Bulimia Is Not Fatal Anymore by Keith George
Bulimia is a severe eating disorder related with weight loss psychology. During bulimia your body will lose potassium, sodium and other important minerals, which will surely lead you to cardiac hazards. As ladies are weight conscious, more than 75% bulimia patients are female.
Weight loss programs, which offer you an easy way to control weight, are often the psychological starter of this serious eating disorder. Unfortunately, their claim is true. There are other triggers. For example, a well-known swedish swimmer, with several championships titles, told that the reason she started to get into this was the words a trainer gave her. You got to watch your weight he told her when she was 14 years old and close to join the national swimming team. Ten years later she still have problems.
What is bulimia nervosa?
This is a potentially life-threatening, very serious eating disorder consisting of two phenomenon - binge-eating and then purging just to withdraw calories consumed. People wants to lose weight and they use unhealthy methods to rid the body off the calories such as: water pills, vomiting, enemas, fasting, extreme exercise or fasting. Purging after binge-eating just start to minimize weight or to control weight but gradually it become habitual and out of control.
What are the signs and symptoms of bulimia?
People having bulimia nervosa do not talk about their problem to each and every person. Sometimes even not to their families and close friends. Some bulimia symptoms are very elusive so that only a doctor can point out them. You would be surprised to know that underweight is not a symptom of bulimia and sometimes people with bulimia fear of being fat. Diagnostic signs and symptoms of bulimia include:
* Odd eating behaviors a) Skipping meals b) Sudden and unpredictable dietary likes and dislikes c) Increased diet soda intake d) Use water as means to make vomiting easier e) Chewing food excessively f) Shortening of food
* They prefer to eat in a lonely place just to keep the secrecy about their eating habits. If you notice that someone goes frequently after each meal, most probably he or she is suffering from bulimia. After a meal they usually use the toilet for purging. They use to eat large amounts of food, but you will never note any increase in their weight. * Excessive, rigid exercise regimen * Complex lifestyle schedules to get time for binge and purge sessions. They mostly use chewing gums or mints to cover vomit smell * Preoccupation with weight loss, body weight, dieting and control of food. Person with bulimia usually wear baggy clothes to hide their body * Callused or discolored backs of hands or finger joints * Decalcified and discolored teeth with bleeding cheeks and gums * Irregular bowel movements * Irregular menstrual periods
Types of bulimia: * Purging type of bulimia * Non-purging type of bulimia
Effects of bulimia: Some of the major effects of bulimia include: * Electrolyte imbalance * Inflammation of the jaw, salivary glands and esophagus * Problems with lips, gums and teeth * Irregular bowel movements * Depression
Bulimia nervosa is a disease that usually affects a whole family. A mother and father will at first have great problems to realise what the problem is with their child. Then they will have a problem to get the child to realise there is a problem. After that a treatment can start to work, and it will take years.
About the Author
Keith George always writes about valuable news & reviews. A related resource is Bulimia Eating Disorders. Further information can be found at Home Mortgage Rates.
mercredi 27 juin 2007
A parallel between bulimia and anorexia
A parallel between bulimia and anorexia by Groshan Fabiola
The most bewildering symptom of eating disorders is the distorted body image. People usually associate distorted body image with severe anorexia. It is indicated that this distortion may be more prevalent in people with bulimia. There is also disparity between anorexia which tends to have an accurate perception of the upper body and bulimia.
People with bulimia were more likely than those with anorexia. The anorexia overestimates its size: abdominal and pelvic area. The bulimia is generally practiced in secret. The symptoms may be the following: evidence of discarded packaging for laxatives, diet pills, emetics (drugs that induce vomiting) or diuretics (medications that reduce fluids), eating large amounts of food or buying large quantities that disappear right away, compulsive exercising, broken blood vessels in the eyes, swollen salivary glands, dry mouth; teeth develop cavities, diseased gums and irreversible erosion from excessive acid.
Other symptoms which may appear are: rashes and pimples, small cuts and calluses across the tops of finger joints. The symptoms specific to anorexia are: weight loss provided excessive and continuos dieting, menstruation may be infrequent or absent, orthopedic problems particularly in dancers and athletes, refusal to eat in front of others, hypersensitivity to cold, yellowish skin especially on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, hair may be thin and after eating the stomach can be distressed and bloated. A poor memory and lack judgment can be present to an anorexic patient who can be confused or slowed.
People should be afraid about bulimia and anorexia effects and they must regularly consult the doctor.
