It is very common for young people and especially young women to deal with their weight and body shape, in the context of the dominant beauty social standards. For some girls, however, the preoccupation with their weight reaches the point where it obtains a central position in their life and there is a case of anorexic symptoms manifestation. In such cases the person wishes to be thin and tries not to increase his/hers weight. Typical behaviors are skipping meals, avoiding certain types of foods, etc. The concern about ones weight remains even when the person is underweight and it is based on the belief that if he/she stops the intense efforts to control food intake he/she will end up overweight. Often the person believes that his/hers body or body parts are too large, although it is worth noting that in most cases the person has an accurate idea of their size, but the way they evaluate size does not meet the objective standards. Central element of the person’s thinking is that he/she links his/her self-esteem to his/her weight and body shape. It is very important for the individual to realize the risks posed to his/her health due to the bad relationship with food, and also the impacts on his/her social life. In about half the cases of anorexia "bulimic" episodes occur, which are accompanied by intense negative feelings of guilt. These negative thoughts stem from the feeling that the person does not satisfactorily control one’s self and diet, but at the same time the expectation for total control of food intake and body weight is part of the problem.
To stop eating altogether is a strategy applied to control one’s weight or control weight loss. The fact is that the pressure exerted by the prevailing social standards of beauty is very strong. Regardless of the pressure to be thin, the above strategy is extremely risky. Understandably there is often a very strong desire to lose weight, but it's wise to follow a more gradual approach.
The danger that lurks if you stop eating is not so much that you’ll become anorexic (not excluding the possibility of it) as that you’ll begin manifesting bulimic-type behaviors. Essentially, the vicious circle of bulimia is based on exaggerated intentions of food intake control. You might set extremely high expectations and submit yourself to a test that can not be achieved, leading to uncontrolled outbursts of excessive food consumption. The outbursts are followed by even more extreme weight control efforts thus increasing the likelihood of new outbreaks to occur etc.
Apart from the bulimic or anorexic type problems, even being on lighter diets like those presented in magazines, is risky, rather than stopping eating completely. Simply, losing weight in a short amount of time usually means that you will retake it shortly. The advice that does not pose any danger to your health is that you must make the decision to change your lifestyle, stop stressing yourself and follow a strategy that will allow you to control your weight long term. You may need to give serious consideration in working with a diet specialist.
The answer to this question requires one to proceed in a hypothesis concerning the source of the anxiety that characterizes all aspects of an individual’s life, the reasons for the difficulty to keep trying to achieve the set target, and also the source of the feelings of unfulfillment. For example, a person may feel dissatisfied because he/she sets high goals and performance criteria or because he/she has a bad self image, so he/she does not believe that he/she will succeed, and as a result the person abandons all efforts. In consequence the person feels dissatisfaction due to what he/she perceives as failure. It is understandable that, there are multiple possible mechanisms.
As far as anorexia is concerned, the attempt of imposing one’s willpower is not usually enough, or better is usually the cause of the problem. Essentially, anorexia is the result of a perfectionism attitude that one can have with regards to his/her diet. The target the person sets relating to food intake is extremely high, and as a result the person can not follow it and he/she feels guilty and a failure. To try to “correct” these mishaps he/she is leaded to the vicious cycle of adopting an even more strict diet, which is more likely to fail, etc.
The solution to this situation is to locate those thoughts and feelings that make it difficult for the person and in this context it is particularly useful to work with a specialist.
Of course it is possible to recover completely from an eating disorder. What is important is to be aware that the ultimate goal of the treatment is for the person to review how he/she perceives oneself and food and not trying to live "normal" despite of how he/she thinks about those issues. Of course, the first priority in a therapy effort is to return to a normal diet and life, to prevent health problems associated with eating disorders and to determine from personal experience that some of his/her opinions of his/hers diet, the weight he/she would gain if fed properly, etc., do not apply. However, the ultimate goal of the treatment is to feel good with oneself and his/her weight, but also gain confidence that the changes achieved are stable and that he/she will not return to any old behaviour patterns. It would be beneficial to discuss these concerns with an eating disorders specialist, in order to be informed on the treatment plan in detail.
