Eating Disorders are a cluster of psychological conditions where dieting, eating behaviour and thoughts about body shape and weight become a distressing and singular focus of one’s life.
Contrary to popular beliefs, they can affect anyone – with males and females from across various age groups, socio-economic, cultural and religious backgrounds being affected. Nobody chooses to develop an eating disorder. They develop due to an intricate individual combination of factors that can include genetics, environment, social, personality, trauma, life experience, and relationship difficulties.
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa is characterised by extreme dietary restriction (self-starvation) and excessive weight loss resulting in dangerously low body weight.
People with anorexia nervosa experience an intense
fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though their weight is extremely low. They may continue to feel overweight no matter how thin they appear to others.
In order to maintain a low body weight, people with anorexia nervosa restrict the range and amount of food they eat,
often limiting their choice to foods they consider ‘safe’. They may also attempt to prevent weight gain by employing other methods such as excessive exercise and/or purging.
Some sufferers, although able to accept that they are thin, are unable to escape the feeling that they are not ‘thin enough’
and continue to lose weight, despite physical and emotional complications.
Some of the physical symptoms of anorexia nervosa include:
- Loss of menstrual periods,
- Intolerance to cold temperatures,
- Lowered heart rate and blood pressure,
- Weakening of the bones,
- Poor skin, hair and nail condition.
Psychological symptoms may include:
- Depressed mood,
- Obsessional thoughts and perfectionism,
- Feelings of guilt and unworthiness and an inability to concentrate on anything except food,
dieting and disorder-related issues.
From the outside it is understandable to see anorexia as something that is all about food and weight. Research suggests however that anorexia is strongly influenced by low self-esteem, high levels of competitiveness and perfectionism, feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness and the problems that these feelings cause in coping with the pressures of daily living. Other studies also suggest biological factors underlying the disorder.
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa involves a cycle of binge eating followed by ‘compensatory’ behaviours used to avoid weight gain.
It often begins with rigid dieting which leads to inadequate nutrition, hunger and fatigue followed by powerful urges to binge. Terrified of gaining weight from binge eating and driven by intense feelings of guilt and shame, people with bulimia then purge themselves through self induced vomiting, laxative abuse, excessive exercise and/ or periods of fasting.
Sufferers tend to hide the illness and often keep it a secret from their loved ones for many years, frequently due to intense feelings of guilt and shame. Whilst family and friends may not be aware of the sufferer’s particular eating behaviours, they may however become aware of a range of psychological symptoms associated with bulimia including; lowered mood, withdrawal, hopelessness, and unstable emotions.
Some of the feelings and behaviours of someone with bulimia nervosa include:
- Feeling out of control before or during a binge
- Extreme concern with body weight and shape
- Periods of extreme exercise (where exercise takes on a binge like quality) and dietary restriction.
Physical symptoms from binging and purging include:
- gastro-intestinal problems (e.g. reflux and/or constipation)
- rapid tooth decay
- glandular swelling
- fatigue
- dizziness
- increased risk serious cardio-vascular problems and cardiac arrest.
Binge Eating Disorder
Binge Eating Disorder or Compulsive Overeating is characterised by binge eating without compensatory purging, fasting or excessive exercise.
People with binge eating disorder have described recurrent binge eating episodes during which eating is more rapid than usual, and the amount eaten is very large - even when they are not physically hungry. These episodes involving increased volume of food reflect some of the behavioural symptoms associated with this disorder. Other behaviours include:
- Multiple failed attempts at weight loss
- Buying and preparing more food than is required
- Eating whilst preparing food
- Avoiding eating away from home
The psychological symptoms associated with binge eating disorder / compulsive overeating include:
- Social withdrawal and isolatio
- Obsessional thoughts about food and weight
- Difficulties asserting oneself or communicating needs.
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