Eating Disorders
Contributed by Amber Fatima
According to the American Psychiatric Association, eating disorders are illnesses characterized by severe problems with behaviors, thoughts, and emotions. A person with an eating disorder tends to become obsessed with food and their body weight.
A person with an eating disorder is likely to experience low self-esteem and become so obsessed with food that they lose all sense of time and space. Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa are the most common eating disorders.
Similarly, both Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa exhibit distorted images of their bodies, however, each of these disorders has specific characteristics related to food intake. It is not uncommon for those suffering from Anorexia Nervosa to restrict calorie intake, to a point where they lose weight or become dangerously thin.
The associated behaviors include skipping meals, eating weirdly low-calorie foods, or eating food that contains hardly any calories. The skin and hair of people with anorexia can become increasingly exposed, in addition to overall bad health. — Bulimia Nervosa occurs when a person eats a healthy meal, but then overreacts and vomits or induces vomiting before the food has been digested. Similar side effects are experienced by those with bulimia and anorexia.
Bulimia can be classified as purging or binge eating bulimia, in which a person will consistently cause vomiting after eating excessively. Non-purging bulimia is when an individual does not purge after a binge but instead fasts or engages in extreme exercise to avoid gaining weight afterward.
Teenagers and young adults are most likely to suffer from eating disorders, but they can affect anyone. It can affect boys as well as girls, although women are more likely to notice it. Risk factors include sports that might require boys to keep a tan body and have lean muscles. It is also possible that they were overweight as children and later attempted to make up for that. There is a significantly higher risk of eating disorders in people with eating disorders in their parents or siblings. You can develop an eating disorder when you are stressed by any type of change, from starting college to moving to a new job to family issues.
Anorexia has no well-defined cause. Biological, psychological, as well as environmental factors likely contribute to the onset of this condition.
Biological: Some genetic changes may be responsible for some people’s higher risk of anorexia, although it isn’t known which genes are involved. Some people may be genetically predisposed to perfectionism, sensitivity, or perseverance — all of which point to anorexia.
Psychological: Those who suffer from anorexia may exhibit obsessive-compulsive characteristics that make sticking to strict diets easier. They may feel they are never thin enough because they were obsessed with perfection. Additionally, these individuals may suffer from high levels of anxiety, which they try to reduce through restrictive eating.
Environmental: Today, thinness is seen as a virtue in Western society. Thinning is often linked to success and worth. Teenage girls, especially, may be influenced by peer pressure to be thin.
Your body burns its tissue as fuel when you consume fewer calories than you need. Heart muscles are among the first ones to be damaged and are one of the most important. Electrolytes are vital chemicals in your body that can be lost by vomiting or laxative use.
Those who restrict their food intake struggle to digest and absorb nutrients, which results in bloating in the stomach, nausea, vomiting, low blood sugar levels, feeling full after eating only small amounts, abdominal pain, and severe digestive problems (Health consequences 2018).
Mental and physical health can be affected by eating disorders. If help is not sought before an organ is affected, it can affect every organ of the body. The cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal systems are the most affected by food restriction and purging. Nutritional deficiency affects both these systems.
A team-based approach is usually used to treat eating disorders. Dietitians, mental health professionals, and primary care providers participating in the team usually have experience with eating disorders. The (Family-based therapy) FBT treatment method is shown to be effective for treating eating disorders in children and adolescents.
The family is involved in making sure that the child or other family member follows healthy eating patterns and maintains a healthy weight. Bulimia and binge-eating disorders are commonly treated using cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). The course emphasizes improving diet and mood, developing problem-solving skills, and coping with stressful situations in a healthy way (Eating disorders 2018).
References
Health consequences. National Eating Disorders Association. (2018, February 22). Retrieved October 9, 2021, from https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/health-consequences.
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2018, February 22). Eating disorders.Mayo Clinic. Retrieved October 9, 2021, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/eating-disorders/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353609.
