Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS)

Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) is used to describe when an individual’s symptoms cause severe distress, but does not exactly fit within the strict criteria for anorexia, bulimia, Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) or binge eating disorder. At the time of this writing, 40-60% of eating disorder cases fall into the EDNOS category.

EDNOS: Most Dangerous, Unheard of Eating Disorder – ABC Nightline

It’s important to keep in mind that doctors can make mistakes in diagnosing psychological illnesses. It’s also important to remember that it has not been until recently that eating disorder awareness began to surface. America did not really become aware until singer Karen Carpenter died in 1983 from anorexia.

People as well as doctors are often about the real differences between anorexia and bulimia and often know even less about binge-eating disorder.

EDNOS can mean a number of different things. The important thing to keep in mind is that binge-eating disorder, anorexia, bulimia or any combination of them are all psychological illnesses–none less than the other.

They all …

* create physical complications
* present themselves through an array of disordered eating patterns
* stem from emotional turmoil such as
… low self-esteem
… a need to forget feelings
… a need to forget stress
… a need to block pain or anger
… a need to block people out
… a need to cope — most of all