What are eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS)?

Watch as Dr. Mike Dow explains the term 'eating disorders not otherwise specified' (EDNOS) and describes how it is different from more standard eating disorders.

Transcript

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Eating disorders not otherwise specified, or EDNOS, basically means you have not met the diagnostic criteria for one

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of the three eating disorders, which are anorexia, bulimia, or binge-eating disorder. [MUSIC PLAYING]

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So you may have features of any one or a combination of these eating disorders. Meaning you have periods of self starvation.

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You exercise excessively. You purge. You binge eat, but the way you do it or the amount

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hasn't met criteria. Meaning, you don't do it enough times per week or it hasn't been long enough. Eating disorder not otherwise specified

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is part of a larger umbrella of what I like to call disordered eating. It's not an eating disorder, but actually, many people

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have disordered eating. Meaning, there is something about the way that they eat that is unhealthy and causing consequences in their life.

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This can be part of one of a variety of diagnoses. It can be part of depression, anxiety.

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It can be part of unresolved trauma, which sometimes result in post-traumatic stress disorder. It can be part of obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD.

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It can also be part of a wide variety of just not feeling OK, whatever that diagnosis is.

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If you have some sort of disordered eating, whether it's emotional eating, whether it's an inability to maintain control around your eating,

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the first step is to really tell somebody, usually, a health professional so they can help you to see what you're