Bulimia

People with Bulimia go through binge and purge episodes. That is when they will eat a large quantity of food in a relatively short period of time, then they purge either in the form of laxatives of self-induced vomiting. Men and women suffering Bulimia are usually aware they have an eating disorder. Fascinated by food they sometimes buy magazines and cook-books to read recipes, and enjoy discussing dieting issues. Some signs of Bulimia are recurring episodes of rapid food consumption fallowed by tremendous guilt and purging, feelings of lacking control over their eating behaviors, regular taking part in rigid diets and exercise, the misuse of laxatives, diet pills, and a continuing concern with body image. A sufferer will often hide or "store" food for later binges, will often eat secretly and can have large fluctuations in their weight.  It is important to know that what makes a person Bulimic (as opposed to Anorexic) is not purging, but the cycle of binging and purging. Those suffering from bulimia may seek episodes of binging and purging to avoid and let out feelings of anger, depression, stress or anxiety. 

Anorexia Nervosa

The inherent trait of a person suffering from Anorexia is an attempt to maintain strict control over food intake.  Some of the behavioral signs can be obsessive exercise, calorie and fat gram counting, starvation and severe restriction of food, the use of diet pills, laxatives or diuretics to attempt controlling weight, and a persistent concern with body image A person suffering with Anorexia may be abnormally sensitive about being perceived as fat, or have a massive fear of becoming fat. Though not all people living with Anorexia have this fear. They may be afraid of losing control over the amount of food they eat, accompanied by the desire to control their emotions and reactions to their emotions. With a low self-esteem and need for acceptance they will turn to obsessive dieting and starvation as a way to control not only their weight. This is also used to control their feelings. Some also feel that they do not deserve pleasure out of life, and will deprive themselves of situations offering pleasure, including eating. Anorexics are sometimes known to eat junk food, particularly candy, to drink a lot of coffee or tea, and/or to smoke. They may deny hunger, make excuses to avoid eating, will often hide food they claim to have eaten,  and use diet pills to control appetite. There are a number of different ways a person suffering from Anorexia can portray their disorder. 

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are unhealthy behaviors related to food and body weight.  They can range from involving a severe reduction of food intake, excessive overeating, along with extreme concern about body shape and size.  Some commonly know disorders are anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. A person with an eating disorder may have started out just eating smaller or larger amounts of food, but at some point, the urge to eat less or more spiraled out of control. Severe distress or concern about body weight or shape may also characterize an eating disorder. Eating disorders frequently appear during the teen years or young adulthood but may also develop during childhood or later in life. They can affect both men and women. Eating disorders are real, treatable medical illnesses. They frequently coexist with other illnesses such as depression, substance abuse, or anxiety disorders.  Disorders can become life-threatening if a person does not receive treatment.