LN – The five lesser known eating disorders

Fear of unfamiliar foods, unhealthy foods, gaining weight during pregnancy, looking weak, and gaining weight from alcohol intakeThese are some of the manifestations that can occur when you suffer from an eating disorder.

Although within the spectrum of eating disorders, anorexia and bulimia are the two best known, there is a wide range of disorders whose knowledge is less. Here is a brief introduction to those that are becoming more frequent, to know their characteristics and be able to identify them in time.

1. Alcohorexia

Not yet formalized in academic medical discourse, alcohorexia combines eating disorders with alcohol abuse. It consists of replacing the calories of a complete meal by those of a “binge of alcohol”. The problem is that the nutritional quality of one and the other are not similar at all.

It is mainly suffered by women, between the ages of 15 and 30, who They turn to alcoholic beverages to bear heavy emotional burdens. Its ultimate goal is always the same: stay slim at all costs. In the case of men, there is a greater search for intoxication.

2. Pregorexia

It’s about a obsessive fear of gaining weight during pregnancy, which puts the life of the mother and the baby at risk. Pregorexia does not appear suddenly during the gestation of the fetus, but may have been latent and only became evident in pregnancy.

The lack of nutrients that is generated can cause low birth weight of the baby, premature deliveries, spontaneous abortions, hyperemesis gravidarum and various malformations that affect neurodevelopment. Only an interdisciplinary approach can stop the physical and mental deterioration that this disorder causes.

3. Orthorexia

It is one of the most characteristic of our time. It mainly affects adolescent girls, but also adult men and women, who seek to improve their quality of food but end up limiting the way they eat in an absolutely restrictive way. Their obsession does not go through weight but by taking extreme care of the food they eat, since they only eat what they classify as “healthy”.

Those with orthorexia spend a great number of hours a day planning and preparing their meals. In fact, they eat so “healthy” that it ends up being unhealthy and they have a great chance of developing anorexia.

4. Teria

Avoidance / Restriction of Eating Disorder (Teria) was recognized as such only in 2013. Before, those who suffered from it were considered to be picky or selective when it came to eating. However, it is a psychiatric disturbance, which can develop at any time in life, but mainly appears during childhood.

Patients with theria are characterized by having a little varied or restrictive diet, or by having a disinterested attitude towards food, but they do not present a distortion of their body image. If they do not receive treatment in time, it can lead to anorexia nervosa.

5. Vigorexia

Also known as “inverted anorexia” or muscular dysmorphia, those who suffer from this disorder pursue a body ideal opposite to that of anorexia: they dream of a large, muscular body. However, and Despite obsessively training to achieve it, they are perceived as skinny, lacking in physical attractiveness, and weak.

In its vast majority suffered by men, vigorexia can lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, guilt and bad mood. In addition to the fact that excess load in the gym can cause injuries to your bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles.

Where to turn for help

• La Casita: is a care and prevention center for adolescents and young people and their families. To address the problem that may arise, it works emphasizing the resources of the person and their family system, relying mainly on the peer group. Tel .: 011 4787-5432.
• Durand Hospital Tel .: 011 4982-5555 / 5655
• Hospital Piñero Tel .: 011 4631-8100 / 0526
• Borda Hospital Tel .: 011 4305-6666 / 6485
• Pirovano Hospital Tel .: 011 4546-4300
• Argerich Hospital Tel .: 011 4121-0700
• Garrahan Hospital Tel .: 011 4122-6000
• Gutiérrez Hospital Tel .: 011 4962-9247