All the different kind of eating disorders

A misinterpretation I continually bump into is that Normals are naming eating disorders as anorexia and bulimia, as there's only two kinds of them. You puke or you starve - black and white... But what about the greyzone? In the following post I'll name and discribe some different kinds of other eating disorders than Bulimia and Anorexia.

• Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by self-induced starvation and excessive weight loss. “Research tells us that Anorexia is a brain disease with severe metabolic effects on the entire body.” While Anorexia is the 3rd most common chronic illness among adolescents, eating disorders do not discriminate between age, gender, race or class: no one is immune.

• Bulimia Nervosa is a serious eating disorder that is characterized by bingeing and purging. Symptoms include: repeated episodes of bingeing and purging; eating beyond the point of fullness and feeling out of control during a binge; purging after a binge; frequent dieting; and extreme concern with body weight and shape

• BED Binge Eating Disorder is characterized by frequent episodes of bingeing (eating large quantities of food in a short amount of time) without the purging behavior of Bulimia. According to the Binge Eating Disorders Association, Binge Eating Disorder is a complex disorder with many symptoms, associated complications, causes and risk factors. Risk factors that could potentially result in the development of Binge Eating Disorder include genetic predisposition, dieting, psychological issues and sociocultural issues

• EDNOS Eating disorder not otherwise specified Over the past few years, clinicians have realized that many people may have variations of disordered eating, yet, they cannot meet full diagnostic criteria for Anorexia and/or Bulimia. It is actually estimated that most people will never fit full criteria. Individuals that meet several of the necessary criteria, but not all specific to either Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa, will be diagnosed with Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified. Failure to meet specific criteria for an eating disorder DOES NOT mean that the individual does not have an important and grave disorder.

• Orthorexia is an eating disorder, coined in 1997 by Steven Bratman, MD, that is defined as an obsession with "healthy or righteous eating." It often begins with someone's simple and genuine desire to live a healthy lifestyle.
  An individual dealing with Orthorexia fixates on defining the "right" foods, foods that can be safely eaten.
  They will spend just as much time and energy thinking about food as someone with Bulimia or Anorexia. They may not think about calories, but they think about the overall "health benefits" and how the food was processed, prepared, etc.  Individuals with Orthorexia tend not to eat out as much because they do not trust the preparation of foods other than what they have prepared.
  
  The obsession for healthy foods could come from a number of sources such as family habits, society trends, economic problems, recent illness, or even just hearing something negative about a food type or group, which then leads them to ultimately eliminate the food or foods from their diet.
  Something to keep in mind: The severe restrictive nature of Orthorexia has the potential to morph into Anorexia.

• Bigorexia is a disorder in which a person constantly obsesses and/or worries about being too small, underdeveloped, and/or underweight. Typically those that have Bigorexia are not frail or underdeveloped at all.  They actually have large muscle mass and will obsess about having the perfect physique.  They will believe their muscles are inadequate. Bigorexia has also been known as muscle dysmorphia, Reverse Anorexia, or Adonis Complex.
  This disorder is a form of Body Dysmorphic Disorder and is related to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Those with Bigorexia constantly obsess over their imperfections, further distorting their perception of themselves.  This will significantly impair the person's mood often causing depression or feelings of disgust.
  Those dealing with Bigorexia will feel inadequacies affecting many areas of their lives, ranging from personal relationships to physical and emotional health.

• NES Night eating syndrome is an eating disorder diagnosis that primarily characterizes an ongoing, persistent pattern of late-night binge eating. The individual may not be aware at the time of what they are doing when they are eating. 
  NES was originally described by Dr Albert Stunkard in 1955.  NES affects between 1 and 2% of the population.  6% of people seeking treatment for obesity have NES and 28% of those seeking gastric bypass surgery suffer from NES.
  Although it can affect all ages and both sexes, it is more common in young women.  Unlike binge eating, which is done in relatively short episodes, NES involves continual eating throughout the evening. 

• Pica is a disorder where an individual has a strong, persistent desire to eat, lick, or chew nonnutritive substances for a period of at least 1 month. The name Pica comes from the Latin word for "magpie," which is a bird that's known for eating anything and everything.
  Although the cravings associated with Pica may be related to vitamin or mineral deficiencies, ingesting non-foods can cause serious medical complications such as intestinal obstruction, intestinal perforation, infections, or lead poisoning.