Extending the manifestations of eating disorders.

Whenever there are more specific disorders in which patients have trouble eating. This applies to the vigorexia, sadorexia or diabulimia, among others.


The eating disorders (ED) is a health problem that has a strong impact on our society. The major changes both social, economic and cultural relate directly to changes in eating behavior. And that beauty, physical attractiveness and body are rising values in the twenty-first century society.

The problem of these disorders is as varied and multifactorial requiring attention and action that includes the clinical, familial, but also cultural, social and educational. As noted by the Eating Disorders Institute (ITA) increasingly extending the various manifestations of these disorders, which implies a greater diversity for treatment.

The specific diagnostic criteria of mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR) defines three types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa (refusal to maintain body weight at or above the minimum value), bulimia nervosa (eating food in a short space of time in excess of what most people would eat during a similar time in short, a feeling of loss of control over eating) and eating disorder not otherwise specified (all those disorders not meet the criteria of the previous two categories).

The same classification also describes various disorders linked to eating disorders: pica disorder (persistent ingestion of nonnutritive substances) Rumination disorder (repeated regurgitation and new chews food) and the Feeding disorder of childhood or childhood (difficulty persistent inability to eat adequately with significant weight gain or significant weight loss).

New manifestations of TCA
The most recognizable manifestations of TCA are anorexia and bulimia nervosa to binge eating together. As of today appear more strongly as new manifestations vigorexia, orthorexia, sadorexia, night eating syndrome and diabulimia. These specific disorders are less known and yet increasingly common.

The vigorexia is a disorder that affects between 1 and 10% of regular users of gyms. It is characterized by obsessive preoccupation with physical and distortion of body schema affects mostly men between 15 and 35 years, but also women. This entails an addiction to physical activity (especially in body building) along with obsessive thoughts and continuing on how to improve the appearance (concern about being weak or poorly muscled). Often leads to substance use for muscle development and excessive dietary control, imbalanced where the amount of protein and carbohydrate consumed is excessive.

Another manifestation of the TCA is called orthorexia, appetite literally correct, ie, the obsession with healthy eating. It manifests itself through excessive worry about the quality of the food, feeling guilty and corrupt when not met their own dietary beliefs. Thus, the subjects, mostly young women, develop their own rules food and, unlike anorexia or bulimia nervosa, which focuses on the amount of food, orthorexic become obsessed with the quality of it reaching socially isolated because his way of eating. In short, everyday life is affected, because what started as a dietary habit, derives almost a religion where the slightest transgression is tantamount to sin.

Together with the two conditions above are the sadorexia (sadomasochism and anorexia) seen an evolution or second generation of the traditional TCA. Behavior is characterized by an anorexic, bulimic or orthorexic where traditional symptomatology is absent giving way to the use of unconventional techniques such as thinning severe masochism to achieve extreme thinness. In these cases the physical abuse and external control of behavior may lead to rapid weight loss and permanent. These actions do not arouse suspicion in even family or friends and family cause social isolation.

Other disorders diagnosed shortly but no less important are: night eating syndrome, the diabulimia and certain phobic disorders that involve eating.

We like that night eating syndrome comprising both eating disorder and a sleep disorder. It affects between 1 and 2% of the population and focuses on overeating at night being able to reach between 3 and repeat 5 times. People who suffer from eating half asleep so do not fully realize or remember what they do.

For its part, diabulimia is a disorder in which people with type 1 diabetes skip their insulin injections in order to lose weight. Often, these individuals are diagnosed with an eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia nervosa rather than diabetes. He frequently appears in adolescence and is more common in women than in men.

In phobic disorders can find certain behaviors such as avoiding eating in public, swallow food and selection, developing avoidant behavior due to the unpleasant sensations that brings on the presence of certain foods, fear of choking, etc..