Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders Treatment in Fort Collins 

Following are the latest DSM-5 (2014) criteria for the most common feeding and eating disorders, which involves “abnormal behaviors concerning the act of consumption” of food. Eating disorders are a biopsychosocial illness that should be taken seriously. I have over 4 years’ experience working with eating disorder patients in residential, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatients settings. If you are concerned about the possibility of an eating disorder, please do not hesitate to contact me for a free 30-minute consultation.

Anorexia Nervosa has three primary criteria: (1) restriction of food intake resulting in substantial reduced body weight, yet (2) remains inordinately concerned about obesity or weight gain, and (3) has the distorted self-perception of being overweight or fat. Other symptoms include elaborations of maladaptive eating behaviors:  food restriction, excessive exercise, vomiting or other methods of purging (Morrison, 2014, p. 277).

Bulimia Nervosa has the following criteria:  a sense of loss of control over eating, consumes in binges much more food than is normal for a similar time frame, may engage in fasting, vomiting, use of laxatives/drugs or extreme exercise workouts to control or manage weight (Morrison, 2014, p. 282).

Binge-Eating Disorder has the following criteria: a sense of loss of control, consuming in binges much more food than is normal in a similar time frame. During a binge the patient will eat too fast, too much (until painfully full), yet in the absence of hunger. The bingeing causes guilt (sometimes depression) and solitary dining (to avoid embarrassment), but it does not result in behaviors (such as vomiting and excessive exercise) designed to make up for overeating (Morrison, 2014, p. 285).