About the Author
For more resources about anorexia and bulimia please review this page http://www.anorexia-center.com/anorexia-tips.htm, or even http://www.anorexia-center.com/pro-anorexia.htm
The most bewildering symptom of eating disorders is the distorted body image. People usually associate distorted body image with severe anorexia. It is indicated that this distortion may be more prevalent in people with bulimia. There is also disparity between anorexia which tends to have an accurate perception of the upper body and bulimia.
People with bulimia were more likely than those with anorexia. The anorexia overestimates its size: abdominal and pelvic area. The bulimia is generally practiced in secret. The symptoms may be the following: evidence of discarded packaging for laxatives, diet pills, emetics (drugs that induce vomiting) or diuretics (medications that reduce fluids), eating large amounts of food or buying large quantities that disappear right away, compulsive exercising, broken blood vessels in the eyes, swollen salivary glands, dry mouth; teeth develop cavities, diseased gums and irreversible erosion from excessive acid.
Other symptoms which may appear are: rashes and pimples, small cuts and calluses across the tops of finger joints. The symptoms specific to anorexia are: weight loss provided excessive and continuos dieting, menstruation may be infrequent or absent, orthopedic problems particularly in dancers and athletes, refusal to eat in front of others, hypersensitivity to cold, yellowish skin especially on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, hair may be thin and after eating the stomach can be distressed and bloated. A poor memory and lack judgment can be present to an anorexic patient who can be confused or slowed.
People should be afraid about bulimia and anorexia effects and they must regularly consult the doctor.
About the Author
For more resources about anorexia and bulimia please review this page http://www.anorexia-center.com/anorexia-tips.htm, or even http://www.anorexia-center.com/pro-anorexia.htm
About anorexia and the problems it creates
About anorexia and the problems it creates by Groshan Fabiola
It is known that those who are obsessed by losing weight, permanently count calories and exercise too much can become affected by an eating disorder, and that will determine serious emotional and physical consequences. We can say there are a few signs that can show us a person has anorexia. The one affected by this illness develops an intense fear of body fat and gaining weight, is having a distorted image of his body , believes it is fat even when underweight, and has the permanent desire to become thinner.
It was seen that people affected by anorexia try to hide their symptoms, so the others will not notice very easy the signs and symptoms of this illness. However, the signs and symptoms of anorexia include frequent skipping of meals, excessive focus on an exercise regimen, avoidance of social gatherings where food is involved, dramatic weight loss, wearing baggy clothing to cover up thinness, frequent looking in the mirror for flaws; females can miss three consecutive menstrual periods and males will experience a decreased sexual desire.
There are known two types of anorexia. The person who has the restrictive type eats too little, and by excessively exercising and self- starvation, loses weight. In what concerns the second type, the persons having binge- eating anorexia eat too little, and also binge and purge. It is known that the persons from this type of anorexia have symptoms of both anorexia and bulimia, and 50% of people with anorexia develop bulimia too.
There can appear some physical effects of anorexia, and we can mention here: severe dehydratation which can determine kidney failure, hair loss, hypersensitivity to heat, fatigue, lowered resistance to illness, and less need for sleep than normal eaters. In severe cases there can also appear low heart rate, low body temperature, low blood pressure, heart trouble, anemia and even death. It is known that there can show up emotional and behavioral effects of anorexia, such as depression, irritability, bad memory, isolation from family and friends, feelings of guilt, difficulty in concentrating on anything else except weight, emotional regression to a child-like state and others.
There are some factors that can lead to anorexia. For example, socio-cultural factors. Because our society associates thinness with attractiveness and success, people try to be just like that. Also, the individual's inner feelings, personality characteristics, and personal history can lead to anorexia as well. Anorexia can appear because of critical transitions or emotional upsets, interpersonal, or relationship problems, depression, anxiety, feelings during adolescence of being powerless. Often associated with anorexia is: perfectionism, approval-seeking, low self-esteem, withdrawal, obsessiveness, black-or- white thinking. There can also be some biological causes of anorexia, studies revealed that a predisposition to anorexia may be genetically based.
When a person goes to the doctor for a possible diagnosis of anorexia, the doctor will first see if endocrine, metabolic, and central nervous system disorders do not explain the weight loss. In this way he will know if anorexia is the cause, and he can also perform some tests to see the damage already done to the body. These tests can be a physical exam, laboratory tests- like blood test and urinalysis, other specialized tests-like x-ray and electrocardiogram, and a psychological evaluation.
