In this day and age of stress and pressure, it is of no surprise that many people succumb to eating disorders.

There are several different kinds of disorders connected to eating but the two most common are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

These two types of eating disorders are similar to each other with slight differences that really differentiate them.

Anorexia Nervosa

This type of disorder manifests as a fear of gaining weight. The fear is so extreme that the way the person sees himself as distorted to the point that even when he is too thin, his mind still thinks he is fat.

Thus the compulsive need to lose weight by dieting, exercising and other means is initiated by the person.

Most eating disorders stem from the need to lose weight although there are may also be some that comes from the need to gain weight.

Over time the destructive need to lose weight can lead to organ failure and other conditions. These kinds of eating disorders may not be noticeable for the first few months because the weight loss may seem normal if not rapid.

Anorexia nervosa will be more obvious when the individual is too thin and still tries to lose weight. Eating disorders of this kind may also prompt the individual to get rid of the food that he has eaten via purging, vomiting and the use of laxatives.

The use of these methods does not happen often for those suffering from anorexia nervosa because the individual himself will restrict or limit the food he ingests.

Bulimia Nervosa

The other common kind of disorder associated with eating and weight loss is bulimia.

These eating disorders find the individual bingeing on food, usually junk food and then feeling guilty about it.

To ease the guilt, he tries to purge himself by inducing vomiting or using laxatives.

Sometimes, he might also exercise to the point of exhaustion just to compensate for the food he was bingeing on previously.

To be a bulimic, one usually goes through bingeing and purging at least once or twice a week.

Despite the similarities of the two eating disorders, there are also some differences.

The most marked is the physical state of the person.

Most people suffering from anorexia are too thin and obviously underweight. Bones will show as well as the apparent lack of nutrition in the skin and hair.

Bulimics on the other hand may appear normal, both in body weight and physical state.

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A simple definition of Bulimia:

Bulimia is an illness defined by feelings of intense hunger characterized by periods of intense compulsively eating, followed by others of guilt and discomfort, with provoked vomiting.

A person who suffers from bulimia will eat large quantities of food in one sitting to satisfy his or her hunger. Then he will almost immediately get rid of food by provoking vomiting or taking laxatives.

Some people with bulimia will sharply reduce the food intake or exercise strongly after the binge so that they will not increase their weight.

People with bulimia feel out of control during these periods of excess food, and will almost always be alone and feel ashamed of their behavior.

Those who suffer from bulimia are trapped in a cycle of binging and purging by either inducing vomiting or using laxatives. This is accompanied by feelings of shame and self promises not to repeat this behavior.

This is followed by a period of avoiding food, which ends again in binging. And the cycle will be repeated again.

As with anorexia and other eating disorders, the symptoms are expressed through the person’s relationship to food, but the causes are both psychological and emotional.

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