Is there such a thing as reverse anorexia?

Question

Is there a name for it?
Like if someone was obsessed with putting on weight and thought they were skinny when they were actually normal or even overweight?

Answer 1

reverse anorexia


When a really fat girl tries to smush her fat self into clothing that she has no business wearing. Can be seen wearing halter tops, hot pants, bikinis, belly shirts, low-rise jeans, generally wears clothing that should only be worn by thin girls. Thinks she looks great in it!

Answer 2

Compulsive overeating is the closest to 'reverse anorexia,' although binge eating disorder is pretty close as well. Compulsive overeating is exactly what it sounds like: people eat compulsively, which results in overeating. Binge eating is similar to bulimia without the purging: people will eat normal or even less than normal amounts most of the time, but consume excessively large amounts of food during a binge.

Both compusive overeating and binge eating describe patterns of eating, rather than the psychological reasons behind them. However, so does anorexia. While people usually associate anorexia with an obsessive preocuppation with losing weight, the term actually refers to a lack of eating for any reason. If you're not eating because you're talking medication that makes you nauseous, or you have a GI virus and don't feel like eating, that's technically a form of anorexia, it's just one that will disappear when you stop taking the medication or your body fights of the virus, rather than requiring extensive psychological treatment. So compusive overeating and binge eating disorder actually are essentially analogous to 'reverse anorexia.'

The preoccupation with being fat that is usually thought of as being the psychological cause of anorexia is called body dismorphic disorder. When someone believes they are fat, even if they are actually significantly underweight, that can lead to eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. But body dismorphic disorder can go the other way too. People can become convinced that they are scrawny, underdeveloped, or excessively thing, and become obsessed with gaining weight. That could result in compulsive overeating.

However, body dismorophic disorder is certain not the only cause of eating disorders. People might stop eating as the result of psychological issues other than body dismorphic disorder (the most common being depression), and similarly they can overeat to deal with any number of issues. People can starve themselves as a means to feel in control of their lives, and similarly, they can overeat because they find food comforting.

Also, just as there are organic medical causes of anorexia (i.e. loss of appetite to the point of not eating at all), there can be organic medical causes of compulsive overeating. There are certain hormonal issues that can cause people not to feel full, or to be hungry all the time. There are also certain genetic syndroms that are associated with continual, uncontrolled eating.

Answer 3

Bulimia is binging and purging, (throwing up) to keep their weight down not an obsession about eating and gaining weight.

How do you define skinny or overweight, as long as your healthy you can have a wide range of weight and still be in a good BMI.

Answer 4

Hi there

Del S is wrong.... Bulemia is not the reverse of annorexia, its something that results in continual cycle of binging and purging.

Reverse annorexia is something that is often refered to in the media when describing peoploe who are in denial about the amount of weight that they have gained or in denial about there weight levels in general, refering to those who would benifit from shedding some weight but don't see that when they look in the mirror, the reverse of an annorexis, who would look into a mirror and see thatthey need to lose more weight.

Bigarexia is a recognised eating disorder
Binge eating is also a recognised eating disorder

Bigarexia: Body Dysmorphic Disorder


Obsess about being small and undeveloped. Worry that they are too little, too frail, or underweight. (It is the opposite of anorexia.) They usually are muscle-bound, but believe their muscles are inadequate.
Excessively concerned about appearance, body shape, body size, weight, perceived lack of muscles, facial blemishes, and other perceived body inadequacies and flaws.
An unhealthy quest to become all-muscle, people with bigarexia get addicted to lifting weights, do resistance training and exercise compulsively.
Feel deeply depressed after missing even one day of weight lifting.
Many have well-developed musculature, but they are so obsessed with having the perfect physique that they look at their well-sculpted bodies in the mirror and see themselves as puny.
Self-image can be so distorted — many admit to wearing baggy pants and sweatshirts to hide their "ugly bodies."
In some cases it can lead to steroid abuse, unnecessary plastic surgery, and even suicide.



Binge Eating Disorder: Sometimes Called Compulsive Eating


Binge eating frequently and repeatedly.
Feel out of control and unable to stop eating during binges.
May eat rapidly and secretly, or may snack and nibble all day long.
Feel guilty and ashamed of binge eating.
History of diet failures.
Tend to be depressed and overweight.
People who have binge eating disorder do not regularly vomit, overexercise, or abuse laxatives like bulimics do. They may be genetically predisposed to weigh more than the cultural ideal (which present is exceedingly unrealistic), so they diet, make themselves hungry, and then binge in response to that hunger.
Or, they may eat for emotional reasons: to comfort themselves, avoid threatening situations, and numb emotional pain. Regardless of the reason, diet programs are not the answer. In fact, diets almost always make matters worse.

Answer 5

Well I had some photos taken for the new picture driving license and they looked nothing like me - if this an example of what tyou mean? I look in the mirror and see a rather hansome well built, very healthy looking specimen, nothing like the creature in those photos

Answer 6

There isn't a medical name for it although it occurs rarely. It's most definitley not a form of bulimia.

Answer 7

honestly there must b i look in the mirror and think i look good but god i dont
i am serious not tryin to sound horrible its the truth.
my humps and lumps aint good even though my mirror often says they r

Answer 8

yes its called being fat.they can be seen all over the world especially in america.not so many in africa and india tho.it is a very common disorder (or so they tell us), people come up with all kinds of ridiculous reasons such as im depressed, oh dear well go and get a job to take your mind off your problems instead of sitting there stuffing your fat round face.obeseity is not a disorder its just people that are lazy f*cks who like food a bit too much.anorexia is very much a reality in this world but again that is not a disorder or disease its just retarded people who like the taste of their stomach acids. spaz.

Answer 9

it's called 'bigorexia' or Muscle Dysmorphia

http://www.recoveryourlife.com/Eating_Disorders/21231.aspx

Answer 10

No, there is no such thing as reverse anorexia...it's called FATTTTTTTT!!!!