiding situations
that might pose a health risk.
 Conversion disorder involves experiencing motor or sensory symptoms that lack a
compatible neurological or medical explanation. In many cases, the disorder follows a
real physical injury or stressful even which then results in a psychological and emotional
response.
 Factitious disorder, which used to have its own category, is now included under the
somatic symptom and related disorders category of the DSM-5. A factitious disorder is
when an individual intentionally creates, fakes, or exaggerates symptoms of illness.
Munchausen syndrome, in which people feign an illness to attract attention, is one
severe form of factitious disorder.