Eating Disorders And Its Side Effects

Food is indeed a delicacy. The aroma and taste along with the vibrant colors of different food items make it more alluring. No one would have ever thought of existence of disorders related to eating but sadly, they exist! Millions of people in the world due to misbalanced mental health face such kinds of issues and it is a topic of national concern. Eating disorders have now become more frequent due to the popularization of social media and body shaming. A negative body image also leads to these disorders and maybe you are having one of them.

According to NIHM (National Institute of Mental Health), there are three kinds of mental disorders namely, Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and binge-eating disorder. Let us discuss them one by one and know what they really are and how they impact the like of a normal person.

Anorexia Nervosa

The individuals with this disorder think of themselves as overweight but indeed they are extremely underweight. There people restrict their normal diet and eat very less or abstain from eating required meals per day. They frequently check their body weights and do rigorous exercising. They have higher mortality risk than any other mental disorder. You can easily tell if a person has become anorexic by observing the sudden emaciation and thinness originating due to an unobservable reason. There is an extreme fear of increased body weight which leads to negative body image and low self-esteem. Adolescents mostly fall prey to this mental disorder which especially includes females.

Binge Eating Disorder

This is a very common disorder where a person tends to eat non-stop. People with this disorder are usually children or adults. This disorder also arises when a person eats while doing some other work like watching TV or talking to someone. Eating is like a stress buster for them. Binge eating chips, candies, fries etc. makes the person obese or overweight. Nibbling between meals and eating even when not hungry are the primary indicators of this disorder.

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia is somewhat similar to binge eating disorder but in this disorder, the person eats a lot all at once and later inducing vomiting with the help of drugs or some other physical method. This takes place in all types of people. Bulimic people frequently face problems such as dehydration, tooth decay, sore throat, irritation in GIT and electrolyte imbalance. These people can be seen taking diuretics and laxatives which induce vomiting.

This world is full of people with these above mentioned disorders and it might not sound dangerous but unfortunately it is. People with eating disorders need immediate counseling and medications. For the awareness of people, World Eating Disorders Action Day is celebrated each year on 2^nd June. You too can raise awareness for these disorders and in case of any serious problem, immediately reach out for medical treatment and counseling.