The most common types of eating disorders
The three most common eating disorders are bulimia, anorexia, and binge eating disorder.
People who live with anorexia tend to obsess about every calorie they take in and severely limit what they eat, while bulimia involves binging large amounts of food and then purging. Purging can be induced vomiting, use of enemas, laxatives, or diuretics to prevent weight gain.
Binge eating disorder (BED) is often confused with overeating and involves consuming large quantities of food in a very short amount of time. There are usually feelings of loss of control, shame, and guilt associated with the binges. BED differs from bulimia in that there are typically no episodes of purging after.
These conditions are rarely about the food itself. Instead, they’re a method of coping with emotional issues. People who may feel powerless over many aspects of their lives will start restricting their food intake, offering them some semblance of control.