The characteristics of different eating disorders often overlap considerably. Corrective behaviors, ie extreme behaviors aimed at weight reduction, such as purging, exhausting exercise, etc., appear in both bulimia and anorexia. However, in the case of anorexia a person's weight is significantly below the average normal of age and gender. Excessive attempts to control weight-gain occur in both disorders. The base of the vicious circle of bulimia is found in these very extreme attempts to restrict food consumption. A person submits himself/herself to excessive dieting. The body reacts to the lack of nutrition and as a result outbursts and excessive eating are observed. Even though, the individual reacts to these outbursts with corrective behaviors and the end result is to increase the stringency of the diet, the outcome is most likely to result to new episodes of overeating, etc. In bulimia as in anorexia, the person is afraid of gaining weight, considers weight lose very important and feels strong resentment towards his/her body.
You should be particularly careful regarding your friend with an eating disorder as to not give the impression that you are monitoring his/hers eating habits. It is more important to listen to your friend's concerns, with understanding to his/her feelings and be an ally of the problem he/she faces, and as a result your friend will keep you informed on the progress of the his/her diet. It’s positive to praise your friend when he/she speaks openly about his/her problem and understand how difficult it is to talk about so personal issues that many people feel great shame. Try to understand your friend's feelings without arguing or showing that what he/she says is not normal. It’s useful to support and be available when he/she needs to talk to you, without meaning that you are required to agree with him/her or to reward his/her thinking and behaviour. Finally, it’s good to openly express the opinion that it would be beneficiary to visit a specialist in order to stop suffering, but without giving the message that your friend is a burden to you.
In the context of eating disorders, from a point on, the constant preoccupation with the type and quantity of food a person consumes becomes a habit and it is sometimes difficult to change. Psychologists and mental health specialists in general are trained in dealing with dysfunctional habits and hence contacting a specialist would be the suitable action. When there are emotional issues surrounding eating disorders, working with a mental health specialist is the only appropriate action. While on the issues of physical health or diet program formulation, the monitoring by the appropriate doctor or dietitian, respectively, is necessary.
In the context of eating disorders it is particularly useful to work with a health specialist. Surely, no one is forced to take medications. In some cases, there are certain types of antidepressants that are prescribed, particularly in the presence of depression. It is certain, however, that the issue will not be resolved only with the use of medication. There is also the need for some psychotherapeutic collaboration, which will investigate the dietary habits, the reasons which led to this reaction, etc.
Of course, under no circumstances should anyone take medication without first consulting a psychiatrist, who should monitor the individual throughout the period of use.
A person with an eating disorder is often secretive due to the feelings of shame and guilt. Because of these feelings, the person finds it difficult to seek help for the problem. However, once one requires help and begins to address this problem, it is likely that these feelings will subside. A large part of facing the problem lies in identifying the emotions that cause the disorder and learning new ways to address those emotions. The aim is not only to balance the dietary behaviours of the individual, but also balance the person’s emotions.
The first positive result, when one contacts a specialist, is the relief he/she feels when confiding the problem. The person who is affected by the disorder must of course come to the decision on how to face the problem.
The most appropriate form of psychotherapy for anorexia is cognitive behaviour. Such therapy helps to change not only in dietary habits and behaviors aimed at weight control, but also to modify the beliefs of the individual on other dimensions, such as self-esteem and preoccupation with body shape and weight. The intervention’s priority is to return to a normal diet. The aim is to maintain stable body weight, with three scheduled meals a day, without the person experiencing extreme hunger or result to corrective behaviours. Once self-control is restored, attention turns to thoughts and feelings that contribute to the continuation of the problem and other personal difficulties that maybe involved.
An eating disorder is a serious but treatable, physical and psychological health problem. The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. There are other eating disorders such as compulsive overeating or others that do not have all of the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder, so they are determined as "eating disorders not otherwise specified" (EDNOS).
It is very common for these disorders to co exist with other mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, or obsessive compulsive disorder. The thought and way of life of people with an eating disorder, compulsively revolves around food, their body image and weight. These health issues may become chronic and life-threatening if not recognized and treated early on. Treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach and skilled therapists.
