Other disorders associated with eating  CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE EDNOS SONG...

Conditions as complex as eating disorders inevitably mean that there are variations in the
typical signs, and not all symptoms will apply to all people. In fact many people find they have a
diagnosis of an Atypical Eating Disorder or Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS).
These are disorders where you have some but not all of the diagnostic signs for anorexia or
bulimia. You may also be diagnosed with a ‘partial syndrome’ eating disorder if for example you
are a woman with anorexia who has irregular or normal periods, or perhaps your bulimic
episodes are very infrequent.

Some eating problems are much more distinct, such as ‘chew and spit’ behaviour, when a
person chews food and spits it out, rather than swallowing - normal or even large amounts of
food. Another example is regurgitation when food is swallowed, and is then brought back up
into the mouth for re-chewing. Some people eat non-foods, such as paper tissues, to fill
themselves up without the calorific intake. All of these behaviours are more common than many
people believe and sometimes exist alongside other eating disorder symptoms. They can often
be overcome with professional help.

Orthorexia nervosa is a term coined by Dr S Bratman in his book ‘Health Food Junkies -
Orthorexia Nervosa’ to describe the outcome of compulsive dietary behaviour based on eating
only certain ‘health’ foods. It is not a recognised medical term.