About the Author
For more resources about anorexia tips please review this page http://www.anorexia-center.com/anorexia-and-bulimia.htm, or even http://www.anorexia-center.com/girls-with-anorexia.htm
It is known that those who are obsessed by losing weight, permanently count calories and exercise too much can become affected by an eating disorder, and that will determine serious emotional and physical consequences. We can say there are a few signs that can show us a person has anorexia. The one affected by this illness develops an intense fear of body fat and gaining weight, is having a distorted image of his body , believes it is fat even when underweight, and has the permanent desire to become thinner.
It was seen that people affected by anorexia try to hide their symptoms, so the others will not notice very easy the signs and symptoms of this illness. However, the signs and symptoms of anorexia include frequent skipping of meals, excessive focus on an exercise regimen, avoidance of social gatherings where food is involved, dramatic weight loss, wearing baggy clothing to cover up thinness, frequent looking in the mirror for flaws; females can miss three consecutive menstrual periods and males will experience a decreased sexual desire.
There are known two types of anorexia. The person who has the restrictive type eats too little, and by excessively exercising and self- starvation, loses weight. In what concerns the second type, the persons having binge- eating anorexia eat too little, and also binge and purge. It is known that the persons from this type of anorexia have symptoms of both anorexia and bulimia, and 50% of people with anorexia develop bulimia too.
There can appear some physical effects of anorexia, and we can mention here: severe dehydratation which can determine kidney failure, hair loss, hypersensitivity to heat, fatigue, lowered resistance to illness, and less need for sleep than normal eaters. In severe cases there can also appear low heart rate, low body temperature, low blood pressure, heart trouble, anemia and even death. It is known that there can show up emotional and behavioral effects of anorexia, such as depression, irritability, bad memory, isolation from family and friends, feelings of guilt, difficulty in concentrating on anything else except weight, emotional regression to a child-like state and others.
There are some factors that can lead to anorexia. For example, socio-cultural factors. Because our society associates thinness with attractiveness and success, people try to be just like that. Also, the individual's inner feelings, personality characteristics, and personal history can lead to anorexia as well. Anorexia can appear because of critical transitions or emotional upsets, interpersonal, or relationship problems, depression, anxiety, feelings during adolescence of being powerless. Often associated with anorexia is: perfectionism, approval-seeking, low self-esteem, withdrawal, obsessiveness, black-or- white thinking. There can also be some biological causes of anorexia, studies revealed that a predisposition to anorexia may be genetically based.
When a person goes to the doctor for a possible diagnosis of anorexia, the doctor will first see if endocrine, metabolic, and central nervous system disorders do not explain the weight loss. In this way he will know if anorexia is the cause, and he can also perform some tests to see the damage already done to the body. These tests can be a physical exam, laboratory tests- like blood test and urinalysis, other specialized tests-like x-ray and electrocardiogram, and a psychological evaluation.
About the Author
For more resources about anorexia tips please review this page http://www.anorexia-center.com/anorexia-and-bulimia.htm, or even http://www.anorexia-center.com/girls-with-anorexia.htm
What Is Bulimia nervosa
What Is Bulimia nervosa by Keith George
Bulimia, also called bulimia nervosa, is a psychologial eating disorder which mostly hit girls in the age of 15 to 25 years. It´s rare but it happen also to boys. Studies indicate that by their first year of college, 4.5 to 18 percent of women and 0.4 percent of men have a history of bulimia and that as many as 1 in 100 females between the ages of 12 and 18 have anorexia.
The two most common eating disorders for young people are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. People with anorexia, whom doctors sometimes call anorectics, severely limit their food intake. About half of them also have bulimia symptoms.
These young persons are almost always very ambitious in school and sports. We have seen athletes on top class level achieving great results. Considering the circumstances they do extremely well. They seldom become a winner because their disease usually stop them from having the energy to train and perform on top. Bulimia is characterized by episodes of binge-eating followed by inappropriate methods of weight control (purging). The desire for food and candy is very strong and at the same time the person try to reduce weight. This causes a strong conflict between the desire to eat and the desire to reduce weight.
To cope with the conflict they use inappropriate methods of weight control including vomiting, fasting, enemas, excessive use of laxatives and diuretics, or compulsive exercising. A period of binge-eating produces strong feelings of guilt. For a person with bulimia the self-confidence is strongly depending of the shape and weight of the body.
There are similarities between anorexia and bulimia regarding the fear to become fat and the desire to reduce weight. It´s not unusual that anorexia turns into bulimia. Just about half of those with anorexia will have bulimia nervosa. The conditions can overlap.
The problems often starts in the teenages, you get more and more interested of your weight and that leads to repeated attempts to reduce weight. After some time one has no control over the situation and just to eat gives strong anxiety.
