Just What We Need: Another Eating Disorder

September 10, 2007     Posted in Body

purging-disorder.jpg


By Abby

Bulimia and Anorexia are old news. Isn’t it about time for a new type of disorder to grace the covers of our magazines? Well, thanks to a professor at the University of Iowa, girls all over the country now have another potential eating disorder to worry about: Purging Disorder.

Wait, I thought bulimia consisted of purging after eating large amounts of food? So, what’s the difference?

According to news reports, “The disorder is similar to bulimia nervosa in that both syndromes involve eating, then trying to compensate for the calories. What sets the disorders apart is the amount of food consumed and the way people compensate for what they eat. Women with purging disorder eat normal or even small amounts of food and then purge, often by vomiting. Women with bulimia have large, out-of-control binge eating episodes followed by purging, fasting or excessive exercise.”

Still confused? I was too.

Basically, this “new” disorder, which I don’t think is new at all, consists of throwing up anything you eat even if it’s not an excessive amount. No matter what, purging disorder or bulimia, both consist of throwing up all the food you have just put in. The difference lies in the amount you intake beforehand.

My suggestion: Spend less money on researching and classifying these new types of disorders, and more money on actually getting girls who struggle with eating disorders help. I don’t see what good this new announcement will do, other than give girls another name to call their disorder.

3 Comments on "Just What We Need: Another Eating Disorder"

  1. Katie says:
    Mon, 11th Aug 200812:54 pm 

    I think you're overlooking the importance of this professor's announcement. After looking at the past three years of my life, I can understand my problem a little better and with this observation I feel a little more like I'm not alone. I know I am not bulimic because I dont eat like other girls with the disorder do. I purge even the smallest things and because this behavior never fit into a certain category (only the makeshift eating disorder not otherwise specified), I didn't really consider it a problem. So yes, maybe this is just something else for us to classify our problems by but for some of us it's an important step to understanding what we are suffering and finding a way to heal.

  2. alex says:
    Sun, 4th Apr 20106:27 pm 

    I agree with the sentiment that more money should be allocated to helping people with eating disorders get help but sometimes putting a name on things can really help people.

  3. edoutsider says:
    Fri, 16th Jul 20103:00 pm 

    hmm i guess i am no longer bulimic! Seeing how, if we have a normal family meal… I will throw it up afterward. And guess what! Thats not a "binge."

    I don't see the huge difference between these two things. I throw up almost everything I eat whether it be an energy bar or a whole bag of chips. I throw up normal-sized meals way more often than I binge. Point is, I feel guilty after anything I eat.

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