Bulimia nervosa is when a person frequently (at least once per week) binge-eats and then uses some behavior to remedy the effects of the binge (such as vomiting, taking laxatives, or excessively exercising).


Realize that the person does not have to self-induce vomiting to meet the criteria for this disorder.
 Anorexia is associated with excessive dieting or food restriction which causes severe weight loss. The individual will also have a distorted body-image, and an intense fear of becoming overweight.Anorexia nervosa primarily affects adolescent girls and young women (although can also be present in older women and men).
People with Anorexia severely restrict their calorie intake.
Low body weight means the person is underweight in terms of her height, age, and gender. This can be calculated by using the Body Mass Index (BMI).
Even though the individual is not overweight she will be very fearful of gaining weight or becoming fat.
Look for body image issues such as concern with weight, body shape, or body type. Someone with Anorexia will have a disturbance in body-image, meaning she could be in denial about the seriousness of her low weight, or believe that she is overweight.There are two subtypes of Anorexia - Restricting type (not eating enough food), and Binge-eating/purging type.
 Binge-Eating Disorder is a relatively new diagnosis and it has been added to better encompass the presence of binge-eating without compensatory behaviors (such as vomiting). Individuals with this disorder binge eat at least once per week for more than 3 months (in order to meet the requirements for a diagnosis).


Binge eating is eating significantly more food than normal in a short period of time. Normal is defined in terms of what most people would eat under normal circumstances.
People who binge will feel out of control, like they cannot stop themselves from binging.
Someone with binge eating disorder may eat too quickly, even when he is not hungry.
After binging, the individual may feel guilty, embarrassed, or disgusted.
Some individuals may binge eat only when alone in order to conceal the issue from others.
 Pica is a less well-known eating disorder. Many people may have not even heard of it. However, it can cause significant distress.


Pica is when someone eats non-nutritive substances (objects, not food-related) for a period of at least one month. The eating of non-nutritive substances is inappropriate to the developmental level of the individual (you would not diagnose a young child for eating crayons).
The eating behavior is not part of a culturally supported or socially normative practice (such as eating something non-harmful as part of a religious practice).
Pica often occurs along with other mental health disorders. However, Pica may be severe enough to require specific clinical attention and treatment planning.
 Rumination Disorder is when people repeatedly regurgitate their food for at least one month. The food is either spit out, re-chewed, or swallowed.Rumination Disorder is not due to a medical issue (such as a stomach flu that causes you to vomit).
 ARFID is an eating disorder where someone has a feeding issue which results in an inability to meet nutritional or energy needs.This eating disorder includes one or more of the following: significant loss of weight, nutritional deficiency, dependence on enteral feeding or oral nutritional supplements, and marked interference with psychosocial functioning.
This diagnosis cannot be made if the person does not have enough food available to eat (such as being homeless or having low income).
The person will not have a body image disturbance.
Some individuals who are vegan or vegetarian may meet this diagnosis if they do not have adequate nutrition.
 This is the eating disorder diagnosis that is made when a person has significant feeding issues which cause distress and impairment, but do not meet the full requirements for any other eating disorder.For example, a person may not meet the full criteria for Binge Eating Disorder because he binges at a lower frequency (such as once every few weeks), or has been doing it for less than 3 months. This still means there is a problem, however, and that it might turn into a full Binge Eating Disorder.
Another example is if the person meets most of the criteria for Anorexia Nervosa, but is within the normal weight range for her height.
Remember that just because your friend doesn’t meet the full criteria for Anorexia or Bulimia, this doesn’t mean there is not a problem. Seek out help from a professional for a proper diagnosis.
 This diagnosis applies when the individual has significant eating issues, but the symptoms do not fulfill the criteria for another disorder. Therefore, if your loved one has eating symptoms that do not fit neatly into another diagnosis, it does not mean there isn't a problem. Sometimes this diagnosis is used when a psychologist does not have enough information to make another diagnosis.
Know the criteria for Bulimia nervosa.
Understand Anorexia nervosa.
Recognize Binge-Eating Disorder.
Know about Pica.
Understand Rumination Disorder.
Understand Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).
Recognize Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders (OSFED).
Know about Unspecified Feeding or Eating Disorder (UFED).
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