Could you be EDNOS?
January 26, 2008 by angelique
Filed under Women's Health
EDNOS.
It sounds like the name of some futuristic robot created by the brilliant scientists at NASA. And who knows? Perhaps it’s an acronym used in space land… but for those dealing with eating disorders, it has a different meaning:
Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.
You see, medicine and psychology haven’t quite pinpointed all EDs. Not only are they still naming them, they are also leaving some “up in the air”.
So what constitutes EDNOS? Here are a few of the traits EDNOS sufferers share…
- A woman who exhibits all the symptoms of anorexia but has not stopped menstruating.
- An individual who exhibits all the symptoms of anorexia but is within a normal weight range.
- An individual who exhibits all the symptoms of bulimia but binges/purges less than 2X/week for less than 3 months.
- An individual who purges after eating small amounts of food.
- An individual who engages in “chew & spit” behavior with large quantities of food. (Basically, this is purging through spitting instead of vomiting, exercising excessively, or using laxatives.)
Though I’m not someone who treats persons with EDs, I can only imagine how difficult it would be for a professional to diagnose and treat someone who could be considered EDNOS. In fact, I wonder how many people out there have EDNOS and think nothing of what they are doing to their bodies, minds and souls?
Really interesting especially (to me) because of the term “PDD-NOS” which is sometimes thought of as a “milder” diagnosis than autism.
Kristina:
I wasn’t familiar with the term PDD-NOS. Perhaps they use that “NOS” addition for anything out of the norm.
Wonder if that’s good or bad? Hm. Maybe neither.
Angelique
people used to say i had a problem because i made myself throw up all the time after like NOTHING id eat a rice cake and throw up. just because i was bored. i throw up after everything i cant help it! im in a normal weight range, but other than that, show ALL the signs of anorexia. people would be like “you have a problem!” and im like i dont qualify for an ed so theres nothing ou can do about it… i dont binge, i just like to puke, and im of normal weight. and i made everyone so mad! then they discovered this and i gothelp.. but yea i think pepole need to be more aware ofthis diagnosis! seriously! people of normal weight walk around livingoff 1 calorie a day and no one cares because they arent sticks. thanks for puttingthis up
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/
I am 17 years old, consume less than 300 calories most days, and on other days I binge excessively and purge. I often do not purge more than once a week or so, and I am technically at the ideal body weight for my height/age, though I’ve lost 20 lbs over the last 3 months. Would this qualify as EDNOS?
hi,
i’m 16 years old, and for a long time i have felt the need to loose weight, although i am at a heathy waight, i often ulternate between being dilibertaly sick, or self starvation, both of which normally last about a month, then i eat normally again for about a week, untill it all starts off again shortly after, i’d really like to know whats going on, and why i feel so strongly about loosing waight, is this EDNOS ?
People need to be more open about therapy and realize that if they’re making themselves sick or spending the majority of their time thinking about or eating food, they should seek help whether they’ve found a term to diagnose their condition or not. I’ve been struggling with an eating disorder for years and since I’m not clinically anorexic or bulimic it has been tough convincing myself I need help. I am seeking it now because I can feel that my behaviours are unhealthy, not because a website told me so.
When I was 13 I made my self sick all the time and didn’t eat anything apart from about 2 times a week I’d binge and throw it up. I went from 60kgs to 50kgs in just 1 month. My teachers got worried and sent me to the doctor who accused me of attention seeking when I wasn’t.
Since then I put the weight back on very quickly and I’m now almost 17 and I still can’t eat normally. I can’t eat in front of anyone, the thought scares me. In the last 4 years I’ve made my self sick at least twice a month, I’ve stopped eating, and when I’m eating ‘normally’ I can’t, I just binge. And now I’ve cut my calories to 600 a day maximum, and I’ve lost 2 kgs in 2 days, I can’t get out of this cycle! It’s taken over 4 years of my life.
Is this EDNOS?
think nothing of what we are doing to our bodies and souls? you’re ridiculous. i don’t know a single person who doesn’t understand we’re commiting a slow suicide. if you have any kind of eating disorder, you probably realize it and you’re doing it for some stupid reason or another, but above all you always know what you’re doing to yourself and the people around you. i find it impossible to be truly suffering from an eating disorder and not know something like that.