Drug addiction and binge eating– are they similar? Just like many pleasurable behaviors—including sex and drug use—eating can trigger the release of dopamine, a feel-good neurotransmitter, in the brain. Further, this internal reward can increase the possibility that this behavior will eventually become habit forming through positive reinforcement conditioning. That is to say, that the … Read More
What is bulimia and what are the side effects of this eating disorder? Bulimia nervosa is a type of eating disorder characterized by a person eating large amounts of food at a time (binging) and then throwing up all of the food (purging). In many cases, a person with bulimia will eat and throw up … Read More
Understanding Bipolar Disorder Bipolar disorder (often called BD) is a type of mood disorder. In the past, this condition was called manic depression but most psychiatrists refer to it as bipolar disorder now. This disorder is a psychiatric illness that causes major disruptions in lifestyle and health. Everyone has occasional highs and lows in their … Read More
Eating disorders statistics: Stereotypical or surprising? Everyone’s heard a lot about eating disorders statistics and many of us think we can picture the girl who struggles with this difficult addiction. She’s tiny, almost frail-like, pretty though, probably Caucasian, social – she even makes us feel jealous because she’s so cute…right? WRONG!! Believe it or not, … Read More
Read some interesting statistics today on eating disorders. It is estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder – seven million women and one million men One in 200 American women suffers from anorexia Two to three in 100 American women suffers from bulimia Nearly half of all Americans personally know someone with an … Read More
