Eating Disorders

ED's types & description

Eating Disorders or EDs
can start as trivial preoccupations with body shape and form. For example, 19% of adolescent girls try to control their weight, compared with 8% of adolescent boys.
If eating disorders become established earlier in a child or adolescent, linked to environmental factors and stress, they can persist over time, with an impact on the physical and psychological development of young people. There are four types of eating disorder.

anorexia nervosa
bulimia nervosa
bulimic hyperphagia
avoidant/restrictive eating disorder (ARFID)

as well as atypical forms of these disorders.

The prevalence ofanorexia nervosa in young women varies between 1 and 2%, while in men it is estimated at between 0.25% and 0.3%.

La bulimia has a prevalence of around 1.5% in the 11-20 age group, and affects around three girls for every boy. Its severity varies. It generally begins later than anorexia nervosa, at around 19-20 years of age, and may succeed it or be associated with it in almost 50 % of cases.

L'bulimic hyperphagia is more common (3 to 5 % of the population) and affects men and women almost equally. It is more often diagnosed in adulthood, but there are also early forms that are often more severe.

Eating disorders can be very severe, if they become chronic, and can lead to premature death (in 5 to 10% in connection with somatic consequences and 27% by suicide).

The aim of our site is to provide you with information about symptomsthe causes and treatments eating disorders. It also brings together training courses for psychologists and dieticians wishing to take shape in the management of patients suffering from ADD. Consult our various sections to find out more about this important subject.

Do you suspect that your patient may have an eating disorder?

The SCOFF questionnaire provides an initial assessment.
Simply enter your answers to the 5 questions in the test

I give my patient the Scoff assessment test

What are the different types of eating disorders?TCA) ?

Anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa (anorexia: loss of appetite, mentalis: in the mind) is characterised by an intense fear of gaining weight or of 'putting on weight' despite being too low.

People suffering from anorexia try to control their weight and stay slim. This exaggerated control plays an important role in their thoughts and leads to a number of behaviours, such as calculating their calories, weighing their food, weighing themselves several times a week or even every day, etc.
The person becomes increasingly strict about what they eat and what they eat or forbid themselves to eat. There may be a feeling of shame or guilt after eating.

A person suffering from anorexia nervosa also has dysmorphia (seeing oneself as very fat, even if the person is underweight).
For girls, weight loss can lead to irregular periods or even to the cessation of periods.

Bulimia nervosa

Bulimia is characterised by uncontrollable bouts of excessive eating (or hyperphagia) followed by compensatory behaviours to keep the weight off. In other words, the person suffering from bulimia loses control of their eating.
She eats a large quantity of food in a very short time, even though her body does not feel hungry. These episodes may occur at times of particular emotional stress. Following these compulsive eating episodes, the person displays "compensatory" behaviours, i.e. behaviours aimed at eliminating the food they have ingested (e.g. exercising very intensively).
These moments are accompanied by great guilt, low self-esteem and physical and psychological discomfort.
As with anorexia, bulimia sufferers are often dissatisfied with their body image and obsess about their weight and food.

It is difficult to detect whether someone is suffering from bulimia because they may appear to be in very good health. They may be of "normal" weight or even be considered "overweight".

Hyperphagia syndrome

Hyperphagia syndrome is characterised by recurrent episodes of binge eating, in which the person eats particularly excessive quantities of food, i.e. loses total control over the quantity of food ingested, without this being associated with compensatory behaviour (vomiting, laxatives, etc.). She eats to the point where she feels very uncomfortable.

People who suffer from hyperphagia may eat to calm certain emotions that they find more difficult. In a way, food can become a source of comfort and well-being for them.

People who suffer from binge eating disorder are often overweight or obese.

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