Probably there are a number of causes for the bulimia, psycological as well as biological. The cultural conditions with the ideal of females being slim, as it is in many countries, can also affect our view of the body we have. Studies have shown that disorders in family relations can be one of the factors. Difficult periods of time or changes like puberty, death in the family or other family crisis can cause bulimia nervosa.
Bulimia nervosa can give severe medical complications. There is a risk for damages that will become permanent. Bulimia can also be the reason why a person will get problems with the teeth. That is of course a minor problem but they all need to be taken care of.
About the Author
Keith George always writes about valuable news & reviews. A related resource is Bulimia. Further information can be found at Home Mortgage Cycling.
Bulimia, also called bulimia nervosa, is a psychologial eating disorder which mostly hit girls in the age of 15 to 25 years. It´s rare but it happen also to boys. Studies indicate that by their first year of college, 4.5 to 18 percent of women and 0.4 percent of men have a history of bulimia and that as many as 1 in 100 females between the ages of 12 and 18 have anorexia.
The two most common eating disorders for young people are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. People with anorexia, whom doctors sometimes call anorectics, severely limit their food intake. About half of them also have bulimia symptoms.
These young persons are almost always very ambitious in school and sports. We have seen athletes on top class level achieving great results. Considering the circumstances they do extremely well. They seldom become a winner because their disease usually stop them from having the energy to train and perform on top. Bulimia is characterized by episodes of binge-eating followed by inappropriate methods of weight control (purging). The desire for food and candy is very strong and at the same time the person try to reduce weight. This causes a strong conflict between the desire to eat and the desire to reduce weight.
To cope with the conflict they use inappropriate methods of weight control including vomiting, fasting, enemas, excessive use of laxatives and diuretics, or compulsive exercising. A period of binge-eating produces strong feelings of guilt. For a person with bulimia the self-confidence is strongly depending of the shape and weight of the body.
There are similarities between anorexia and bulimia regarding the fear to become fat and the desire to reduce weight. It´s not unusual that anorexia turns into bulimia. Just about half of those with anorexia will have bulimia nervosa. The conditions can overlap.
The problems often starts in the teenages, you get more and more interested of your weight and that leads to repeated attempts to reduce weight. After some time one has no control over the situation and just to eat gives strong anxiety.
Probably there are a number of causes for the bulimia, psycological as well as biological. The cultural conditions with the ideal of females being slim, as it is in many countries, can also affect our view of the body we have. Studies have shown that disorders in family relations can be one of the factors. Difficult periods of time or changes like puberty, death in the family or other family crisis can cause bulimia nervosa.
Bulimia nervosa can give severe medical complications. There is a risk for damages that will become permanent. Bulimia can also be the reason why a person will get problems with the teeth. That is of course a minor problem but they all need to be taken care of.
About the Author
Keith George always writes about valuable news & reviews. A related resource is Bulimia. Further information can be found at Home Mortgage Cycling.
Eating Disorders And Acupuncture
Eating Disorders And Acupuncture by Dr. Richard Browne
A large percentage of those afflicted with eating disorders are adolescent and young adult women. These illnesses can also affect older women and men. Types of eating disorders include: Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). Bulimia is the most common type of eating disorder.
Treatment addresses both the psychological and physical aspects of the eating disorder. A consistently effective therapeutic treatment plan has not been identified. Standard treatment for eating disorders combines psychotherapy, nutritional counseling and medication. An interdisciplinary approach is most effective.
Alternative therapies may complement psychological and medical treatment of eating disorders. TCM, especially acupuncture, can address the emotional and physical discomforts of various eating disorders. Given the psychological nature of these disorders, therapies that ease distressed moods and calm agitation are most effective. A feeling of mental and physical relaxation is often the first effect of acupuncture a patient becomes aware of. As an adjunct therapy for eating disorders, acupuncture releases endorphins that affect the digestive and hormonal systems and aids in stress reduction.
Auricular points are effective in harmonizing eating, digestion, absorption, metabolism, and have a calming effect. Body points selected can tonify qi and circulate oxygen and blood with an emphasis on the stomach. Acupuncture can reduce cravings and manage uncontrollable appetite by restoring qi energetic balance. Treatment can strengthen the endocrine and digestive systems and correct the energy imbalances that may be underlying factors in eating disorders.
In the United States, as many as 10 million females and 1 million males suffer from eating disorders according to the National Eating Disorders Association.
