INDEX
- Introduction
- Generality
- Anorexia
- Bulimia
- Binge Eating Disorder
- Treatments
Introduction
Eating disorders , more properly defined as eating disorders , are psychological and psychiatric discomforts and pathologies – even if the most frequent cases are the so-called ” border line “, or sporadic symptoms.
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Anorexia , Bulimia and Binge Eating Desorder , thanks to the media bombardment, are words that have now entered the common language even if a bit of confusion remains by the way . In this article we will try to shed some light on their meaning by trying to give some advice to help those who suffer from it.
In the past it was believed that they mainly affected the female sex, but today we know they are quite common also among males. Statistics suggest a greater interest also for subjects in adolescence or – for women – near the age of menopause ; but these trends also seem to change over time and with diagnostic improvement.
It must be said that eating disorders are more than one and all different, so even standardizing this kind of information would be incorrect by definition.
We specify that in the following article we will provide general information, without going too specific; for more details it is advisable to consult a specialist or in any case to consult sources that mention the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) 5th edition.
Generality
When self- esteem is excessively influenced by body image (fitness and weight , for example) the chances of falling into the trap of eating disorders are greatly increased.
Eating disorders are in fact linked to the dysfunctional assessment that the person makes of himself. We speak of dysfunctional evaluation when the perceived value of the person is strongly connected to the ideal of thinness , weight and control of one’s body shape. In practice, the person feels that he is worth or not worth as a human being in relation to the needle of the balance that greatly influences the relationship with food .
Eating disorders are today a rampant factor that manifests inner hardships and sufferings of a generation made fragile by a society that increasingly tends to discriminate between A, B and C bodies.
As anticipated, eating disorders include 3 main forms: anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder (BED).
All these eating disorders are united by the obsessive thought of food, the morbid fear of becoming overweight combined with a deforming perception of one’s body and low self-esteem.
However, they are also very different from each other, especially as regards the behavior that is then established in relation to the proper diet, therefore the possible mismanagement of the deregulation, the possible methods of purgation, etc.
Anorexia
An anorexic person, however thin they may be, cannot live with a body that always seems excessively fat . The problem of weight becomes so important that it makes her skip meals leading her to abuse medicines such as laxatives and diuretics while she pursues an ideal of unattainable thinness.
Anorexia usually begins with a diet and hides a profound discomfort that the person attempts to silence through obsessive calorie and weight control.
Anorexia severely attacks the body in its vital functions to the point of causing very serious consequences such as renal failure , osteoporosis , cardiovascular alterations, loss of teeth and hair . If this condition persists for a long time, the internal clock is disrupted and the condition becomes really serious: unfortunately you can die of anorexia.
To know more:Nervous anorexia
Bulimia
This eating disorder (bulimia = “ox hunger”) is characterized by an exasperated food intake (a bulimic person can ingest thousands of calories in a few hours). These binges are followed by desperate attempts to get rid of the food ingested, usually through self- induced vomiting or through the massive use of laxatives or diuretics .
After these attacks of uncontrolled hunger , during which nothing is more important than food, deep feelings of guilt arise that make the subject sink into depression .
Unfortunately, this is a real addiction comparable to that which binds a drug addict to drugs with equally devastating consequences on the life, psyche and health of those who suffer from it .
To know more:Bulimia Nervosa
Binge Eating Disorder
Those suffering from this eating disorder, just like in the case of bulimia, consume huge quantities of food.
Unlike a bulimic person, someone with binge eating disorder does not excrete what is ingested. Due to such binges the person can be severely overweight.
A variant of this eating disorder, called night-eating syndrome , is characterized by daytime anorexia and nocturnal insomnia which can only be overcome by taking large quantities of food (nocturnal bulimia).
To know more:Binge Eating Desorder or Binge Eating Disorder
Treatments
How to cure eating disorders?
Eating disorders require a complex therapeutic approach that is carried out with the collaboration of many figures (dieticians, endocrinologists and psychotherapists), called multidisciplinary .
When you suffer from a food problem it is good to:
- collect as much information as possible on the subject in order to realize its danger and how it is possible to get out of it;
- contact a family member, a relative, a friend or, better still, an association as soon as possible
- ask for help; although it is difficult, it is the greatest favor that a person can do to himself and to those around him.