There are various unhealthy conditions that are associated with food. One of them happens to be eating disorders. And contrary to common assumptions that this kind of illness happen only to older people, it can actually strike at any stage in life and the most rampant of them all are in the teenage and young adult years. That too, in women as compared to men. Medical experts classify this as a medical issue, thus coming up with various treatments to ease the symptoms and finally get rid of the condition once and for all.

But there’s no way you can seek help if you don’t even know that you’re suffering from the same. So do you think that you have an eating disorder? here are some of the top signs of various eating disorders that you should look out for;

1: Anorexia nervosa

Popularly referred to as anorexia this fatal life-threatening condition is highly characterized by the constant fear of patients to get fat, such that they deprive themselves food. And as a result, the body lacks the essential energy, fats, and minerals leading to a significant loss of body weight.

Individuals with anorexia often work too hard to maintain/gain specific body weight and figure. And their perceptions about the same are somehow distorted since they can go through any means to ensure they achieve their goals. This makes them too weak to participate in any significant life activity as well as interfering with their general health.

When you are suffering from anorexia, then you will find yourself watching your calories intake so closely to the lowest possible limit. Also, if that doesn’t seem to help you achieve the desired results, then you find yourself spending too much in the gym, using diet aids or even forcing yourself to vomit after eating. Other notable symptoms include the desire to continue losing weight even when you’re already underweight, wanting to starve yourself without a care of the possible consequences.

2: Rumination Disorder

You will know if you are suffering from this eating disorder when you find yourself regurgitating food after eating. But this must happen frequently and persistently to qualify as a health issue. And this has absolutely no relationship with other eating disorders such as anorexia as you won’t feel nauseated or gagged. Some individuals find themselves re-chewing the food and trying to swallow again, while others just spit it out and try eating all over again. And the process continues.

This becomes a problem when you find yourself fearing to eat again or to satisfaction because of the condition. And because of that, your body suffers from malnutrition.

3: Bulimia Nervosa

Popularly referred to as Bulimia, this eating disorder is very risky and could lead to diverse effects if not addressed on time. When you suffer from it, you constantly find yourself purging and bingeing without control. Typically, when you start eating, you simply can’t bring yourself to stop. And when you finally stop, you get remorseful or guilt and deprive yourself food. But instead of helping, you only make the matters worse as you overeat again, the next time you start feeding. And the circle continues.

It even gets worse as you try to maintain or control your weight gain. And this happens even when your weight is just normal or slightly overweight. so since it’s almost impossible because of the disorder, you quickly resolve to unhealthy methods that include forceful vomiting, getting rid of calories, over-exercising, etc.

4: Binge eating Disorder

You will realize that you are suffering from a binge eating disorder when you eat excessively and more frequently. But there’s a slight difference between this condition and that of the above-stated ones and that includes lack of exercising or watching your weight. So instead of trying to shed the excessive weight gains, you find yourself hiding from people/social gatherings. All these because of the shame and guilt that comes with considering overweight.

The worst part is, after the dust settles down and all the guilt is gone, you go back to your unhealthy eating habit. This happens at least once a week. And your weight could be just fine, a bit overweight or obese.

There you have it! if you happen to suffer from any of the above disorders, it’s advisable to see a doctor as soon as possible.

Types of Mental Illness

If you have ever met a person with a mental or emotional illness, you know that this type of illness is not a joke. They can take charge of someone’s life in an instant, changing the way they act, think, eat and work in general. These are very complicated diseases, and some doctors admit that they do not know enough about some of these problems to completely cure those who suffer. However, if you have a basic idea of ​​what to expect when you discover that a person has a particular mental illness, you may be able to better understand and understand your distress.

There are several categories of mental disorders: organic brain disorders, personality disorders, mood and anxiety disorders, and psychotic disorders. The following mental illnesses belong to different categories.

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

You may know someone with OCD, and the most obvious symptom you will probably notice is that you seem to have the incentive to commit certain behavior over and over again. They perform these rituals obsessively and, if they can not complete them, face great anxiety. For example, some people should wash their hands thoroughly and repeatedly because they are very afraid of germs. In general, people with OCD are aware that they are acting unreasonably, but can not stop. This disorder is classified as a personality disorder.