About the Author
Dr. Richard Browne is a licensed Acupuncturists and Massage Therapist in the State of Florida since 1982. He is the president of the Acupuncture & Massage College. He received his Doctorate in Oriental Medicine from the Open International University of Alternative Medicine. He is currently President of the Acupuncture Physician Association.
http://www.amcollege.edu
http://www.acupuncturistmiami.com
A large percentage of those afflicted with eating disorders are adolescent and young adult women. These illnesses can also affect older women and men. Types of eating disorders include: Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). Bulimia is the most common type of eating disorder.
Treatment addresses both the psychological and physical aspects of the eating disorder. A consistently effective therapeutic treatment plan has not been identified. Standard treatment for eating disorders combines psychotherapy, nutritional counseling and medication. An interdisciplinary approach is most effective.
Alternative therapies may complement psychological and medical treatment of eating disorders. TCM, especially acupuncture, can address the emotional and physical discomforts of various eating disorders. Given the psychological nature of these disorders, therapies that ease distressed moods and calm agitation are most effective. A feeling of mental and physical relaxation is often the first effect of acupuncture a patient becomes aware of. As an adjunct therapy for eating disorders, acupuncture releases endorphins that affect the digestive and hormonal systems and aids in stress reduction.
Auricular points are effective in harmonizing eating, digestion, absorption, metabolism, and have a calming effect. Body points selected can tonify qi and circulate oxygen and blood with an emphasis on the stomach. Acupuncture can reduce cravings and manage uncontrollable appetite by restoring qi energetic balance. Treatment can strengthen the endocrine and digestive systems and correct the energy imbalances that may be underlying factors in eating disorders.
In the United States, as many as 10 million females and 1 million males suffer from eating disorders according to the National Eating Disorders Association.
About the Author
Dr. Richard Browne is a licensed Acupuncturists and Massage Therapist in the State of Florida since 1982. He is the president of the Acupuncture & Massage College. He received his Doctorate in Oriental Medicine from the Open International University of Alternative Medicine. He is currently President of the Acupuncture Physician Association.
http://www.amcollege.edu
http://www.acupuncturistmiami.com
Signs of Anorexia
Signs of Anorexia by Groshan Fabiola
All types of media information advices the population more and more often to eat healthy and exercise daily to avoid obesity and other nutritional issues. Still, the message seems to be misunderstood as many persons, especially young girls become obsessed with loosing weight and counting calories; this is the negative part of the media tendencies and leads to the apparition of many eating disorders and dangerous physical and emotional consequences.
The most common and vital symptom of anorexia seems to be the irrational and uncontrolled fear of weight gain and body fat. This is however associated also with the will to become thinner and thinner even while loosing normal weight and becoming underweight.
Patients suffering from anorexia deny their problems and refuse to see the danger they expose their body to. These persons are usually very preoccupied with calories, fat grams and weight and become often angry and irascible when help is offered. The constant denial of having a major eating disorder turns into a difficult disease and also leads to a separation of the person from the society that is willing to help.
Warning signs of Anorexia seem sometimes very hard to observe as patients do their best to hide and deny any symptom or sign of their condition. They make huge efforts to avoid their family and friends to observe something is wrong as they are certain they are very fat, must loose weight and no one can help.
Anorexia patients refuse to keep at least a minimal accepted weight for their own age and height and become dramatically thinner every day; this is associated with a poor self image and low self respect. They seem to find excuses every time for skipping meals, eat very few foods only with little calories, weigh frequently and are attentive to the smallest weight change. The tendency of wearing large clothes is due to the need of hiding their body, excessive obsessive training program occupies a lot of time in their lives. Time is also controlled by the need of looking carefully into the mirror, looking for flaws.
Anorexia sufferers find excuses for skipping gatherings implying food and continuously complain about how fat they are. The most dramatic physical signs of the condition are low sexual appetite in men and irregular menstrual periods in women.
The two basic types of anorexia are: 1. Classic restrictive Anorexia involves very little calorie intake and excessive rapid weight loss. The food income is mostly insufficient to maintain normal vital functions. 2. Purging Anorexia works through self induced vomiting and excessive use of laxatives. This is called bulimic anorexia and associate low food intake with the need of purging after meals. Most patients with anorexia develop symptoms of additional bulimia.
About the Author
For more information about anorexia or even about girls with anorexia please click this link http://www.anorexia-center.com/girls-with-anorexia.htm
All types of media information advices the population more and more often to eat healthy and exercise daily to avoid obesity and other nutritional issues. Still, the message seems to be misunderstood as many persons, especially young girls become obsessed with loosing weight and counting calories; this is the negative part of the media tendencies and leads to the apparition of many eating disorders and dangerous physical and emotional consequences.
