Eating Disorder Types and Symptoms

Anorexia Nervosa

• Significant weight loss (15% below the normal weight for height).
• Refusal to maintain a normal weight for one’s height, body type, age, and activity level.
• Continual dieting despite being underweight.
• Fear of gaining weight and becoming fat.
• Inaccurate perception of one’s body, such as feeling fat despite being underweight.
• Amenorrhea (loss of menstrual period) in females.
• Compulsive exercise.

Bulimia Nervosa

• Frequent binges, or the uncontrolled, impulsive consumption of a large amount of food in a short period of time.
• Purging behaviors following binges including self-induced vomiting, abuse of laxatives, diuretics, or diet pills, fasting, excessive exercise.
• Preoccupation with food and weight.
• Feelings of shame about the binging and purging.

Binge Eating Disorder

• Frequent binges without purging behaviors.
• Feelings of shame and self-hatred about the bingeing.
• Often accompanied by excessive weight gain and obesity.

Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS)

• Other disordered eating patterns don’t fit into the other types of eating disorders or don’t have all of the characteristics of a full-fledged eating disorder.
• Chewing food and spitting it out without swallowing.