Anorexia is characterised by a refusal to maintain a healthy body weight, an obsessive fear of gaining weight, and an unrealistic perception of current body weight. Anorexia can also cause people to work out too much, have a flat mood or lack of emotions, be obsessed with food, avoid social situations, and look thin.

Anorexia can cause menstruation to stop, increase constipation and abdominal pain, and often leads to bone loss and the loss of skin integrity. It puts a lot of stress on the heart, which can lead to irregular heartbeats, low blood pressure, and a higher risk of heart attacks and other heart problems.

Bulimia is characterised by recurrent binge eating (eating to the point of discomfort or pain, often with high-fat or sweet foods) followed by compensatory behaviours such as purging (self-induced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics, or excessive exercise). Bulimics may also fast for a certain amount of time following a binge. Bulimics are usually normal in weight or a bit overweight.

When someone has bulimia, they focus too much on their body shape and weight, have a distorted, overly negative view of themselves, go to the bathroom after or during meals, and feel like they have no control over how they eat.

Bulimia is often accompanied by problems with the way the bowels work; damaged teeth and gums; swollen salivary glands in the cheeks; sores in the throat and mouth; dehydration; an irregular heartbeat; sores, scars, or calluses on the knuckles or hands; irregular or no periods (amenorrhea); and drug or alcohol abuse.

Emotional eaters eat a lot when they have bad emotions and even when they have good feelings. They feel that they have lost touch with hunger and can’t stop eating when they have had enough. They have a love-hate relationship with food. Emotional eating is not a disorder. However, when we have excessive EE, it could be related to binge eating.

Binge eating is characterised by regularly eating excessive amounts of food (binging), eating when not hungry, and continuing eating even long after being uncomfortably full. After a binge, individuals may try to diet or eat normal meals, triggering a new round of bingeing. Individuals with binge eating disorders may be of normal weight, overweight, or may even be obese.

During a binge, one is likely to eat much more and much faster in comparison to a normal meal or snack. One may also feel that the eating behaviour is out of control, frequently eating alone and feeling depressed, disgusted, or upset over the amount eaten.

Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental health condition in which a person becomes very anxious about a physical defect. Often, they’re imagining the defect, or it’s so minor that others can’t see it. These feelings consume the person’s thoughts, affecting their social activities and job.

The symptoms of poor body image in terms of behaviour include the following: eating disorders, self-abuse, cutting, avoiding certain situations, over-exercising, and much more. Poor body image may lead to depression and anxiety, causing additional injury to self-esteem.

NES is an eating disorder that occurs along with interrupted sleep (insomnia). NES causes people to wake up during the night to eat, usually several times throughout the night. Untreated, NES makes it difficult to maintain a healthy weight. It also increases the risk of health problems like diabetes and high blood pressure.