What Is Classified as an Eating Disorder?

Anorexia nervosa (AN)

Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight or of becoming fat.

• Even though the person has a significantly low weight, they have a constant fear of putting on weight.
• Symptoms persist for at least 3 months at a time.
• The two subtypes of anorexia nervosa are
• Restricting anorexia nervosa: Weight loss is accomplished primarily through dieting, fasting, and excessive exercise.
• Binge-eating or purging anorexia nervosa: Weight loss is accomplished through reduced eating and episodes of self-induced vomiting or taking laxatives, diuretics (water pills), or enemas.

Bulimia nervosa (BN)

Bulimia nervosa is characterized by:

• A cycle of binge eating (eating an inappropriately large portion of food at once) and inappropriate compensatory behaviors (vomiting, water pills, excessive exercises).
• Symptoms appear at least once a week and last for at least 3 months.
• Based on the number of episodes a week, the disorder is classified as mild, moderate, or severe.

Binge eating disorder (BED)

• Binge eating disorder is when there are recurrent episodes of binge eating but without compensatory behaviors (such as vomiting, taking water pills, or excessive exercise). It is characterized by:
• Eating much more rapidly than normal.
• Eating until feeling uncomfortably full.
• Eating large amounts of food when not hungry.
• Eating alone because of embarrassment around eating habits.
• Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed or guilty.

Pica

Pica is the persistent eating of nonnutritive, nonfood substances for at least one month.

• May be common during pregnancy or in young kids. The disorder is worrisome when found in adults without an obvious physiological cause. 
• People with this disorder may eat anything, such as cotton balls, chalk, wood, or mud. 
• Pica may also be a part of obsessive-compulsive disorders, autistic spectrum disorders, etc.

Rumination disorder

Rumination disorder is characterized by repeated regurgitation of food for at least one month.

• Regurgitated food may be re-chewed, re-swallowed, or spit out. 
• A physiological cause of rumination, such as gastric issues and esophageal narrowing, must be ruled out before a diagnosis of the rumination disorder can be confirmed.

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID): 

People with ARFID have no desire to eat, even when there are large gaps between meals. This food-avoidant behavior cannot be explained by lack of food or by an accepted cultural practice. With this disorder, the eating disturbance or abnormal eating pattern is:

• Consistent.
• Not attributable to a concurrent medical condition or disease.
• Is not better explained by another mental disorder.
• Causes significant distress to the individual in terms of productivity, social life, and daily activities.
• Results in significant nutritional deficiencies.
• Causes dependence on enteral feeding or oral nutritional supplements.
• Causing significant weight loss.

Unspecified feeding or eating disorder (UFED)

This category includes eating disorders that cannot be classified using the criteria mentioned above:

• Body dysmorphic disorder:
  • Preoccupation with one or more perceived defects in their own appearance.
  • Performs repetitive behaviors, such as checking the mirror, grooming excessively, picking skin, seeking reassurance.
  • Constantly compares their appearance to others.
• Orthorexia: 
  • Obsessive focus on “healthy” eating, evidenced by the following:
    • Compulsive behavior and mental preoccupation with dietary practices the individual believes to be healthy.
    • Any violation of self-imposed dietary rules results in severe anxiety.
    • Dietary restrictions escalate over time, and the person may eliminate an entire food group from their diet.
    • May indulge in severe “cleanses” or fasts that they see as purifying or detoxifying for the body.