First things first: For this definition, I'm suggesting that "disordered eating" is a concept that goes beyond the formal definition of "eating disorders." In other words, disordered eating is present in every eating disorder, but an eating disorder (as formally defined) is not always present in disordered eating.
That said, here's a definition: A person with disordered eating has a self-directed, unhealthy pattern of eating that seems beyond the person's control.
Anorexia nervosa is an example of disordered eating, because it causes a person to believe that eating will be very dangerous to her, which leads to starvation. Binge eating is disordered eating, because those who binge risk their health and lose control over the ability to care for themselves. Clearly, bulimia nervosa is also disordered eating; besides the binge eating, purging has a high risk of damaging the body and, again, seems beyond the person's control. It's a compulsive behavior.As I've already implied, I believe that disordered eating extends beyond these well-known problems. For example, suppose I eat a wonderful diet that consists of exactly the same meals and snacks every day. Let's say that it's nutritionally balanced and even flavorful — a real work of art. Yet I don't eat anything else, regardless of how healthy or unhealthy (or tasty or bland) it may be, because I fear what will happen if I do. This is disordered eating, according to the definition I'm proposing here.
Any form of disordered eating has other psychological problems that fuel it, such as anxiety or depression. The scenario above may be an outgrowth of obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is an anxiety disorder. The eating is simply where the problem manifests symptomatically.