The most common and vital symptom of anorexia seems to be the irrational and uncontrolled fear of weight gain and body fat. This is however associated also with the will to become thinner and thinner even while loosing normal weight and becoming underweight.
Patients suffering from anorexia deny their problems and refuse to see the danger they expose their body to. These persons are usually very preoccupied with calories, fat grams and weight and become often angry and irascible when help is offered. The constant denial of having a major eating disorder turns into a difficult disease and also leads to a separation of the person from the society that is willing to help.
Warning signs of Anorexia seem sometimes very hard to observe as patients do their best to hide and deny any symptom or sign of their condition. They make huge efforts to avoid their family and friends to observe something is wrong as they are certain they are very fat, must loose weight and no one can help.
Anorexia patients refuse to keep at least a minimal accepted weight for their own age and height and become dramatically thinner every day; this is associated with a poor self image and low self respect. They seem to find excuses every time for skipping meals, eat very few foods only with little calories, weigh frequently and are attentive to the smallest weight change. The tendency of wearing large clothes is due to the need of hiding their body, excessive obsessive training program occupies a lot of time in their lives. Time is also controlled by the need of looking carefully into the mirror, looking for flaws.
Anorexia sufferers find excuses for skipping gatherings implying food and continuously complain about how fat they are. The most dramatic physical signs of the condition are low sexual appetite in men and irregular menstrual periods in women.
The two basic types of anorexia are: 1. Classic restrictive Anorexia involves very little calorie intake and excessive rapid weight loss. The food income is mostly insufficient to maintain normal vital functions. 2. Purging Anorexia works through self induced vomiting and excessive use of laxatives. This is called bulimic anorexia and associate low food intake with the need of purging after meals. Most patients with anorexia develop symptoms of additional bulimia.
About the Author
For more information about anorexia or even about girls with anorexia please click this link http://www.anorexia-center.com/girls-with-anorexia.htm
Misdiagnosing Personality Disorders as Eating Disorders
Misdiagnosing Personality Disorders as Eating Disorders by Sam Vaknin
The Eating Disordered Patient
Eating disorders - notably Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa - are complex phenomena. The patient with eating disorder maintains a distorted view of her body as too fat or as somehow defective (she may have a body dysmorphic disorder). Many patients with eating disorders are found in professions where body form and image are emphasized (e.g., ballet students, fashion models, actors).
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) IV-TR (2000) (pp. 584-5):
"(Patients with personality disorders exhibit) feelings of ineffectiveness, a strong need to control one's environment, inflexible thinking, limited social spontaneity, perfectionism, and overly restrained initiative and emotional expression ... (Bulimics show a greater tendency to have) impulse-control problems, abuse alcohol or other drugs, exhibit mood lability, (have) a greater frequency of suicide attempts."
Eating Disorders and Self-control
The current view of orthodoxy is that the eating disordered patient is attempting to reassert control over her life by ritually regulating her food intake and her body weight. In this respect, eating disorders resemble obsessive-compulsive disorders.
One of the first scholars to have studied eating disorders, Bruch, described the patient's state of mind as "a struggle for control, for a sense of identity and effectiveness." (1962, 1974).
In Bulimia Nervosa, protracted episodes of fasting and purging (induced vomiting and the abuse of laxatives and diuretics) are precipitated by stress (usually fear of social situations akin to Social Phobia) and the breakdown of self-imposed dietary rules. Thus, eating disorders seem to be life-long attempts to relieve anxiety. Ironically, binging and purging render the patient even more anxious and provoke in her overwhelming self-loathing and guilt.
Eating disorders involve masochism. The patient tortures herself and inflicts on her body great harm by ascetically abstaining from food or by purging. Many patients cook elaborate meals for others and then refrain from consuming the dishes they had just prepared, perhaps as a sort of "self-punishment" or "spiritual purging."
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) IV-TR (2000) (p. 584) comments on the inner mental landscape of patients with eating disorders:
"Weight loss is viewed as an impressive achievement, a sign of extraordinary self-discipline, whereas weight gain is perceived as an unacceptable failure of self-control."
But the "eating disorder as an exercise in self-control" hypothesis may be overstated. If it were true, we would have expected eating disorders to be prevalent among minorities and the lower classes - people whose lives are controlled by others. Yet, the clinical picture is reversed: the vast majority of patients with eating disorders (90-95%) are white, young (mostly adolescent) women from the middle and upper classes. Eating disorders are rare among the lower and working classes, and among minorities, and non-Western societies and cultures.
