Eating Disorders

CEBU, Philippines — In this day and age when slimness has become so much associated with physical beauty, “dieting” and “fasting” have become popular fads. Dieting and fasting are good practices indeed, so long as these are done for the right reasons, like consuming only foods that are good for the body and in the right amounts and regularly allowing the body to cleanse itself of collected toxins. Sadly, though, the main – if not the sole – objective now is simply slimming down, no matter the cost in terms of one’s health.

The slimming fad has brought about the rise of so-called fitness centers and formula diets, which are multi-million industries now. On their own, many people are also trying to starve themselves, consistently doing it to the point that it has become automatic behavior.  The result is eating disorders.

Eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, a form of self-starvation;bulimia nervosa, where an individual engages in repetitive cycles of binge-eating alternating with self-induced vomiting or starvation. Both anorexia nervosa and bulimia are characterized by an overvalued drive for thinness that results in a disturbance in eating behavior. The main difference between the two is that anorexia nervosa is a syndrome of self-starvation involving significant weight loss of 15 percent or more of ideal body weight, whereas patients with bulimia nervosa are, by definition, at normal weight or even above.

Bulimia nervosa is characterized by a cycle of dieting, binge-eating and compensatory purging behavior to prevent weight gain. Purging behavior includes vomiting, diuretic or laxative abuse. When underweight individuals also engage in bingeing and purging behavior, the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa supersedes that of bulimia.

Excessive exercise aimed at weight loss or at preventing weight gain is common in both anorexia nervosa and in bulimia nervosa. While these two are the main types of eating disorders, there are other – albeit similar – types. Binge-eating disorder resembles bulimia but without compensatory behaviors (like vomiting, excessive exercise, laxative abuse) to avoid weight gain; and atypical eating disorder, in which the person may have fears and unusual behaviors (like chewing and spitting or fear of choking) associated with eating.

Again, young women comprise the majority of people affected with eating disorders, yet one in ten people with an eating disorder are males. Andsuch disorders occur in any age group,most commonly starting between age 12 and 25.

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are psychiatric illnesses that usually characterized by excessive preoccupation with food and its consumption and dissatisfaction with one’s body shape or weight. Also, there’s a compulsion to engage in extreme eating habits and unhealthy methods of weight control such as fasting or binge-eating, excessive exercise, self-induced vomiting, chewing and spitting or regurgitating food as well as laxative, diuretic, or diet pill abuse.

These unhealthy behaviors and preoccupations develop into a ruling passion interfering with physical, psychological and social wellbeing.

Eating disorders have many causes. These may be triggered by stressful life events, including a loss or trauma, relationship difficulties, physical illness, or a life change such as entering one’s teens, starting college, marriage or pregnancy. An eating disorder may develop together with another psychiatric illness such as a depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or substance abuse. Current research some people are more genetically predisposed to developing an eating disorder than others.

Eating disorders are believed to result from a combination of biological vulnerability, environmental, and social factors. Once an eating disorder develops, physiological changes play a role in sustaining the behaviors and irrational patterns of thinking involved. For example, starvation increases preoccupation with food and the risk of binge-eating.

Women with eating disorders tend to be perfectionistic, eager to please others, sensitive to criticism, and self-doubting. They often have difficulty adapting to change and are future- oriented. A smaller group of patients with eating disorders have a more extroverted temperament and are often novelty-seeking and impulsive, with difficulty maintaining stable relationships.

The most common symptom of an eating disorder is feeling constantly preoccupied by thoughts of food and weight.Once this is observed, it is important to see a doctor. The doctor will also be interested in any medical or psychiatric problems you may have besides the eating disorder.

Certain co-occurring psychiatric conditions may be present, like depression, anxiety, substance abuse and obsessive compulsive disorder. Co-occurring medical conditions that may bring patients to treatment include gastrointestinal complaints, infertility problems or menstrual irregularities, osteoporosis, or chronic pain conditions. The doctor may recommend medication, psychotherapy, further testing, or consultation with another medical specialist.(