Eating and Weight Disorders List
Anorexia - Restriction Type- males and females; any age (teens, early 20s, 30s, 40s).
Anorexia - Binge/Purge- males and females; any age (teens, early 20s, 30s, 40s); in combination
with other addictions including but not exclusive to exercise, drugs, sex, stealing, smoking.
Anorexia - Atypical/Sub Therapeutic – not underweight but presents with symptomology of
either a restriction or binge/purge type; can be found in those who are overweight or obese;
males and females; any age.
Anorexia Athletica - associated with pre-professional and elite athletes. Excessive training as
well as calorie restriction. Self-worth is determined by performance and outcome and no
pleasure is derived from the activity and/or training. May have other addictions including illicit
drugs.
Avoidant/Restrictive Intake Disorder (Orthorexia) - we now know this as DIETING! This seems
to have become the norm in society and has been masked by the new ‘Clean Eating’ ideals in
society at the moment but don’t be fooled. This is a cover up for Disordered Eaters! Statements
of ‘pure’, ‘right’, ‘proper’, ‘food groups’, ‘low carb’, ‘high protein’, ‘green’ is taken to the
extreme and an obsession with food, eating and ‘being healthy’ and ‘resisting temptation’. They
will restrict food groups under the guise of health. They may also be following the trends in
exercise to the extreme too.
Binge Eating - occurs less frequently than BED and can be occur in combination with
Avoidant/Restrictive Intake (Dieting) and/or Overexercise. Occurs in normal weight, overweight
and obese people, of any age and gender.
Binge Eating Disorder - occurs at least twice weekly for a 6mth period. Consuming large
amounts of food in a relatively short time with a sense of loss of control over the food
consumption. This occurs in the absence of hunger and occurs until the person is uncomfortably
full. Negative feelings follow but there are no compensatory behaviours. Occurs in normal
weight but mainly overweight and obese males and females.
Body Image Dissatisfaction and Dysmorphia - males and females; any age; a pre-occupation
with not liking and feeling comfortable with body size and shape; creates a low self-esteem,
depression and anxiety; constant comparison to others with a focus on ‘ideals’; affects eating
and exercise behaviours leading to eating and weight disorders.
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Females want to be thinner and smaller.
Males can have two types of dysmorphia, one placed on the body and one on the
muscles. There are different presentations in each case with body dysmorphia
presenting as Anorexic and/or Bulimic Disorders. Those with muscle dysmorphia
have Bigorexia, a desire to‘bulk up’ and have the perfect body at all costs. This
leads to unhealthy use of steroids and other substances/drugs to increase muscle
mass. Male body dissatisfaction has tripled in 25years from 15% to 45%.
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Bulimia - Binge/Purge - loss of control over food consumption followed by a compensatory
behaviour that may include one or more of the following: vomiting, laxatives, diuretics, enemas,
fasting, overexercising. The foods of choice during the binge are usually calorie dense foods
however, this can occur on healthy foods too.
Bulimia - Purge Only - using one or more of the following compensatory behaviours: vomiting,
laxatives, diuretics, enemas, fasting, overexercising. This behaviour usually occurs after normal
intake of foods and is likely to occur after select, if not all, intake/meals.
Bulimia - Sub Therapeutic - does not fulfil the criteria for Bulimia but is either in the slope up or
slope down from Anorexia or Bulimia.
Chew Spit - chews food and then spits it out (does not swallow). Often in combination with
Anorexia (restrictive), Binge eating (sub), Avoidant/Restrictive and Overexercise. This can
include food but also other things like chewing gum.
Emotional/Stress Overeating - eating when not hungry to alleviate negative emotions, increase
positive emotions, irrationally reward oneself. It can be sporadic or on a regular basis. The
quantity of the food varies. If the regularity and need to emotionally eat is occurring more than
once a week and the quantities of food consumed are large then they may actually be Sub
Therapeutic Binge Eating.
