Disordered eating cont.
Orthorexia , a condition characterised by symptoms of obsessive behaviour towards food, often in pursuit of a “pure” diet. There are common behavioural patterns associated with orthorexia, such as an extreme concern and awareness of the nutritional quality of food, or rules and routines, to the detriment of the young person’s wellbeing (211). Diabulimia , a condition that affects people who live with Type 1 diabetes. Diabulimia is when someone reduces or stops taking their insulin with the intention of losing weight. It can severely impact a young person’s physical and mental health and can be very difficult to detect. There are some signs that a young person isn’t taking their insulin – for example, fluctuating weight, injecting in secret, not wanting to inject, not testing blood sugar levels, not wanting to test blood sugar levels, not wanting to be weighed at the clinic, and missing diabetes appointments (212). Pica , a condition in which someone eats non-food substances that have no nutritional value. These might include paper, soap, paint, chalk, or ice. In order to be diagnosable this behaviour must persist for at least one month. Often, pica is not revealed until medical consequences occur, such as metal toxicity, cracked teeth, or infections (213). Rumination disorder , a condition that involves repetitive, habitual bringing up of food that might be partly digested. This behaviour often occurs effortlessly and painlessly without nausea or retching and is different to the kind of sickness experienced with a stomach bug. The young person may re-chew and re-swallow the food or just spit it out. Young people with rumination disorder often do not feel in control of their disorder (214).
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