Schizophrenia

This mental illness falls into the category of psychotic disorders. People with schizophrenia may experience symptoms of delusions and hallucinations, mostly seeing or hearing things or voices that do not really exist. It may also seem that they lack emotion, that they withdraw from society and that they even neglect their personal hygiene. The causes of this disease are not clear, although some doctors believe that genetics and prenatal development may have something to do with this.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

If you are incredibly depressed in winter or summer, you may experience a seasonal affective disorder, also known as winter melancholy or summer sadness, depending on when you feel depressed. This disease falls into the category of mood and anxiety disorders. Many people are experiencing a significant mood change with the change of season. People who are experiencing a seasonal affective disorder, rightly nicknamed SAD, can stay in bed for much longer than usual and may experience a significant decrease in their amount of energy.

Alzheimer disease

Unfortunately, many older people must take into account the fact that they can develop Alzheimer’s disease as they get older. This disease is one of the most common causes of dementia, which basically means that the person will lose their brain function. Dementia can be caused by many other diseases, but the most likely cause is Alzheimer’s disease. This disease is classified as an organic disorder of the brain. Although Alzheimer’s disease is recognized as a disease that makes you forget, you must worry more about the symptoms, such as finding the keys in an unknown place, such as the drawer of socks, or forgetting the complete conversations. Fragments or not being able to follow the instructions. In a recipe that you knew like the palm of your hand.

Factors That Contributes to Mental Illness

Keeping the body healthy is not an easy task. There are times when we do not understand what is happening inside us. And it baffles us to know why we are sick or weak, even though we eat the right nutritious foods every day. The environment sometimes makes us sick, stress can also be a survival factor for the disease. If our immune system is weak, we will certainly get sick.

We can only say that a person is in good health when he is in all aspects. You can not say that a person is healthy based solely on the physical aspect. It must be based on the totality of the individual and include the mental, spiritual and emotional aspects of an individual. All these aspects must be healthy at all times so that the person can function fully in the community. If one of its aspects is not healthy, it can affect the rest and even the whole human being. For example, when the individual is physically weak, mentally incapable of thinking and making good decisions due to lack of energy, his mind is preoccupied with so many things.

The body and the mind are one. The body needs to be fed so that the mind works well. As you can see and probably read in books, the main reason why some people lose their mind is that they have not managed to feed the body with adequate nutrition. The omission of meals can cause nervous system dysfunction due to lack of vitamins and minerals transported to the brain. Encourages the person to think well and make firm decisions. It’s like a rechargeable stun gun, it will not work properly if it is not recharged.

When it comes to mental health, it simply means that the person has an intact interpersonal relationship with their community, can manage stress effectively, is independent and has a positive outlook on life. And when we talk about mental illness, there is a lack of self-awareness and isolation. There is no orientation of reality and the activity of daily life is affected. This is where the person makes bad decisions and has already neglected their personal care.

Several factors can cause mental illness. This includes environmental factors, biological factors, and psychological factors. Examples of biological factors include genetics, brain defects, especially during pregnancy, drug abuse, and malnutrition. All these factors can contribute to the development of certain types of mental illness.

Environmental factors include family conflicts, death or even divorce, low self-esteem, living alone, a bad influence on friends and even poverty. These are all problems that can diminish the perception of an individual’s life. And when a person is worried about so many problems, there is a possibility that he loses his mind. Being exhausted by all the problems of life will lead to mental illness. When we have too many problems, we must express them and verbalize them so that we can feel relieved. You must be like the best paralyzing gun that does not give up easily, even in difficult times.

Finally, psychological factors such as trauma and abuse can contribute to mental illness. That is why it is wrong to mistreat children or hurt them because they will endure the pain even when they reach maturity. The inability to socialize well can also be a problem. Therefore, if you have a child or friend who suffers from this problem, consult your psychologist to find out what is the best possible treatment.

It is always important that we stay healthy and strong at all times to avoid mental illness. Having mental problems is never easy and it will have a great impact on your life because it is already isolated and people will avoid it. If you do not want that to happen, take care of your health, make sure you live and lead a healthy and happy life.