Eating disorders are characterized by an altered nutritional habit and an excessive worry for one’s weight and general physical appearance. Some of the factors that can contribute to the developing of an eating disorder are:
- Predisposing factors: relatives affected by an eating disorder, perfectionism, low self-esteem, a desire to be as thin as possible, a general unsatisfactory body image
- Precipitating factors: stressful events can trigger the developing of an eating disorder (such as conflicts, mourning, abuses, the end of an important relationship)
- Maintenance factors: depression, anxiety, feeling unsatisfied
Eating disorders usually appear during puberty and women are usually affected more than men. Eating disorders impair one’s personal, social and work life in a significant way. Some typical behaviors displayed by an affected individual are: auto induced vomiting, use of appetite suppressant supplements, decreased nutrition, intense and excessive physical activity.
Eating disorders are usually associated with other psychiatric disorders, such as personality disorders, anxiety disorders, depression or drug abuse.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF EATING DISORDERS
Three main eating disorders are:
Anorexia nervosa: it is characterized by an impelling seek of thinness, a pathological fear of obesity, a distorted perception of one’s body and therefore by an auto induced limitation to food consumption, which leads to a grave lost of weight up until health issues. This disorder may include compensatory behaviors such as auto induced vomiting and use of laxatives.
Bulimia nervosa: it is characterized by the presence of binge eating followed by auto induced behaviors (vomiting) which aim to avoid gain weight. During the bulimic crisis the subject completely loses control over his/her own nutritional behavior.
Uncontrolled eating disorder: it is characterized by an excessive amount of food consumption, greater quantities than any other individual would consume in a given time and context. Both during and immediately after this overconsumption of food, the affected subject feels powerless and without control, developing therefore anxiety and anguish. The uncontrolled eating is not followed by any attempts to get rid of the ingested food or any compensatory behaviors.
TREATMENT
Cognitive behavioral therapy has proven to be the most successful when it comes to eating disorders. This particular kind of therapy involves the use of “eating diaries” in which the subject writes down when he/she has eaten, the thoughts behind the compensatory behaviors, feelings and thoughts linked to food and body weight. With the help of this exercise patients gradually learn to follow a healthy diet and develop healthy nutritional behaviors, while also learning how to challenge dysfunctional thoughts that incur and that lead to the negative emotions that trigger the dysfunctional eating behaviors (such as binge eating, fasting, vomiting).
