Eating disorders

Eating disorder is said to be more than what eating food is and being picky about it. This is more about a mental illness that interferes with the normal lifestyle that a person has and often requires the professional help. There also seems to be substantial disruptions in people's eating habits, as well as thoughts and feelings associated to them. An eating problem may also be indicated by obsessive thoughts about food, weight, or appearance.

"An eating disorder is a mental health condition where you use the control of food to cope with feelings and other situations" (NHS, 2021). Another way of defining it is - "eating disorders are a range of psychological conditions that cause unhealthy eating habits to develop. They might start with an obsession with food, body weight, or body shape" (Petre, 2019).

Types of eating disorder

Eating disorder has been related to weight and food thoroughly, but it has its own specific criteria in which it fits in and its symptoms. The most common types of eating disorders include:

Anorexia nervosa

This is likely a well-known type of eating disorder. It often appears throughout adolescence or early adulthood, and more women than males are typically affected. Despite being extremely underweight, anorexics frequently see themselves as overweight. They often track their weight, stay away from particular meals, and drastically limit their calorie consumption. Some of the symptoms of this type of eating disorder include:

• Restricted eating patterns
• A big pursuit of being thin and unwilling to maintain a healthy diet.
• A distorted body image
• A big influence on what they think of about their body and what it should look like according to the standards put on them.

Bulimia nervosa

Bulimia, which appears to be less prevalent in males than women, also tends to emerge throughout adolescence and the early stages of adulthood like anorexia. However, unlike anorexia, people who have this type of eating disorder tend to hoard or eat large amounts of food. It is more like an eating episode where they end up eating to a point it hurts them. They cannot stop or cannot control on how much they are consuming.

The symptoms of the purging or binge eating subtypes of anorexia nervosa might be quite similar to those of this condition. Instead of drastically reducing their weight, those who suffer from bulimia typically maintain a weight that is more or less normal. Common symptoms of this type of eating disorder include:

• Recurrent episodes of binge eating where they simply cannot control the urge to stop eating.
• Self-esteem is influenced by body weight and shape.
• A likelihood fear of gaining weight, even though the weight is normal or typical.
• Chronically inflamed and sore throat
• Severe dehydration from the purging of fluids

Binge-eating disorder

An individual with a binge-eating problem will frequently have periods of consuming excessive amounts of food and will lose control over their eating. There is no purging, intense exercise, or fasting after binge-eating episodes, unlike bulimia nervosa. Therefore, those who suffer from binge eating disorder frequently have excess weight or obesity. The symptoms for this type of eating disorder include:

• Eating even when full or when the body is in no need of the calorie's intake.
• Eating alone when nobody is there to avoid embarrassment.
• Feeling distressed, or embarrassed when eating too much
• Eating even when uncomfortable or until one feels uncomfortable.

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder

Limiting the quantity or kind of food consumed is a symptom of avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), formerly known as selective eating disorder. People with ARFID do not have distorted body images or a severe fear of gaining weight, unlike those with anorexia nervosa. It is more like where a person is picky into what they wanted to eat.

This is more common among young kids or teens. Many children go through a phase where they are just picky with their food, but just as a kid with ARFID does not consume enough calories to grow and develop correctly, an adult with ARFID does not consume enough calories to sustain fundamental bodily functions. The symptoms of this type of eating disorders include:

• Lack of appetite
• Dramatic weight loss
• Upset stomach, abdominal pain, and other bodily pains that are not functioning properly due to lack of appetite.
• Limited range of food being preferred that becomes even more worse as time goes by.

Causes

Biological and genetic risk factors

There may be a high chance of genetic reasoning as to why the person develops eating disorder. Another risk to it is a biological factors. Some of the examples include:

• A family history of the disorder or another kind of disorder that links to eating disorder or leads to another form of mental health issue.
• High body weight in childhood
• Periods starting before age 12 (not usually but happens in some cases)
• A child being bullied when young due to their weight or eating habits.

Psychological issues or behavioral problems

There are lots of psychological factors that could arise the problems of developing eating disorder. Not only that, but there is also a chance that the person may develop some other mental health issues as well along with eating disorder. Some of the factors include:

• Low self-esteem
• Neurodiversity
• previous trauma and forms of abuse

Socio-cultural risk factors or causes.

