Do you have a problem with food? Are you mulling over whether you actually have an eating disorder?

Here are a few facts about this condition.

Anyone can develop an eating disorder, regardless of their age, sex or cultural background and there are many types of eating disorders. Eating disorders are extremely complex and not everyone will experience exactly the same symptoms.

Neither is there a single reason for what causes the development of an eating disorder. A number of factors such as genetic, environmental, social, mental and biological influences may come together to trigger an eating disorder.

Eating disorders can be life-threatening.

Hiding behind eating disorders are powerful psychological issues that impact you physically, emotionally and socially. Eating disorders are bio-psycho-social illnesses typically used as a way of coping with feelings.

It's viewed as a comfort blanket for dealing with feelings which are making you unhappy, angry, depressed, anxious or worried. Ultimately if it goes undiagnosed it can put your health at significant risk.

A diagnosis is usually made by taking a history rather than just by physical tests or medical checks. It means talking with you to gain a full picture of likely contributory sources. An eating disorder is not a choice so its critical to not deny the existence of this condition or hide it from view.

Summarized below are three types of eating disorders associated with this illness, they are bulimia, binge-eating and emotional eating.

Bulimia is a psychological eating disorder in which you evaluate yourself according to your body shape and weight. As a bulimic, you seem to lose control over your eating. You'll be caught in a cycle of frequent episodes of binge eating, followed by purging. Bulimia ultimately takes a toll on your body and emotional well-being.

Binge eating is also a mental disorder that affects both men and women. Binge eating episodes are associated with consuming very large quantities of food even when not hungry.

There is a compulsion that you can't resist the urges and continue to eat unusually large amounts of food on a regular basis. Binge eaters typically are overweight or obese and often binge eating takes place in private. After a binge eating episode, there may be feelings of guilt or sometimes disgust at a lack of control.

There may be issues with low self-esteem, lack of confidence, depression and anxiety but binge eaters do not engage in purging to manage weight.

Emotional overeating of large amounts of food in response to negative emotions is another mental disorder. It's a behaviour thats used as a way to cope with a variety of negative emotions such as anxiety or depression rather than physical hunger.

Mostly feelings of guilt and shame generally follow an episode of emotional overeating. And a feeling of being worse rather than better typically leads to further dissatisfaction. Overeating can cause weight gain coincident with diminished self-esteem and unconstructive body image.

Many medical problems are linked to this disorder. It is a deeply rooted illness that affects your overall wellbeing. You'll need to seek professional help for evaluation and treatment as the condition will not go away on its own.

Treatment for eating disorders can help you develop a healthier relationship with food and overcome feelings of anxiety, guilt, and shame. Therapies are typically geared to resolving and healing the emotional issues that are the root of the eating disorder.