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Do you label eating disorders as mental disorders or behavioral disorders?

I have been reading a lot on the subject of eating disorders and what they do to a person. In my opinion, they are completely mental disorders.

But, does this include overeating and undereating disorders?

How long have you had anorexia?

I apologize if this seems like prying, I'm just really curious about ED.

I've had it for a year but I had ED-NOS for about three years before that.

Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified...basically, I was flitting back and forth between anorexic and bulimic behaviours.

I was forced to get help with anorexia and was sent to a doctor when my weight got to 89lbs, they then referred me to a consultant doctor at my local hospital (who I had to wait a month to see and by that time I was 82lbs). He then referred me to a psychologist. I was messing around with the doctors and psychologists for quite a long time (six months), I was pretending that my weight was higher than it really was...I'd refuse to get weighed or if I knew that I'd have to be, I'd water-load and stick rocks and weights in my underwear and tights-- anything to appear heavier.

This gave my anorexia an opportunity to just get worse and worse. It wasn't until one week, when my psychologist forced me to get on the scale (without me having any time to "prepare" my weight beforehand). I was 69lbs.

She sent me to an eating disorders hospital and I had to have loads of tests and everything done...I was 63lbs when they saw me, and they said that if I didn't start getting my act together soon, I'd be dead within a month. Anyway...my dad got involved and forced me to gain weight. I'm currently 85lbs and refusing to go any higher (although I would love to lose 5lbs). I have to have blood-tests and urine tests every week to make sure I'm not about to drop dead at any second. I have osteopenia and I haven't had a period in 13 months.

In some ways, it's mental, but in the first stages it's behavioral, in my opinion. It's a change in behavior, whether a diet gone too far (my case) or an offhand comment that makes someone think in the mindset that they're fat. I'm an Ana/Mia EDNOS, just to let you know.

Compulsive overeating is, in fact, an ED. smile

i say its a mental disorder...most ED's have a deep rooted beginning in the two fundamental mental disorders anxiety and depression...

i dont have anorexia nervousa but i have times i dont eat at all...not because i hate the way i look but because of the emotional pain etc. at one stage i had lost 1/5th my body weight in less then 6 months...for someone who only weighed 54kgs to start off with it was a drastic change...for 2 years i had stayed at 45kgs...finally now i'm gettin my weight back up


and yes it does include overeating and undereating disorders since you take up that behaviour to combat some issue in your life

I'm going to say eating disorders are mental. I have had an eating disorder since I was 4 and I can actually remember the moment when something clicked in my brain, something shifted, and I "decided" that I would only eat certain foods. Since that childish "choice", everything smelled disgusting. It wasn't even me being a bratty kid.

But it's also behavioral... whne I was in high school (and still somewhat now) I was buhlemic. But it's a choice. I can stop if I wanted whereas the other eating disorder isn't a choice at all.