Men and women even from the early age of 7 or 8 years can have an eating disorder. While it is true that eating disorders are more common in women than in men, and more likely to occur in adolescence and early adulthood than at an older age, there have been many incidents involving men and women aged between 30 and 40 years. They can affect people of any socio economic class, although the prevailing view is that they affect people of higher social and economic class. Studies have shown that anorexia is the third more common chronic disease in the female population of America and that 7% of this population will develop bulimia symptoms at least once in their lives.
Many patients with eating disorders that begin their treatment in the early stages achieve full recovery. Amongst patients who achieved improvement, even without complete lack of symptoms, the change in their life is impressive. The relationship they have with food, completely changes, and is no longer enforced and fully binding, leading people to feel happier and more productive. The treatment can (and should) be personalised including psychotherapy, dietary and pharmaceutical approaches sometimes. The most important step of treatment is the acceptance by the patients themselves that they are experiencing a health problem and to accept treatment.
Some aspects of the disease may actually be different. Issues that are very important and should be taken into account when dealing with male patients are:
- Stigma: We have to remember that eating disorders are considered a "women's issue" and therefore, many male patients feel ashamed to express their problem. It is useful in such cases not to use the term "eating disorder" but the discussion should focus on behaviours that are described only.
- The clinical presentation of eating disorders is different in men. Although the emotional and health consequences of eating disorders are similar both as to men and to women patients, studies show that men are more interested in increasing and "building" their muscle mass, while women focus on loss of body weight.
Most people from time to time may have overeating episodes. Compulsive overeating disorder is something different: it is the consumption of larger quantities of food than a person is used to, in short amounts of time, accompanied by feelings of a loss of control relating to food consumption.
Most of them can not. The distorted body image they have leads them to see their body larger than it actually is. Typically, anorexic patients focus their attention on areas of their bodies that are relatively more difficult to maintain slim (eg Buttocks, waist, chest, etc.). The lack of satisfaction with their body image is often associated with a false belief that the weight and body shape and being thin is the primary source of self-esteem and respect. Adolescents with negative body image are more likely, than their peers, to be depressed, with intense anxiety and to have suicidal thoughts.
I know a person who doesn’t want to eat with friends or family (whether in school or elsewhere). How can he/she do it? Doesn’t he/she get hungry? Doesn’t he/she like food?
Most likely that person is extremely concerned with the subject of food. One of the most common symptoms of patients with eating disorders is their refusal to eat with others, to accept questions about their dietary choices and to avoid anything associated with food consumption. Is this person hungry? Yes, of course. But he/she is completely controlled by the eating disorder, which torments him/her and refuses to eat.
Eating disorders are associated with the importance one gives to their weight and body shape, but also with the general psychological state of the individual. Many people express thoughts like: "the only thing that concerns me is my weight" and that "I am bored with everything." One should not be thinking in terms of existence or illness. First of all mental health is something different than physical health and in this case it is not a disease, but disorders, syndromes, symptoms that tend to occur together. It is perfectly understandable that young women and men are interested in being attractive and especially to the opposite sex, but before trying to control his/her weight one should process the psychological meaning of his/her image. This does not mean that one should start to ignore his/her appearance, but should evaluate the significance of it from a slightly different perspective.
Bulimia is an eating disorder and refers to excessive eating to the point of excessive saturation, often accompanied by a sense of losing control. Then the person exhibits corrective behavior due to fear of increasing his/her body weight. These behaviors include self-induced vomiting, use of laxatives / diuretics, excessive exercising, etc.
If this situation continues, physical health problems are possible. The most common effects associated with the above corrective behaviors are tooth decay, face swelling, irregular heartbeat and muscle weakness, caused by frequent vomiting. Nevertheless, the impact on one’s mental health is equally important.
The cause of the disorder is the importance a person gives to his/her weight. What happens is that a person’s confidence begins to depend, almost entirely on his/her weight, and his/hers thoughts revolve almost exclusively around the issue of weight. As expected, the individual results to extreme behaviours to control body weight, such as excessive exercise, fasting etc. However, it is impossible for the body to tolerate, for a long period of time, maltreatment so the person is inevitably led to "bulimic episodes." These in turn are the stimulus for even more intense and extreme weight control behaviours, which lead to new outbursts etc.
