Atypical Eating Disorders

What are Atypical Eating Disorders ❓

 A mental health condition relating to the disturbance of eating 🍔

 Symptoms of anorexia (deliberately low weight) or bulimia (binge eating then purging), but not classed as either

 Most common type of eating disorder 💯

 Risk factors: young (10-25), other mental health problems, society’s ideals/pressure, family history

What are the Symptoms of Atypical Eating Disorders ❓

 May have low or high body mass index (BMI)

 Excessive behaviour (e.g. over-exercising, vomiting) 🤮

 Hormonal/cardiovascular disturbance

 Distortion of body image 📷

 Agitation/anxiety/fear around food/weight gain

 Dizziness/fainting/fatigue 💫

 Physical signs (e.g. hair loss, sore throat, self harm)

How do you Diagnose Atypical Eating Disorders ❓

 Patient symptoms & history

 Medical assessment (questionnaire) 📋

 General examination

 Blood tests (e.g. blood count, glucose, kidneys) 💉

 Electrocardiogram (ECG) 📈

How do you Treat Atypical Eating Disorders ❓

 Referral to specialists & mental health services 🏥

 Monitoring/support & therapy

 Self-help programmes 📚

Why should I Worry about Atypical Eating Disorders ❓

 Can severely affect mental health

 It can be life-threatening 🚨

 Social difficulties and reduced life prospects

 Can have complications (e.g. infertility, kidney disease, rotting teeth) 🦷