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Eating Disorders

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82 views15 pages

Eating Disorders

Uploaded by

abhinavkannan2002
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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EATING DISORDERS

Presented by:
Submitted to:
Tejaswini
Ms Ashwini Shetty
233532
Assistant Professor
2nd MSc Psychology
SDM PG College
SDM PG College
F50 Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are defined by disturbance in eating
habits that may be either excessive or insufficient
food intake. The World Health Organization (WHO)
describes eating disorders as behavioral syndromes
associated with physiological disturbances and
distress, often resulting in significant health risks and
social impairment.
Eating disorders are considered psychiatric illnesses primarily involving:

Dysfunctional attitudes toward eating.


Emotional distress related to body weight and shape.
Behavioral abnormalities that compromise physical health, including
extreme dietary restriction, purging, or binging.
Types of Eating Disorders

F50.0 F50.1 F50.2 F50.3


Anorexia Nervosa Atypical Anorexia Atypical Bulimia
Bulimia Nervosa
Nervosa Nervosa

F50.4 F50.5 F50.8 F50.9


Overeating associated Vomiting associated Other eating Eating Disorder,
with other with other disorders unspecified
psychological psychological
disturbances disturbances
F50.0 Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder, occurring most frequently in adolescent girls, that
involves persistent refusal of food, excessive fear of weight gain, refusal to maintain minimally
normal body weight, disturbed perception of body image, and amenorrhea (absence of at least
three menstrual periods).

Anorexia Nervosa is a disorder characterized by deliberate


weight loss, induced and/or sustained by the patient. The
disorder occurs most commonly in adolescent girls and young
women, but adolescent boys and young men may be affected
more rarely, as may children approaching puberty and older
women up to the menopause.
F50.2 Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder involving recurrent episodes of binge eating (i.e.,
discrete periods of uncontrolled consumption of abnormally large quantities of food)
followed by inappropriate compensatory behaviors (e.g., self-induced vomiting, misuse of
laxatives, fasting, excessive exercise).

Bulimia Nervosa is a syndrome characterized by repeated bouts of overeating and an


excessive preoccupation with the control of body weight, leading the patient to adopt
extreme measures so as to mitigate the “fattening” effects of ingested food.
SYMPTOMS

Binge Eating Episodes


Compensatory Behaviours.
Frequent Dieting
Fluctuations in Weight
Digestive Issues
Dental Problems
Dehydration and Electrolyte Imbalance
CYCLE OF BULIMIA NERVOSA

Desire to Lose Weight → Extreme Dieting → Hunger.


Hunger + Emotional Triggers → Binge Eating.
Binge Eating → Guilt and Shame → Compensatory Behavior
(Purging).
Guilt from Purging → Renewed Dieting → Cycle Repeats.
Etiology
Biological Factors
Genetics: Studies suggest that anorexia nervosa tends to run in families, indicating a genetic component. In
one large family study of eating disorders, the risk of anorexia nervous for the relatives of individuals with it
was 11.4 times greater than for the relatives of the healthy individuals and 3.7 times in bulimia nervosa.

Brain Abnormalities:
1. One brain area that plays an important role in eating is the hypothalamus. Studies have demonstrated that
lesions in the part of hypothalamus called the ventromedial hypothalamus plays an important role.
2. Other important parts include temporal cortex and parts of the frontal cortex. Hypothalamus senses weight
and keeps things in balance with the vendtomedial hypothalamus, acting as the “satiety centre” and the lateral
hypothalamus serving as the “appetite centre”.
3. The lateral hypothalamus receives information from many parts of the brain, including the frontal cortex and
the plays an important role in emotion and fear learning.

Serotonin: Serotonin is neurotransmitter that has been implicated in obsessionality, mood disorders and
impulsivity. It also modulates appetite and feeding behaviour. Other neurotransmitters include dopamine,
norepinephrine.

Hormonal Imbalances: Dysregulation of hormones like cortisol, leptin, and ghrelin can influence hunger, stress,
and body weight perceptions.
Social Factors

Cultural and Media Influence: Societal emphasis on thinness as a standard of beauty


can lead to body dissatisfaction, especially in Westernized cultures.
Family Dynamics:
a. Overly controlling or critical parenting may contribute to feelings of inadequacy
and a need to exert control over food.
b. Some research suggests that overprotective or enmeshed family dynamics may
increase the risk of developing anorexia.
c. Chaotic or inconsistent parenting, along with high levels of criticism or neglect,
may play a role in bulimia's development.
Peer Pressure: Bullying, teasing, or social comparisons, especially about weight, can
trigger unhealthy eating behaviors.
Psychological Factors

Perfectionism and Control


1. Perfectionism has been regarded as an important risk factor for eating disorders. People who are
perfectionist may be much more likely to subscribe to the thin ideal and relentless pursue the
“perfect body”. It has also been suggested that perfectionism helps maintain bulimic pathology
through the rigid adherence to dieting that then drives the binge purge cycle.
2. Individuals with anorexia may use food restriction as a means of asserting control over their
body and life.

Low Self-Esteem and Body Image Issues:


1. Anorexia Nervosa: Body dissatisfaction and a distorted view of one’s body weight and shape are
central to anorexia. Individuals often feel "too fat" despite being dangerously underweight.
2. Bulimia Nervosa: A preoccupation with body image is also central to bulimia, but individuals may
experience more fluctuation in weight and a stronger compulsion to eat in response to negative
emotions, leading to binge eating followed by purging.
CASE STUDY

Ankita, a 19-year-old university freshman, sought counseling after struggling with feelings of guilt and
dissatisfaction related to her eating habits. She described experiencing frequent episodes of binge eating,
during which she consumed unusually large amounts of food within a short period and felt a complete
loss of control. To counteract these binges, Emma resorted to self-induced vomiting, laxative misuse, and
occasionally fasting. Despite maintaining a normal weight, she expressed intense anxiety about gaining
weight and an overwhelming preoccupation with her body shape. These behaviors began during her final
year of high school, triggered by academic stress and a breakup that significantly affected her self-
esteem. Emma reported feeling trapped in a cycle of restrictive dieting, binge eating, and purging, leaving
her physically and emotionally drained. She also experienced fatigue, frequent sore throats, and dental
sensitivity, likely from repeated vomiting. Her condition has begun to interfere with her academic
performance, social interactions, and overall quality of life.
CASE STUDY

Eisha was 22 years old and in her fourth year of graduate study at a university in the United States when
she first sought treatment. Her eating disorder, however, had begun many years earlier. When she was 14
and at school in her home country of India, she reported being bullied by her classmates who told her she
looked fat in her new school dress. After this incident, she started to feel that she had become fat and she
began to starve herself to lose weight. By the time she was 18 she was in a physically weak state. She ate
only once a day. The rest of the time she exercised, and refused all other requests to eat food. Occasion-
ally, her restraint would break down and she would binge eat. After each binge-eating episode she would
starve herself for 3 or 4 days to compensate. Eventually she began to purge routinely after eating any
food to make sure she did not gain any weight. She believed that "to be beautiful you need to be thin" and
that eating was bad. After eating, she would tell herself "you are good for nothing."
References:

The ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioral Disorders. (2007). Delhi:


A.I.T.B.S. Publishers & Distributors
Butcher, J. N., Mineka, S., & Hooley, J. M. (2017)., Abnormal Psychology,
Pearson Education India.

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