Some things in life are hard to define perfectly, including the unique struggles and symptoms someone may experience with an eating disorder. The truth is, many individuals who’ve an eating disorder don’t experience every behavior, symptom or characteristic of one in every of the defined eating disorders – like anorexia, bulimia or binge eating.
When someone has significant struggles with eating, exercise or body image, but doesn’t fit the precise criteria for a selected eating disorder, they might be given a diagnosis of “other specified feeding or eating disorder” – which is thought more simply as OSFED.
What are examples of OSFED? What are OSFED symptoms and its causes? And how is it treated? At Melrose Center, we’ve been treating a variety of eating disorders for greater than 35 years. Below, we answer all these questions and more.
What’s OSFED? It’s common and it’s as serious as other eating disorders
OSFED is essentially the most common eating disorder diagnosed for adults and adolescents – and affects each males and females. About 30% of eating disorder diagnoses are OSFED. This diagnosis was often known as “eating disorder not otherwise specified” (EDNOS) but was redefined in 2013 by the American Psychiatric Association.
Like other eating disorders, OSFED is a serious mental health condition and will not be a alternative. And simply because OSFED doesn’t meet the diagnostic criteria of other eating disorders, it doesn’t mean it’s any less severe.
Examples of OSFED: The five important types
The next are examples of other specified feeding or eating disorder that don’t meet the diagnostic criteria for other eating disorders:
- Atypical anorexia – With one of these OSFED, someone is restricting food intake and losing significant weight, but they don’t meet the low weight criteria for anorexia nervosa.
- Bulimia nervosa of low frequency and/or limited duration – If someone has one of these OSFED, they binge and purge but do it less often than needed for a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa.
- Binge eating disorder of low frequency and/or limited duration – That is when an individual’s bingeing is lower than the standards for a binge eating disorder, but they still struggle with body image, isolation and lack of control.
- Purging disorder – When someone has a purging disorder, they might purge through vomiting, overexercising or other means, but they don’t binge eat.
- Night eating syndrome – This sort of OSFED is characterised by waking up through the night with an uncontrollable have to eat, sometimes excessively.
OSFED symptoms: What to search for
While it’s often hard to know if someone has an eating disorder, it might probably be especially difficult with OSFED.
Someone with OSFED can have symptoms of anorexia, bulimia and/or binge eating disorder, but they might not be grouped together or show up in the identical way. For this reason, it might probably take longer for people to note the warning signs. So, it’s necessary to be looking out for even small changes and to confer with a health care provider about your concerns.
The early symptoms of OSFED may include changes in behaviors and physical symptoms, akin to:
- Changing body size – This might be significant weight reduction or rapid weight gain.
- Poor body image – An individual with an OSFED can have negative opinions about their body weight, shape and size.
- Changes in eating behaviors –Changes may include recent food rituals, food avoidance, being secretive about eating, skipping meals or binge eating.
- Purging behaviors – These behaviors include self-induced vomiting, overexercising and excessive use of laxatives.
- Social withdrawal – Someone with OSFED may withdraw from friends and family.
- Declining physical health – If someone isn’t getting enough nutrients from their food, they might have physical symptoms associated to anorexia, akin to dizziness, thinning hair or yellowish skin. Individuals who purge by vomiting can have calluses on their knuckles.
Typically, there’s multiple factor contributing to an eating disorder. The precise causes will vary resulting from the distinctiveness and life experiences of every individual, but include the next:
- Genetics – If you will have a parent or sibling with an eating disorder, you’re more prone to have one
- Environmental – An individual’s feelings about food, weight and eating might be unintentionally shaped by the attitudes of their family.
- Social – Within the U.S., thinness is seen as healthy and attractive. This may influence how people feel about themselves and their behaviors.
- Childhood trauma – If someone experienced physical or emotional abuse as a toddler, they usually tend to develop eating disorders in some unspecified time in the future of their life.
- Mental health – Eating disorders are more common in individuals with anxiety, depression or other mental health concerns.
- Bullying – Individuals who have be bullied or teased about their size usually tend to develop an eating disorder.
The potential health risks of OSFED
Depending on what eating disorder behaviors are present, OSFED might be very serious and even life-threatening.
If left untreated, OSFED can have serious health implications, including delayed onset of puberty, osteoporosis, infertility, dental damage, digestion issues, social isolation, anxiety and depression, and strained or damaged relationships.
Having OSFED might be just as damaging as other eating disorders. Research published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, shows individuals with OSFED have the next mortality rate than those with anorexia or bulimia.
How OSFED is diagnosed
An other specified feeding or eating disorder diagnosis relies on behaviors, physical symptoms and mental health. Step one in getting diagnosed is talking to a health care provider in regards to the symptoms you or a loved one could also be experiencing. This information will help them understand how you’re eating and if you will have concerning behaviors. If you will have weight reduction, or have been purging or restricting, your doctor may recommend blood work and other testing.
OSFED might be successfully treated. It’s best to get help on the earliest signs of an eating disorder, because it’s more likely that you just’ll have the option to get better more quickly and completely. But even should you’ve had OSFED for years, recovery continues to be possible.
OSFED treatment is tailored based on the symptoms and behaviors you will have. Your recovery plan will likely include multiple kind of therapy and treatment, and will support each physical and mental health. Common treatments include:
- Therapy – Individual and group therapy can assist you to cope with negative emotions and construct coping skills.
- Nutrition counseling – Nutrition therapy and health education will help restore weight and create higher eating patterns to support overall health.
- Medical treatment – Specialized medical care can address physical problems brought on by OSFED.
Do you think that you or a loved one has OSFED? Get help today
Eating disorders aren’t a alternative. The earlier you reach out, the earlier you or your beloved can start healing.
If you happen to think you will have an eating disorder, confer with a trusted friend, doctor or therapist. If you happen to think a member of the family or a loved one has an eating disorder, allow them to know that you just’re there to support them and encourage them to confer with a health care provider.
At Melrose Center, your healing comes first. Our licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, medical doctors, registered dietitians and other specialists work together as a team to offer expert, individualized care.