Refusing to Grow Up
Other scholars believe that the patient with eating disorder refuses to grow up. By changing her body and stopping her menstruation (a condition known as amenorrhea), the patient regresses to childhood and avoids the challenges of adulthood (loneliness, interpersonal relationships, sex, holding a job, and childrearing).
Similarities with Personality Disorders
Patients with eating disorders maintain great secrecy about their condition, not unlike narcissists or paranoids, for instance. When they do attend psychotherapy it is usually owing to tangential problems: having been caught stealing food and other forms of antisocial behavior, such as rage attacks. Clinicians who are not trained to diagnose the subtle and deceptive signs and symptoms of eating disorders often misdiagnose them as personality disorders or as mood or affective or anxiety disorders.
Patients with eating disorders are emotionally labile, frequently suffer from depression, are socially withdrawn, lack sexual interest, and are irritable. Their self-esteem is low, their sense of self-worth fluctuating, they are perfectionists. The patient with eating disorder derives narcissistic supply from the praise she garners for having gone down in weight and the way she looks post-dieting. Small wonder eating disorders are often misdiagnosed as personality disorders: Borderline, Schizoid, Avoidant, Antisocial or Narcissistic.
Patients with eating disorders also resemble subjects with personality disorders in that they have primitive defense mechanisms, most notably splitting.
The Review of General Psychiatry (p. 356):
"Individuals with Anorexia Nervosa tend to view themselves in terms of absolute and polar opposites. Behavior is either all good or all bad; a decision is either completely right or completely wrong; one is either absolutely in control or totally out of control."
They are unable to differentiate their feelings and needs from those of others, adds the author.
To add confusion, both types of patients - with eating disorders and personality disorders - share an identically dysfunctional family background. Munchin et al. described it thus (1978): "enmeshment, over-protectiveness, rigidity, lack of conflict resolution."
Both types of patients are reluctant to seek help.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) IV-TR (2000) (pp. 584-5):
"Individuals with Anorexia Nervosa frequently lack insight into or have considerable denial of the problem ... A substantial portion of individuals with Anorexia Nervosa have a personality disturbance that meets criteria for at least one Personality Disorder."
In clinical practice, co-morbidity of an eating disorder and a personality disorder is a common occurrence. About 20% of all Anorexia Nervosa patients are diagnosed with one or more personality disorders (mainly Cluster C - Avoidant, Dependent, Compulsive-Obsessive - but also Cluster A - Schizoid and Paranoid).
A whopping 40% of Anorexia Nervosa/Bulimia Nervosa patients have co-morbid personality disorders (mostly Cluster B - Narcissistic, Histrionic, Antisocial, Borderline). Pure bulimics tend to have Borderline Personality Disorder. Binge eating is included in the impulsive behavior criterion for Borderline Personality Disorder.
Such rampant comorbidity raises the question whether eating disorders are not actually behavioral manifestations of underlying personality disorders.
Additional resources
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) - Washington DC, The American Psychiatric Association, 2000
Goldman, Howard G. - Review of General Psychiatry, 4th ed. - London, Prentice-Hall International, 1995
Gelder, Michael et al., eds. - Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry, 3rd ed. - London, Oxford University Press, 2000
Vaknin, Sam - Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited, 8th revised impression - Skopje and Prague, Narcissus Publications, 2006
About the Author
Sam Vaknin is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. He served as a columnist for Central Europe Review, Global Politician, PopMatters, eBookWeb , and Bellaonline, and as a United Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent. He was the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory and Suite101.
The Eating Disordered Patient
Eating disorders - notably Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa - are complex phenomena. The patient with eating disorder maintains a distorted view of her body as too fat or as somehow defective (she may have a body dysmorphic disorder). Many patients with eating disorders are found in professions where body form and image are emphasized (e.g., ballet students, fashion models, actors).
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) IV-TR (2000) (pp. 584-5):
"(Patients with personality disorders exhibit) feelings of ineffectiveness, a strong need to control one's environment, inflexible thinking, limited social spontaneity, perfectionism, and overly restrained initiative and emotional expression ... (Bulimics show a greater tendency to have) impulse-control problems, abuse alcohol or other drugs, exhibit mood lability, (have) a greater frequency of suicide attempts."
Eating Disorders and Self-control
The current view of orthodoxy is that the eating disordered patient is attempting to reassert control over her life by ritually regulating her food intake and her body weight. In this respect, eating disorders resemble obsessive-compulsive disorders.
One of the first scholars to have studied eating disorders, Bruch, described the patient's state of mind as "a struggle for control, for a sense of identity and effectiveness." (1962, 1974).