In this factor, the society and the environment play a huge role in the person developing this mental health issue. Some of the examples of this factor include:

• Problems with friends or family members
• High academic expectations or high amounts of stress
• Bullying

There may be other risk factors and causes that help in developing eating disorder. However, it is still uncertain on how exactly eating disorder is developed and the researchers are still underway in finding the reason why and how.

Treatment

Early treatment for eating problems is crucial. Suicide and medical issues are more likely to occur in those with eating disorders. People who suffer from eating disorders frequently also struggle with other types of mental illness, such as depression or anxiety, or drug abuse issues. There are different types of treatments used when it comes to eating disorders.

Medication

There is evidence that supports mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and antidepressants may be effective in treating eating disorders as well as other co-occurring conditions like anxiety or depression.

Some of the antidepressants include:

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs),
• Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs),
• Norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs).

Mood stabilizers:

Because of the potential for negative side effects, such as weight loss, mood stabilizers are not usually the first line of treatment for eating disorders. Lithium and topiramate are two examples of mood stabilizers. However, it does take effect if there is no other option and until fully necessary. But may have certain side effects.

In individuals with an eating problem, psychiatric conditions such depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, drug misuse, OCD, and ADHD are quite frequent. The physical harm caused by an eating problem may be managed with the use of medications for eating disorders.

Therapy

Cognitive therapy

The focus of this style of psychotherapy is on your eating disorder-related actions, ideas, and emotions. After teaching you how to develop healthy eating habits, it also teaches you how to identify and alter the false beliefs that cause eating disorder behaviors. This therapy may help you change the way you think about your body shape and weight.

Family based therapy

In this treatment, your family members learn how to support you in reestablishing appropriate eating habits and achieving a healthy weight until you are able to do it on your own. Parents who are learning how to support a teen with an eating issue may find this kind of counseling to be extremely helpful.

Group cognitive behavioral therapy

As part of this sort of therapy, patients who have been identified as having an eating disorder consult with a psychologist or other mental health specialist. It may assist you in dealing with your eating disorder-related thoughts, feelings, and behaviors as well as teach you how to control your symptoms and get back to your healthy eating habits.

There are many other forms of therapy that can help with eating disorder, but the 3 mentioned above are the most common ways to treat the disorder.

Summary

Eating disorders are illnesses of the mind that often need for therapy. If ignored, they may potentially cause harm to the body. You can get assistance from a medical practitioner with expertise in eating disorders if you or someone you know may be suffering from an eating problem. Just knowing the fact your loved ones are there to support you when treating the disorder is something to hold onto and be able to get the right treatment.

The different types of eating disorder may help with understanding on what category of eating disorder you have. But it is also good to take notice that sometimes a person may feel picky about eating something it does not classify of you having eating disorder. There has to be certain symptoms that may help identify the eating disorder, that is probably diagnosed by a health professional or a psychiatrist.

References:

Healthdirect Australia (2020). Eating disorders. [online] www.healthdirect.gov.au. Available at: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/eating-disorders [Accessed: 8 Jul. 2023].

Muhlheim, L. (2019). Why Do Some People Get Eating Disorders? [online] Verywell Mind. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-causes-eating-disorders-4121047 [Accessed: 8 Jul. 2023].

NHS (2021). Overview - Eating Disorders. [online] nhs.uk. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/behaviours/eating-disorders/overview/ [Accessed: 8 Jul. 2023].

Petre, A. (2019). 6 Common Types of Eating Disorders (and Their Symptoms). [online] Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/common-eating-disorders#bottom-line [Accessed: 8 Jul. 2023].

National Institute of Mental Health (2023). Eating Disorders. [online] www.nimh.nih.gov. Available at: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/eating-disorders [Accessed: 8 Jul. 2023].

Tracy, N. (2023). Medications for Eating Disorders | HealthyPlace. [online] www.healthyplace.com. Available at: https://www.healthyplace.com/eating-disorders/eating-disorders-overview/medications-for-eating-disorders#:~:text=Common%20psychiatric%20eating%20disorder%20medications%20include%20the%20following [Accessed: 8 Jul. 2023].

Mayo Clinic (2017). Eating disorder treatment: Know your options. [online] Mayo Clinic. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/eating-disorders/in-depth/eating-disorder-treatment/art-20046234 [Accessed: 8 Jul. 2023].