Food Addiction - unhealthy food is a substance that is used in either normal or large amounts
every day to help the person function. Over time, quantities increase and preference for and
intake of healthy food becomes minimal. Despite knowing that it is harming their health, they
can’t stop. Their lives are impaired physically, psychologically and socially because of the
increased intake and need. If they try to stop it, they suffer symptoms of withdrawal. The
addiction is behavioural, psychological and biochemical.
Night - Time Eating Syndrome - eating occurs after dinner and prior to waking in the morning
and occurs in a fully awakened state. People with this syndrome do not eat in the mornings with
very little calorie consumption in the first half of the day. They may only start eating around
lunchtime or even later, with most of the calories being consumed in the afternoon/night.
Nocturnal Sleep-related Eating Disorder - eating occurs after sleep is initiated and prior to
waking in the morning and can occur in states between fully unconscious to fully awake.
Obesity - occurs at any age in males and females; may or may not have an associated underlying
Disordered Eating Behaviour. Combined Obesity and Disordered Eating Behaviours is the fastest
growing Eating and Weight Disorders in Australia.
Overexercise/Dependent Exercising - needing to exercise to the point of exhaustion. An
obsession and compulsion to exercise to compensate for negative feelings and/or food intake.
Not exercising causes anxiety, stress and/or depression. If exhaustion is not achieved during a
session, negative feelings result in an increased intensity of the next session or compensatory
behaviour post-session. Can occur in combination with any or all of the disordered eating
behaviours. This usually occurs in combination with Avoidant/Restrictive Intake Disorder and
Sub Therapeutic Binge Eating.
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Pica - eating things that are not food and can lead to health risks. This is seen in those with
autism and schizophrenia however can occur in the population as a disordered eating
behaviour. It is rare but does exist. There are many substances but the main ones found in our
culture among those with other disordered eating behaviours include: ice, chewing gum, cotton
wool, tissues, chalk. Strongly linked to childhood stressors and trauma.
Yo-yo dieting - also known as weight cycling, it is repeatedly losing weight through a change in
eating and/or exercise behaviours followed by a regain of the weight and reverting back to old
eating and/or exercise behaviours. The cycles can be short or long in duration. People generally
gain more than they lose. The ‘diet’ phase is usually very extreme, restrictive and unobtainable
long-term causing a rebound effect. A restrict/binge cycle is often seen.
References
ACORN Food Dependency Recovery Services (2014). Am I a Food Addict? Retrieved from
http://foodaddiction.com/am-i-a-food-addict/
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders
(4th ed., text revision). Washington, DC: Author.
Food Addiction Institute (2014). Food Addiction as part of the Obesity Epidemic. Retrieved from
http://foodaddictioninstitute.org/
Lein, S. (2014). Types of Eating Disorders. Retrieved from
http://www.eatingdisordersonline.com/explain/index.php
McKeon, G. (March 10, 2014). Bigorexia: Young men, body image and steroids. Revised from
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/men-body-imagesteroids/5306494
National Eating Disorders Collaboration. (Updated July 4, 2014). What is Anorexia
Nervosa? Retrieved from http://www.nedc.com.au/anorexia-nervosa
National Eating Disorders Collaboration. (Updated August 1, 2014). What is Bulimia
Nervosa? Retrieved from http://www.nedc.com.au/bulimia-nervosa
National Eating Disorders Collaboration. (Updated July 4, 2014). What is Binge Eating
Disorder? Retrieved from http://www.nedc.com.au/binge-eating-disorder
National Institute of Mental Health (2007). Eating Disorders. Retrieved from
http://oyc.yale.edu/sites/default/files/EatingDisorders.pdf
The National Centre for Eating Disorders (2012). Compulsive Overeating & Binge Eating
Disorder. Retrieved from http://eating-disorders.org.uk/information/compulsiveovereating-binge-eating-disorder/
The National Eating Disorders Association (n.d.). Additional Eating or Feeding Disorders.
Retrieved from https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/additional-eating-or-feedingdisorders
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