The Two Types of Anorexia and Their Characteristics. There are two types of anorexia with different symptoms: restrictive type anorexia and purging type anorexia. “Anorexia” means, literally, lack of appetite, and it is a symptom that can occur along with other diseases, such as a cold.
Anorexic girls of a restrictive type usually present an impeccable academic record, which leads them to get a high job position and in which they are given a lot of responsibility.
However, unlike the subtype discussed above, people who present anorexia nervosa of the purgative type carry out binge eating that is usually followed by compensatory behaviors -self-provoked vomiting, laxative intake, diuretics, etc.-. This is the reason why it has also received the name of anorexia nervosa of the bulimic type.
Among the physical symptoms that may occur among people with anorexia nervosa, the most striking are: Bradycardia That is, a decrease in heart rate, which can be below 60 beats per minute. Hypotension, or excessive lowering of blood pressure. Lanugo hair growth.
Individuals with anorexia nervosa are known to have high levels of harm avoidance, a personality trait that is characterized by worry, pessimistic thinking, doubt, and shyness.
Personality traits such as neuroticism (emotional stability), obsessiveness, and perfectionism play a large role in facilitating some eating disorders, particularly anorexia and bulimia. Research suggests that these traits are at least partially driven by genetics.
People who suffer from anorexia nervosa tend to have high levels of harm avoidance, a personality trait characterized by worrying, pessimism, and shyness, and low levels of novelty seeking, which includes impulsivity and preferring new or novel things (Fassino et al., 2002).
Emotional and behavioral symptoms Severely restricting food intake through dieting or fasting. Exercising excessively. Bingeing and self-induced vomiting to get rid of food, which may include the use of laxatives, enemas, diet aids or herbal products.
Williams, looking at 55 patients in eating disorders clinics in New York using the Myers-Briggs test found the following: INFJ (18.5%), INTJ (10.63%), and ENFJ (6.59%) were the most common personality types among the patients.
Mary Zanarini and her colleagues at McLean Hospital found that 53.8% of patients with BPD also met criteria for an eating disorder (compared to 24.6% of patients with other personality disorders). 3 In this study, 21.7% of patients with BPD met criteria for anorexia nervosa and 24.1% for bulimia nervosa.
Anorexia is more common among girls and women than boys and men. Anorexia is also more common among girls and younger women than older women. On average, girls develop anorexia at 16 or 17. Teen girls between 13 and 19 and young women in their early 20s are most at risk.
Among individuals with eating disorders, the two most prevalent personality disorders appear to be obsessive compulsive personality disorder (anorexia nervosa, restricting type) and borderline personality disorder (anorexia nervosa, binge-eating purging type; bulimia nervosa).
Excessive exercise aimed at weight loss or at preventing weight gain is common in both anorexia nervosa and in bulimia.