An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that adversely affect a person's physical or mental health. These behaviors include eating either too much or too little. Types of eating disorders include binge eating disorder, where the patient keeps eating large amounts in a short period of time typically while not being hungry; anorexia nervosa, where the person has an intense fear of gaining weight and restricts food or overexercises to manage this fear; bulimia nervosa, where individuals eat a large quantity (binging) then try to rid themselves of the food (purging); pica, where the patient eats non-food items; rumination syndrome, where the patient regurgitates undigested or minimally digested food; avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), where people have a reduced or selective food intake due to some psychological reasons; and a group of other specified feeding or eating disorders. Anxiety disorders, depression and substance abuse are common among people with eating disorders. These disorders do not include obesity. People often experience comorbidity between an eating disorder and OCD. It is estimated 20–60% of patients with an ED have a history of OCD.
Bulimia nervosa, also known as simply bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging or fasting, and excessive concern with body shape and weight. This activity aims to expel the body of calories eaten from the binging phase of the process. Binge eating refers to eating a large amount of food in a short amount of time. Purging refers to the attempts to get rid of the food consumed. This may be done by vomiting or taking laxatives.
Binge eating is a pattern of disordered eating which consists of episodes of uncontrollable eating. It is a common symptom of eating disorders such as binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa. During such binges, a person rapidly consumes an excessive quantity of food. A diagnosis of binge eating is associated with feelings of loss of control. Binge eating disorder is also linked with being overweight and obesity.
Meredith Ann Baxter is an American actress and producer. She is known for her roles on the CBS sitcom Bridget Loves Bernie (1972–1973), ABC drama series Family (1976–1980) and the NBC sitcom Family Ties (1982–1989). A five-time Emmy Award nominee, one of her nominations was for playing the title role in the 1992 TV film A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story.
Exercise bulimia is a subset of the psychological disorder called bulimia in which a person is compelled to exercise in an effort aimed at burning the calories of food energy and fat reserves to an excessive level that negatively affects their health. The damage normally occurs through not giving the body adequate rest for athletic recovery compared to their exercise levels, leading to increasing levels of disrepair. If the person eats a normally healthy and adequate diet but exercises in levels they know require higher levels of nutrition, this can also be seen as a form of anorexia.
Catherine Elizabeth Grenville is an Australian author. She has published fifteen books, including fiction, non-fiction, biography, and books about the writing process. In 2001, she won the Orange Prize for The Idea of Perfection, and in 2006 she won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for The Secret River. The Secret River was also shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.
Starved is an American television sitcom that aired for one season on FX for seven episodes in 2005. The series was about four friends who each suffer from eating disorders, who met at a "shame-based" support group called Belt Tighteners. Its characters included those with bulimia, anorexia, and binge eating disorder. Eric Schaeffer created the show as well as writing, starring in and directing it, based upon his own struggle with eating disorders. In addition to his own life experiences, Schaeffer also drew upon the experiences of the other members of the principal cast, each of whom coincidentally had struggled with food issues of their own.
Hannah Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Emma Rigby. Hannah first appeared on-screen on 27 September 2005 and her last appearance was on 12 February 2010. It was announced on 8 November 2023 that she was to return after 13 years away for a number of episodes in early January, and was later announced to be making a permanent return. Hannah briefly returned for a short stint from 19 to 23 January 2024, before a permanent return on 26 April of the same year. Rigby quit the role once again, only one month after her permanent return, in June 2024.
Rumination syndrome, or merycism, is a chronic motility disorder characterized by effortless regurgitation of most meals following consumption, due to the involuntary contraction of the muscles around the abdomen. There is no retching, nausea, heartburn, odour, or abdominal pain associated with the regurgitation as there is with typical vomiting, and the regurgitated food is undigested. The disorder has been historically documented as affecting only infants, young children, and people with cognitive disabilities . It is increasingly being diagnosed in a greater number of otherwise healthy adolescents and adults, though there is a lack of awareness of the condition by doctors, patients, and the general public.
Caroline Adams Miller is an American executive coach and motivational speaker. Miller has written six books, including Getting Grit, Creating Your Best Life, and My Name is Caroline, which chronicles her struggle with bulimia.
Allison Perkins is a fictional character on the American soap opera One Life to Live.
Handle with Care (2009) is the 17th novel by the American author Jodi Picoult. It debuted at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list.
Sharing the Secret is a 2000 American television drama film about a teenage girl's struggle with bulimia and its effect on her parents and friends. Originally airing on CBS television networks in the United States, the film has also aired on cable television's Lifetime Network. In 2001, the film received a Peabody Award for "an impressive, moving, and candid portrait of a teenager in crisis."
Matilda Hunter is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Indiana Evans. She made her first on-screen appearance on 21 January 2004. Matilda is the daughter of Beth and Jack Hunter and sister to Scott, Kit, Robbie and Henry. Matilda departed on 24 July 2008 to go to university.
Irene Manning is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera One Life to Live.
A Counterfeit Presentment is a play written by American author and playwright William Dean Howells in 1877. The play is a comedy in the genre of literary realism and tells the story of a chance encounter between a young woman, Constance, and a man whom she mistakes for her ex lover, Bartlett. However, Bartlett is not completely aware of Constance's neurotic behavior until he gets to know her a bit more. Her true personality is only truly expressed after she forces Bartlett to stay with her in the hotel so she can pretend he is her former beau. Howells uses comedy to reveal the deeper issue of the plight of unmarried middle and upper-class women in the 19th century.
Imogen Willis is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Ariel Kaplan. The actor was cast in the role after a quick process, in which she auditioned once and attended a screen test. She began filming her first scenes in early February 2013. Kaplan's character and her family were created and introduced to Neighbours, as part of an ongoing overhaul of the show's cast and renewed focus on family units within the show. She made her first screen appearance during "Episode 6646", which was broadcast on 20 May 2013. Kaplan returned in the first episode of the 2023 Neighbours revival.
Josh Hudson is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actor Trieve Blackwood-Cambridge. He first appears in the twenty-sixth episode of series twenty-two, originally broadcast on 10 November 2020. The character and Blackwood-Cambridge's casting details were announced on 29 October 2020. He began filming in July 2020 following a production break enforced by the COVID-19 pandemic and therefore had to film under strict safety protocol. Josh is characterised as a charming, confident, energetic, horny and cheeky foundation doctor (F1). He starts his rotation at Holby City Hospital alongside F1s Jeong-Soo Han and Skylar Bryce ; they often feature together in their early stories.