Another characteristic is that the person believes that other people (sexual partners, social contacts) share his/her distorted body image. Another feature of the person’s disordered perceptions, is their ability to endure, even if they contradict facts of reality. When a sexual partner approaches the person, he/she doesn’t question his/her certainty that he/she has a weight problem, instead the person puts in question the aesthetic criteria of others.
Bulimia usually occurs in late adolescence or early adulthood and often the person was or is overweight or obese. The disorder develops during a stressful state, ie after a difficult or traumatizing experience. Sometimes the issue goes unnoticed, because the individual’s weight can remain normal or even slightly increase.
One can be completely treated of bulimia, but the disorder usually does not "stop" at a certain age.
A typical episode of overeating is the feeling of losing control and the rapid consumption of “forbidden” or fattening foods, which often happens mechanically. In every case, what is important is that this type of behaviour is usually associated with a person’s excessive expectations of body weight control and the fact that the food can become a process that offers pleasure and comfort and in this sense have psychological connotations.
Experiencing binge episodes or crises does not necessarily mean that one has bulimia, as they are not always accompanied by corrective behaviours, such as induced vomiting, use of diuretics or excessive exercise. But they share the same cause of bulimia crises and as a result this is also an issue that should be addressed. Episodes of uncontrolled eating lead a person to resolve to even greater efforts to control consumption, which will most likely lead to the emergence of new episodes of excessive eating.
It is a proven fact that usually for the treatment of this phenomenon, it is very useful to work with a specialist, in order to set a realistic eating plan (which does not lead to weight gain) and to investigate the importance of body weight for the individual, which essentially is the reason for these extreme behaviours.
You should be particularly careful regarding your friend with an eating disorder as to not give the impression that you are monitoring his/hers eating habits. It is more important to listen to your friend's concerns, with understanding to his/her feelings and be an ally of the problem he/she faces, and as a result your friend will keep you informed on the progress of the his/her diet. It’s positive to praise your friend when he/she speaks openly about his/her problem and understand how difficult it is to talk about so personal issues that many people feel great shame. Try to understand your friend's feelings without arguing or showing that what he/she says is not normal. It’s useful to support and be available when he/she needs to talk to you, without meaning that you are required to agree with him/her or to reward his/her thinking and behaviour. Finally, it’s good to openly express the opinion that it would be beneficiary to visit a specialist in order to stop suffering, but without giving the message that your friend is a burden to you.
Of course it is possible to recover completely from an eating disorder. What is important is to be aware that the ultimate goal of the treatment is for the person to review how he/she perceives oneself and food and not trying to live "normal" despite of how he/she thinks about those issues. Of course, the first priority in a therapy effort is to return to a normal diet and life, to prevent health problems associated with eating disorders and to determine from personal experience that some of his/her opinions of his/hers diet, the weight he/she would gain if fed properly, etc., do not apply. However, the ultimate goal of the treatment is to feel good with oneself and his/her weight, but also gain confidence that the changes achieved are stable and that he/she will not return to any old behaviour patterns. It would be beneficial to discuss these concerns with an eating disorders specialist, in order to be informed on the treatment plan in detail.
The characteristics of different eating disorders often overlap considerably. Corrective behaviors, ie extreme behaviors aimed at weight reduction, such as purging, exhausting exercise, etc., appear in both bulimia and anorexia. However, in the case of anorexia a person's weight is significantly below the average normal of age and gender. Excessive attempts to control weight-gain occur in both disorders. The base of the vicious circle of bulimia is found in these very extreme attempts to restrict food consumption. A person submits himself/herself to excessive dieting. The body reacts to the lack of nutrition and as a result outbursts and excessive eating are observed. Even though, the individual reacts to these outbursts with corrective behaviors and the end result is to increase the stringency of the diet, the outcome is most likely to result to new episodes of overeating, etc. In bulimia as in anorexia, the person is afraid of gaining weight, considers weight lose very important and feels strong resentment towards his/her body.
