Adipose tissue
Fat tissue.

Aerobic
Fat-fueled; aerobic exercise increases basal metabolic rate, reduces appetite, firms muscles, improves cardiac and respiratory function, and burns fat.

Adult-onset
Occurring for the first time in those who have reached maturity.

Amenorrhea
The loss of the menstrual cycle. In terms of eating disorders this is usually the result of excessive weight loss and often accompanied by excessive exercise.

Anorectic
A name frequently used for diet medications that curb appetite.

Anorexia Athletica
Eating disorder associated with competitive participation in athletic activity.

Anorexia Nervosa
Self-induced starvation with at least 15 percent of original body weight lost. May be accompanied by amenorrhea, fat phobia, and a severe distortion of body image.

Arrhythmia
A change in the regular beat of the heart. The heart may seem to skip a beat or beat irregularly or very fast or very slowly.

Binge Eating Disorder
An eating disorder marked by repeated episodes of binge eating and a feeling of loss of control. The diagnosis may be based on a person's having an average of at least two binge-eating episodes per week for six months.

Body image
A person's mental concept of his or her physical appearance, constructed from many different influences.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Delusional belief about body shape or appearance.

Bulimarexia
Binging followed by purging through laxative abuse, forced vomiting, excessive exercise or enema abuse.

Bulimia Nervosa
Uncontrolled eating in the presence of a strong desire to lose weight.

Cardiac arrest
Stoppage of the heart, usually caused by heart attack.

Catharsis
The emotional reenactment in thought or symbolic form of a painful experience that brings relief of the distress caused by the original experience.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
A form of psychological therapy that focuses on directly changing both cognitive processes and behavior.

Cognitive restructuring
A type of cognitive therapy that teaches an individual how to identify negative, irrational beliefs and replace them with truthful, rational statements.

Comorbidity
The presence of co-existing or additional diseases or disorders.

Compulsive overeating
An eating disorder marked by repeated episodes of binge-eating and a feeling of loss of control. The diagnosis is based on a person's having an average of at least two binge-eating episodes per week for six months.

Constipation
Any difficulty with bowel movements or unusually dry stool.

Disordered eating
An abnormal change in eating pattern related to an illness, a stressful event, or a desire to improve one's health or appearance. If it persists, it may lead to an eating disorder.

Denial
A defense mechanism in which a feeling or wish is blocked by the person because the conscious admission of the thought or feeling would be too painful.

Diuretic
A chemical that stimulates the production of urine. Also known as a water pill.

Eating disorders
A spectrum of abnormal eating patterns that eventually may endanger a person's health or increase the risk for other diseases. Generally, psychological factors play a key role.

Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (ENDOS)
Eating disorder that does not match a specific category.

Emetics
Agents that induce vomiting.

Enema
Injection of a liquid into the lower bowel through the rectum to force evacuation of the bowel.

Etiology
Cause or origin. Specifically, all the causes of a disease or abnormal condition.

Family therapy
A therapeutic method that involves the entire family unit.

Gastroplasty
A surgical procedure used to reduce the digestive capacity by shortening the small intestine or shrinking the effective side of the stomach.

Group Therapy
Psychotherapy conducted in groups.

Hunger
The physical urge to eat that is prompted by immediate need for energy.

Hypokalemia
A lack of potassium in the blood, usually caused by excessive amounts of it being excreted, that leads to muscle weakness, heart irregularities, disorientation, and sometimes cardiac arrest.

Inpatient treatment
Treatment on a 24/7 basis in a residential or live-in facility.

Juvenile-onset
Occurring between infancy to young adulthood.

Kidney failure
Total failure of the kidneys to filter waste.

Laxatives
Substances that promote evacuation of the bowel by increasing the bulk of the feces, lubricating the intestinal wall, or softening the stool.

Life Events
Psychologically significant events that occur in a person's life, such as divorce, childbirth, or change in employment.

Marasmus
A medical term for starvation or a gradual wasting away of the body, generally associated with severe malnutrition or inadequate absorption of food.

Medication trial
In medication therapy, a trial period that tests the dosages and the effects of any new medication that is introduced.

Medication therapy
Treating diseases or disorders through the use of medications.

MRI
Magnetic Resonance Imaging; a safe imaging technique utilizing magnetic resonance used to obtain detailed views of brain structure and function.

Nutrition Therapy
A method of treating disorders and diseases through the use of carefully monitored nutritional diets.

Obesity
A condition in which a person's weight is more than 20 percent higher than is recommended for that person's height (a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more).

Obsession
Repeating and persistent thoughts, impulses, and images that are unwanted and case anxiety or distress.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder
A disorder in which a person attempts to relieve anxiety by ritualistic behavior and continuous repetition of certain acts.

Oral Expulsion Syndrome (OES)
The chewing but avoidance of swallowing food. OES is a diet technique in some people, but the reflection of emotional disturbance and eating disorders in most.

Outpatient treatment
Treatment where patients are not required to stay overnight at the facility.

Panacea
A supposed remedy for all diseases or problems.

Personality Disorders
Psychological disorders characterized by personality patterns that cause the inability to get along with others.

Phobia
An unrealistic fear, often with obsessive characteristics.

Positive reinforcement
A consequence of behavior that in turn leads to an increase in the probability of that behavior's reoccurrence.

Postpartum Depression
A depression that follows child birth in some mothers. Cases can be mild or severe enough to be labeled psychosis and require hospitalization.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
An anxiety disorder characterized by an emotional response to a traumatic event or situation involving severe external stress.

Purgatives
A substance or method used to eliminate food before it can be digested.

Purging
A forced cleansing or release. In terms of eating disorders this is usually done by vomiting or laxative abuse.

Residential treatment program
The definition of an RTP varies from state to state, however it can be defined as a facility operated for the primary purpose of providing residential psychiatric care to individuals.

Rumination
Voluntary regurgitation, chewing, and re-swallowing of food.

Self-medication
Self-treatment of disturbances and disorders using medications, drugs, alcohol, and other methods.

Social phobia
Anxiety caused by social or performance situations.

Steatopygia
An accumulation of fat on the buttocks.

Stress
Any event or circumstance that strains or exceeds an individual's ability to cope.

Substance abuse
Excessive consumption or misuse of any substance for the sake of its non-therapeutic effects on the mind or body, especially drugs or alcohol.

Weight loss
Loss of body weight  by dieting or due to various easting disorders or medical conditions.