Eating Abnormalities

DEFINITION

Persistent disturbance of eating or eating-related behaviors, such as insufficient or excessive food consumption, resulting in physical impairment and psychological dysfunction

General behavior descriptors: [1]

• Restriction: limitation of or insufficient energy intake relative to nutrition requirements, often through dieting or fasting
• Binge: eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g. 2 hours), an amount of food larger than what the average individual would consume in a similar period in addition to a sense of lack of control of one’s eating during that discrete period
• Purging behaviors: self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas
• Compensatory behaviors: excessive exercise, use of diet pills, chewing and spitting food