The characteristics of different eating disorders often overlap considerably. Corrective behaviors, ie extreme behaviors aimed at weight reduction, such as purging, exhausting exercise, etc., appear in both bulimia and anorexia. However, in the case of anorexia a person's weight is significantly below the average normal of age and gender. Excessive attempts to control weight-gain occur in both disorders. The base of the vicious circle of bulimia is found in these very extreme attempts to restrict food consumption. A person submits himself/herself to excessive dieting. The body reacts to the lack of nutrition and as a result outbursts and excessive eating are observed. Even though, the individual reacts to these outbursts with corrective behaviors and the end result is to increase the stringency of the diet, the outcome is most likely to result to new episodes of overeating, etc. In bulimia as in anorexia, the person is afraid of gaining weight, considers weight lose very important and feels strong resentment towards his/her body.
The answer to this question requires one to proceed in a hypothesis concerning the source of the anxiety that characterizes all aspects of an individual’s life, the reasons for the difficulty to keep trying to achieve the set target, and also the source of the feelings of unfulfillment. For example, a person may feel dissatisfied because he/she sets high goals and performance criteria or because he/she has a bad self image, so he/she does not believe that he/she will succeed, and as a result the person abandons all efforts. In consequence the person feels dissatisfaction due to what he/she perceives as failure. It is understandable that, there are multiple possible mechanisms.
As far as anorexia is concerned, the attempt of imposing one’s willpower is not usually enough, or better is usually the cause of the problem. Essentially, anorexia is the result of a perfectionism attitude that one can have with regards to his/her diet. The target the person sets relating to food intake is extremely high, and as a result the person can not follow it and he/she feels guilty and a failure. To try to “correct” these mishaps he/she is leaded to the vicious cycle of adopting an even more strict diet, which is more likely to fail, etc.
The solution to this situation is to locate those thoughts and feelings that make it difficult for the person and in this context it is particularly useful to work with a specialist.
In the context of eating disorders, from a point on, the constant preoccupation with the type and quantity of food a person consumes becomes a habit and it is sometimes difficult to change. Psychologists and mental health specialists in general are trained in dealing with dysfunctional habits and hence contacting a specialist would be the suitable action. When there are emotional issues surrounding eating disorders, working with a mental health specialist is the only appropriate action. While on the issues of physical health or diet program formulation, the monitoring by the appropriate doctor or dietitian, respectively, is necessary.
It’s a fact that eating disorders are often associated with emotional difficulties. If you have thoughts of suiciding you should immediately visit a mental health specialist. It is expected that your experience so far has defined, to a degree, your emotional life, but we think it would be unfair to allow these experiences, to lead you to put an end to your life and deprive yourself of the opportunity to feel better and experience a more positive way of living. You should contact the Student Counseling Center, a mental health center in your area or any hospital / outpatient department. Also, there are medications that can help you, especially to improve your mood, in the context of psychotherapy. Finally, we will advise you, regardless of which service you choose, to find the courage to speak about your depressed psychological mood and the thoughts that you have about hurting yourself, in order to reduce the waiting time until the start of treatment.
A person with an eating disorder is often secretive due to the feelings of shame and guilt. Because of these feelings, the person finds it difficult to seek help for the problem. However, once one requires help and begins to address this problem, it is likely that these feelings will subside. A large part of facing the problem lies in identifying the emotions that cause the disorder and learning new ways to address those emotions. The aim is not only to balance the dietary behaviours of the individual, but also balance the person’s emotions.
The first positive result, when one contacts a specialist, is the relief he/she feels when confiding the problem. The person who is affected by the disorder must of course come to the decision on how to face the problem.
The most appropriate form of psychotherapy for anorexia is cognitive behaviour. Such therapy helps to change not only in dietary habits and behaviors aimed at weight control, but also to modify the beliefs of the individual on other dimensions, such as self-esteem and preoccupation with body shape and weight. The intervention’s priority is to return to a normal diet. The aim is to maintain stable body weight, with three scheduled meals a day, without the person experiencing extreme hunger or result to corrective behaviours. Once self-control is restored, attention turns to thoughts and feelings that contribute to the continuation of the problem and other personal difficulties that maybe involved.