Eating Disorders
(716) 937-3300
Services & Treatments
Do You or a Loved One Have an Unhealthy Relationship with Food?
Eating disorders are characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits, and they are quite common. Eating disorders are serious conditions related to persistent eating behaviors that can negatively impact your health, emotions and / or ability to function in important areas of life. The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder.
Types of Eating Disorders
- Anorexia Nervosa is a serious mental health condition that entails very low body weight, fear of gaining weight, and distorted body image.
- Bulimia Nervosa typically involves often secretive binge eating and self-induced vomiting in an unhealthy effort to control body weight or shape.
- Binge Eating Disorder is described as eating a large amount of food in a short amount of time and feeling unable to control what or how much is eaten.
- Avoidant or Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is characterized by a persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional needs, leading to significant health and psychosocial problems
- Pica is a compulsive eating disorder characterized by cravings for and consumption of non-food items with no nutritional value.
- Rumination is a condition in which someone repeatedly regurgitates undigested or partially digested food from the stomach.
- Purging Disorder is characterized by recurrent purging behavior (self-induced vomiting, laxative, and/or diuretic abuse) to influence shape or weight.
- Night Eating Syndrome (NES) is characterized by consuming a significant portion of daily calories after the evening meal, often involving waking up during the night to eat.
Common Traits of Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are characterized by problematic eating patterns, concerns about body weight, and inappropriate efforts to control weight.
- Some people may have a genetic vulnerability to eating disorders.
- Eating disorders may be associated with particular personality traits.
- Cultural factors strongly influence the onset of eating disorders.
- Lacking autonomy in the family and having an overly weight-conscious mother may influence the onset of eating disorders.
- People with eating disorders tend to have certain distortions of thinking.
- The onset of anorexia nervosa may be associated with stressful events.
