Eating Disorders

Sally Carter

Eating Disorders

• An eating disorder is a medical illness in which a person manipulates their diet in an extreme way, whether it is either eating way too little or over eating.

• There are three types of eating disorders: Anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder.

Anorexia Nervosa

• Someone has a distorted view of themselves, thinking that they are fat when in reality they are very thin.

• They will restrict their diet to the point of near starvation• They have a fear of gaining weight and are in denial about

how they look• Some women stop menstruating • Self esteem influenced mostly by body image• Symptoms include brittle hair, thinning of bones, low blood

pressure, fatigue, anemia, and brain damage• I have experienced this to a less severe degree

Bulimia• Someone will eat excessive amounts of food and then throw it up or take

laxatives so it will be out of their system.• Many people lose control when they eat these large amounts, and then

feel guilty after they eat, so they vomit to rid themselves of the food or will engage in excessive exercise

• These individuals are more normal weight and might be slightly overweight, but fear gaining weight and wish to be skinny.

• Symptoms include sore throat, swollen salivary glands, worn tooth enamel and eventually tooth decay due to stomach acid, acid reflux, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance.

Binge-eating disorder• The individual feels as if they are not in control of their eating• They will eat large amounts of food at random times and feel like they are

out of control.• Different than bulimia in that these people do not purge themselves after

eating, and different than anorexia in that these people are typically not very skinny.

• Tend to be overweight or obese, unlike the other two disorders.• They tend to feel guilty or shameful following a binge, and this might

trigger another binge eating episode.

Who does this disorder affect?• Females are affected most by these disorders.• Many women are not totally satisfied with the way they look, and this

leads them to take drastic measures in order to try and accomplish their goal weight.

Causes of eating disorders• Society plays a huge role in how girls view themselves.

– Movies, magazines, tv shows portray distorted images of women and make girls believe that they have to be thin and “perfect” like the models and actresses who are their role models

• Women tend to “eat their feelings”– Women tend to be emotional eaters, and will use food as a temporary solution for their

feelings.• Life- changing events

– Breakups, moving, deaths, family issues etc. can trigger eating disorders among girls and women

• Genetics

Treatments for the disorders• Anorexia Nervosa

– Psychotherapy (individual, group, or family has been proven to work)– Medications such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and

antipsychotics

• Bulimia– Nutritional counseling to help stop the binging and purging– Psychotherapy, specifically Cognitive Behavior Therapy– Medication (Prozac works for people who have depression-related

bulimia)

• Binge-eating– Psychotherapy – Antidepressants

Sources

• http://www.apa.org/topics/eating/index.aspx

• http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/eating-disorders/complete-index.shtml

• http://www.womenshealth.gov/body-image/eating-disorders/