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Types of EDNOS

Please note many of the following terms are relatively new and may not be recognised or diagnosed by a doctor. Research and treatment for these disorders are predominantly in the developmental stage.
Purging disorder is characterised by recurrent purging (self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas) to control weight or shape, in the absence of binge eating episodes that occurs in people with normal or near-normal weight. Purging disorder differs from Anorexia Nervosa because individuals with purging disorder are not underweight, and purging disorder differs from Bulimia Nervosa because individuals do not consume a large amount of food before they purge.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is an obsession with a perceived defect in a person’s body or appearance, such as facial features or certain body parts. When the sufferer's obsession is with their weight or being "fat", the risk of developing Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa is increased. The preoccupation causes significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, and/or other important areas of functioning.

Pica

Pica is a condition where a person craves and eats non-food items. Pica is more likely to affect some people than others. It is most commonly found in children, pregnant women, people whose diets are deficient in minerals contained in the consumed substances and people with developmental disabilities or impairments. The types of non-food items consumed can vary, but common items include:

* Dirt and clay
* Paint chips, plaster and chalk
* Cornstarch, laundry starch and baking soda
* Coffee grounds
* Cigarette ashes, burnt match heads
* Rust

Muscle Dysmorphia

Muscle Dysmorphia is a condition whereby a person believes they are underweight or unacceptably small, when the opposite is true. It is also referred to as ‘bigorexia’ or ‘reverse anorexia’. It tends to affect bodybuilders and avid gym-goers and is more common in males than in females. Muscle dysmorphia becomes dangerous when sufferers take excessive amounts of steroids or other muscle-enhancing drugs to increase their body size and muscle capacity.

Anorexia Athletica

Anorexia Athletica (also known as compulsive exercise, obligatory exercise, exercise addiction) is characterised by the compulsion to exercise for an amount of time or at an intensity that is beyond normal and frequently beyond healthy. A person with Anorexia Athletica utilises exercise to gain a sense of temporary power, control and/or self-respect, often in response to a poor body image that is distorted by their own perception. Physical dangers associated with overexercising may include dehydration, stress fracture and osteoporosis, degenerative arthritis, amenorrhea (loss of menstrual cycle), reproductive problems, and heart problems. Anorexia Athletica often goes hand in hand with other eating disorders, whereby compulsive exercise is used as a ‘replacement’ for food restriction or purging. Symptoms unique to Anorexia Athletica include:

* Repeatedly exercising beyond what is considered safe
* Finding time to exercise at any cost whereby a person may skip work or social commitments
* Extreme guilt or anxiety as a result of missing exercise
* Rarely being satisfied with athletic achievements
* Defining self worth in terms of athletic performance

Nocturnal Sleep-Related Disorders

Nocturnal Sleep-Related Eating Disorder (NSSED) occurs when a person eats in their sleep, often waking up with food remnants or packaging around with no recollection of the episode. Strictly speaking, NSSED is not an eating disorder because the person is not consciously aware of their behaviour. NSSED is a fairly new term that is still being investigated.

Orthorexia Nervosa

Orthorexia Nervosa occurs when an individual has a fixation on only eating food they consider to be healthy, beneficial or ‘pure’ through strict diet regimes. While extreme food restriction is a characteristic of both Anorexia Nervosa and Ortherexia Nervosa, the fundamental difference lies in the nature of the obsession – somebody with Ortherexia Nervosa is not consumed by thoughts of being ‘thin’, losing weight or the quantity of food, rather they concentrate on the quality and purity of the food. The physical dangers are generally not as extreme as other eating disorders. Instead, the problems tend to be social ones, such as self imposed isolation, eating alone and spending a considerable amount of time planning and buying food.