ABOUT EATING DISORDERS
Newton-Wellesley Eating Disorders
& Behavioral Medicine
N-W Eating Disorders
& Behavioral Medicine
1419 Beacon Street
Brookline MA 02446
857.260.6484
ANOREXIA NERVOSA is a condition characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight, a distorted sense of one's body proportions as well as the consequences of eating in a "normal" fashion. Anorexic individuals deal with this fear by severely limiting intake, sometimes refusing to eat entirely, or exercising excessively relative to the amount of food they take in. Most lose an inordinate amount of weight or for younger individuals, never achieve expected growth in weight. Although actually quite thin, individuals suffering from anorexia, often complain of feeling fat, and in fact, experience themselves in that way. Even more than seen with bulimia, anorexia nervosa can have drastic medical effects, all too often leading to disability or death. Thus, early vigorous treatment for individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa is very important.
BINGE EATING DISORDER (BED) is characterized by recurrent episodes of eating a large amount of food with feeling out of control, but without the individual taking emergent measures to deal with the consequences of binge eating. Thus, with BED, the individual does not purge. Often, but not always, individuals with BED gain weight; sometimes to significant amounts of overweight.
BULIMIA NERVOSA is a condition characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating with a sense of lack of control. These episodes are followed by emergency methods to deal with the consequences of the binge, including purging by self-induced vomiting, laxative or diuretic abuse, extreme dieting or excessive exercise. Individuals suffering from bulimia nervosa often experience an intense fear of gaining weight and an obsessive preoccupation with food. Purging practices can have serious medical consequences, including death.
Personal confidential treatment for complex eating disorders anorexia, bulimia, binge eating and associated conditions, for the individual and their family
BODY DYMORPHIC DISORDER is characterized by a very painful, disproportionate preoccupation with an imagined defect in appearance or slight physical imperfection. This preoccupation is often quite disabling.