Behavioral and Emotional Development

a severe eating disorder charaterized by the refusal to maintain a minimally normal body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight, and a significant disturbance in the individual's perception and experiences of his or her own size

episode of overeating that involves both excessive amount of food and a lack of control

a disorder that involves periods of excessive earing with a feeling of a loss of control. It is similar to binge eating but without the compensatory behaviors and has become increasingly widespreade during this age of abundant fast food and obesity

a type of anorexia whereby the individual regularly engages in episodes of binge eating or purging or both

an eating disorder that involves recurrent episodes of binge eating, followed by an effort to compensate by self-induced vomitting or other means of purging. Individuals with bulimia are also unduly influenced by body shape and weight, and are obsessed with food

a chronic medical condition characterized by an excessive accumulation of body fat relative to gender- and age-based norms

behaviors shown by persons suffering from bulimia to prevent weight gain following a binge episode. Compensatory behaviors include self-induced vomiting, fasting, exercising, and the misuse of diuretics, laxatives, enemas, or diet pills

a motivational variable underlying dieting and body image, amoung yound females in particular, whereby the individual believes that losing more weight is the answer to overcoming her troubles and achieving success

a person's belief that cultural standards for attractiveness, body image, and social acceptance are closely tied to the ability to control one's diet and weight gain

a category of eating disorders that includes problems that do not quite fulfill criteria for anorexia or bulimia.

characterized by weight below the fifth percentile for age and/or deceleration in the rate of weight gain from birth to the present of at least 2 standard deviations, using standard growth charts for comparison

a disorder characterizd by a sudden or marked deceleration of weight gain in an infant or a young child (under the age of 6) and a slowing or disruption of emotional and social development

the body's balance of energy expenditure. Metabolic rate is determined by genetic and physiological makeup, along with eating and exercise habits

a form of eating disorder in which the infant or toddler persists in eating inedible, nonnutritive substances. This disorder is one of the more common and usually the less serious eating disorders found amoung very yound children

behaviors aimed at ridding the body of consumed food, including self-induced vomiting and the misuse of lazative, diuretics, and enemas

a type of anorexia where the individual uses dieting, fasting, or excessive exercise to lose or avoid gaining weight. During the current episode of anorexia, the person has not engaged in binge-eating or perging behavior

a comfortable range of body weight that the body tries to "defend" and maintain