Many with Eating Disorders are diagnosed with EDNOS. Those with EDNOS suffer the same signs, symptoms, health risks, and emotional turmoil as anyone else with eating disorders but may find it more difficult receiving treatment due to not meeting the criteria that qualifies them for treatment coverage from their insurance carrier.
Warning signs may include, but are not limited to:
- Hiding food to avoid eating
- Limiting food to certain types
- Excessive exercise
- Binging; eating a large amount of food in one sitting
- Use of laxatives or diuretics
- Hiding eating behavior due to embarrassment/shame
- Overeating to the point of feeling sick
- Showing unhealthy interest in weight and/or body image
- Purposely going long periods of time without eating
- Obsessing over calorie/fat content of foods
Diagnostic Criteria
1 For females, all the criteria for Anorexia Nervosa are met except that the individual has regular menses.2 All the criteria for Anorexia Nervosa are met except that, despite significant weight loss, the individual’s current weight is in the normal range.3 All the criteria for Bulimia Nervosa are met except that the binge eating and inappropriate compensatory mechanisms occur at a frequency of less than twice a week or for a duration of less than 3 months.4 The regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviour by an individual of normal body weight after eating small amounts of food (e.g. self-induced vomiting after the consumption of two biscuits.5 Repeatedly chewing and spitting out, but not swallowing, large amounts of food.
6 Binge-eating disorder: recurrent episodes of binge eating in the absence of the regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviours characteristic of Bulimia Nervosa. (Eating Disorders Org)
EDNOS is still a Disorder!
It is important to recognize that despite the lack of specific classification the presence of EDNOS symptoms is serious. The potential exists for these symptoms to develop into a categorical diagnostic eating disorder. Should a person NOT eventually exhibit such symptoms of a more specifically classified eating disorder the results can still be severe and most seriously, death. Any person exhibiting any symptoms above or additional symptoms ... should immediately consult a trained medical professional or psychiatrist for treatment. (EatingDisordersOnline)
If you, or someone you know, has EDNOS, it is extremely important that you take action and seek help.
Please see sidebar for link to Eating Disorders Help: Hotlines, Organizations, Websites
FINDING Balance : dedicated to consumer awareness and understanding of EDNOS
Sources:
http://www.eatingdisorders.org.nz/What-is-the-DSM.836.0.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eating_disorder_not_otherwise_specified
http://eatingdisordersonline.com/explain/ednos.php
picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sylvia/94180907/
Posts
6 comments:
Hello, it's me again. Thank you for your kind words... they mean a lot to me. I have recently upped my calorie intake to over 500 and I'm... well, I'm working on it. I can't say I'm not sliding back occasionally, but I'm working on it.
I wrote this critique of our current eating disorder treatment system in the U.S. and I thought you might be interested in it. I put an emphasis on raw foods because for me they were a godsend; after 2 years of heavy restriction I began to eat raw food, and because of the nature of this way of eating (if you're not getting enough calories, you will revert to cooked foods), I had to eat enough calories to sustain my body. It's not about deprivation... it was really just about trying to feel good again, and I heard this worked. (It does, by the way.)
I came up with the idea for the post after speaking with a friend of mine online... She has reached the breaking point, and I offered up this plan to her: all safe foods. eat every 1/2 hour. have your bf count calories to make sure you're getting enough. drink fresh juice if you can't bear to eat. etc. (Ironically, that last one would result in more calories being consumed, because most of the portions I recommend are very small and a glass of juice would total more than that. Win.) She is going to attempt recovery with this - do you want me to let you know how it goes? I'm sure she can speak for herself, but honestly I don't know what she'd think if you approached her and just said, How's your recovery going?
Here is the link.
Yes, the community is for those with eating disorders. It is not pro-'ana' or pro-eating disorder in any way whatsoever... because it's for people with eating disorders, who know they hurt and wouldn't wish this on anyone.
Hi there,
I dunno if you're around or if you decided not to publish my comment (if so, that's fine, it was more meant to bring it to your attention than anyone else's), but I wanted to let you know that I've made an alternative recovery community for people who were failed by the traditional treatment system. I recently made a post on there that touched on the similarities between dieting and eating-disordered starvation and came up with this in case you were interested.
Keep up the good work,
A.
Hi, A. I'm sorry for the delay in posting your comments. I was away on vacation and just returned this evening.
I'm happy to hear you're working towards recovery. That's wonderful!
KUTW!
Thanks for the links. I will check them out over the next few days. It's been a long drive home and I really need to call it a night.
Thanks again for your comments. I really appreciate them. :)
Thanks for discussing Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified or EDNOS. Did you know that more than 50% of people who seek treatment for eating disorders are given EDNOS as a diagnosis? The Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt discusses what EDNOS is, why it’s important and who it’s affecting in their most recent blog entry. Be sure to check it out here: http://eatingdisorder.org/blog/2008/12/02/ednos-is-it-an-eating-disorder-or-not/
So, i have never been professionally diagnosed with EDNOS. but my friends tell me i have it. and i can see it's true. i restrict, binge, purge, weigh myself, fast, feel bad about eating... it's a mess. if i tell anyone they'll think i am making it up.
So I have never been diagnosed with EDNOS i'm too afraid to tell anyone that I might have it I do everything but purge and i'm at a normal weight and I really feel bad about eating and since I don't purge I workout instead and sometimes i'll break down crying in the middle of it
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