6/25/2019 The three most common eating disorders - Young People and Their Mental Health - University of Groningen

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The three most common eating disorders

We will explain what the three most common eating disorders are. These are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa
and binge eating disorder.

Anorexia nervosa (anorexia)

When you have anorexia, you eat so little that your weight becomes too low.

On top of that you have an extreme fear of gaining weight or becoming fat.

You also have a distorted image of yourself. This means that you see or feel your body differently than it
really is. You think you are too fat, but in reality you are not.

When you have anorexia you often don’t see that underweight is harmful.

Bulimia nervosa (bulimia)

When you have bulimia, you have at least one food binge once a week over a period of 3 months. A food
binge is eating too much food in a short period of time. You cannot prevent a food binge.

With bulimia you always ‘undo’ a food binge, for instance by vomitting or doing sports. Sometimes
someone takes pills or does not eat for days. This ‘undoing of a food binge’ is called compensation.

With bulima you also have a distorted image of yourself; you often see yourself fatter than you really are.

Binge eating disorder

Just like with bulimia, you have at least one food binge once a week over a period of 3 months.
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6/25/2019 The three most common eating disorders - Young People and Their Mental Health - University of Groningen

A binge eating disorder is very similar to bulimia nervosa. The only difference is that you do not try to
‘undo’ the food binge.

More information about eating disorders can be found at the website of Beat Eating Disorders

© University Medical Center Groningen

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Which symptom belongs to which eating disorder? quiz How important are body shape and body weight for
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