Eating Disorder in Spanish

What it means

Eating disorders are serious mental health disorders that involve severe problems with your thoughts about food and your eating behaviors; a person may eat much less or much more than needed. MedlinePlus says that eating disorders are medical conditions, not a lifestyle choice, and that they affect the body's ability to get proper nutrition, which can lead to health issues such as heart and kidney problems, or sometimes even death. The common types it lists are binge-eating disorder, bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. The exact cause of eating disorders is unknown. Treatment plans are tailored to individual needs and are likely to involve a team of providers. The National Institute of Mental Health says eating disorders can be treated successfully and that, in life-threatening situations, you should call 911.

Spanish term: Trastorno de la conducta alimentaria
Gender and article: masculine: el trastorno de la conducta alimentaria
Pronunciation: trahs-TOR-noh deh lah kon-DOOK-tah ah-lee-men-TAH-ryah

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
trastorno de la alimentación	General	The form in the titles of the MedlinePlus en español page and of the NIMH Spanish publication, both in the plural: Trastornos de la alimentación.
trastorno alimentario	General	The form used in the body text of the MedlinePlus en español page, which also lists Trastornos alimentarios among its other names.
desorden de la alimentación	General	MedlinePlus en español lists Desórdenes de la alimentación, in the plural, among the other names of its page.

Trastorno de la conducta alimentaria appears in the plural in both Spanish sources cited here: MedlinePlus en español lists Trastornos de la conducta alimentaria among the other names of its page, and the National Institute of Mental Health writes los trastornos de la alimentación, también conocidos como trastornos de la conducta alimentaria. Both pages are titled with Trastornos de la alimentación, while the MedlinePlus text itself says trastornos alimentarios; its other names also include Desórdenes de la alimentación. The same MedlinePlus text has trastornos alimenticios.

For the three common types, MedlinePlus en español writes trastorno por atracón (binge-eating disorder), bulimia nerviosa and anorexia nerviosa, and it calls binge eating atracones de comida. Purging appears as a verb: se purgan provocándose vómitos o usando laxantes. The NIMH Spanish publication also has a section on the signs and symptoms of trastorno por evitación o restricción de la ingesta de alimentos.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Clinician	Can you tell me what you eat on a typical day?	¿Puede contarme qué come en un día típico?
Patient	I eat very little because I am very afraid of gaining weight.	Como muy poco porque tengo mucho miedo de aumentar de peso.
Patient	Sometimes I eat a lot in a short time and I cannot stop.	A veces como mucho en poco tiempo y no puedo parar.
Clinician	After eating, do you ever make yourself throw up or use laxatives?	Después de comer, ¿alguna vez se provoca el vómito o usa laxantes?
Patient	Yes, and afterward I feel guilt and shame.	Sí, y después siento culpa y vergüenza.
Clinician	An eating disorder is a medical condition, not a lifestyle choice.	Un trastorno de la conducta alimentaria es una afección médica, no un estilo de vida.
Clinician	I am going to order blood and urine tests and an electrocardiogram.	Voy a pedirle análisis de sangre y de orina y un electrocardiograma.
Patient	Who will be on my treatment team?	¿Quiénes van a formar parte de mi equipo de tratamiento?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Eating Disorder
Spanish (Español)	Trastorno de la conducta alimentaria
Chinese (中文)	飲食失調症
Korean (한국어)	섭식 장애
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Rối loạn ăn uống
Filipino (Tagalog)	Eating disorder
Portuguese (Português)	Transtorno alimentar
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	โรคผิดปกติทางการกิน
Japanese (日本語)	摂食障害

Where you'll see it

chartintake formtreatment planEOB

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: F50 → Eating disorders

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Mental health

All terms in this area: Mental health — Salud mental

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.