In Bulimia Nervosa, protracted episodes of fasting and purging (induced vomiting and the abuse of laxatives and diuretics) are precipitated by stress (usually fear of social situations akin to Social Phobia) and the breakdown of self-imposed dietary rules. Thus, eating disorders seem to be life-long attempts to relieve anxiety. Ironically, binging and purging render the patient even more anxious and provoke in her overwhelming self-loathing and guilt.
Eating disorders involve masochism. The patient tortures herself and inflicts on her body great harm by ascetically abstaining from food or by purging. Many patients cook elaborate meals for others and then refrain from consuming the dishes they had just prepared, perhaps as a sort of "self-punishment" or "spiritual purging."
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) IV-TR (2000) (p. 584) comments on the inner mental landscape of patients with eating disorders:
"Weight loss is viewed as an impressive achievement, a sign of extraordinary self-discipline, whereas weight gain is perceived as an unacceptable failure of self-control."
But the "eating disorder as an exercise in self-control" hypothesis may be overstated. If it were true, we would have expected eating disorders to be prevalent among minorities and the lower classes - people whose lives are controlled by others. Yet, the clinical picture is reversed: the vast majority of patients with eating disorders (90-95%) are white, young (mostly adolescent) women from the middle and upper classes. Eating disorders are rare among the lower and working classes, and among minorities, and non-Western societies and cultures.
Refusing to Grow Up
Other scholars believe that the patient with eating disorder refuses to grow up. By changing her body and stopping her menstruation (a condition known as amenorrhea), the patient regresses to childhood and avoids the challenges of adulthood (loneliness, interpersonal relationships, sex, holding a job, and childrearing).
Similarities with Personality Disorders
Patients with eating disorders maintain great secrecy about their condition, not unlike narcissists or paranoids, for instance. When they do attend psychotherapy it is usually owing to tangential problems: having been caught stealing food and other forms of antisocial behavior, such as rage attacks. Clinicians who are not trained to diagnose the subtle and deceptive signs and symptoms of eating disorders often misdiagnose them as personality disorders or as mood or affective or anxiety disorders.
Patients with eating disorders are emotionally labile, frequently suffer from depression, are socially withdrawn, lack sexual interest, and are irritable. Their self-esteem is low, their sense of self-worth fluctuating, they are perfectionists. The patient with eating disorder derives narcissistic supply from the praise she garners for having gone down in weight and the way she looks post-dieting. Small wonder eating disorders are often misdiagnosed as personality disorders: Borderline, Schizoid, Avoidant, Antisocial or Narcissistic.
Patients with eating disorders also resemble subjects with personality disorders in that they have primitive defense mechanisms, most notably splitting.
The Review of General Psychiatry (p. 356):
"Individuals with Anorexia Nervosa tend to view themselves in terms of absolute and polar opposites. Behavior is either all good or all bad; a decision is either completely right or completely wrong; one is either absolutely in control or totally out of control."
They are unable to differentiate their feelings and needs from those of others, adds the author.
To add confusion, both types of patients - with eating disorders and personality disorders - share an identically dysfunctional family background. Munchin et al. described it thus (1978): "enmeshment, over-protectiveness, rigidity, lack of conflict resolution."
Both types of patients are reluctant to seek help.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) IV-TR (2000) (pp. 584-5):
"Individuals with Anorexia Nervosa frequently lack insight into or have considerable denial of the problem ... A substantial portion of individuals with Anorexia Nervosa have a personality disturbance that meets criteria for at least one Personality Disorder."
In clinical practice, co-morbidity of an eating disorder and a personality disorder is a common occurrence. About 20% of all Anorexia Nervosa patients are diagnosed with one or more personality disorders (mainly Cluster C - Avoidant, Dependent, Compulsive-Obsessive - but also Cluster A - Schizoid and Paranoid).
A whopping 40% of Anorexia Nervosa/Bulimia Nervosa patients have co-morbid personality disorders (mostly Cluster B - Narcissistic, Histrionic, Antisocial, Borderline). Pure bulimics tend to have Borderline Personality Disorder. Binge eating is included in the impulsive behavior criterion for Borderline Personality Disorder.
Such rampant comorbidity raises the question whether eating disorders are not actually behavioral manifestations of underlying personality disorders.
Additional resources
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) - Washington DC, The American Psychiatric Association, 2000
Goldman, Howard G. - Review of General Psychiatry, 4th ed. - London, Prentice-Hall International, 1995
Gelder, Michael et al., eds. - Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry, 3rd ed. - London, Oxford University Press, 2000
Vaknin, Sam - Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited, 8th revised impression - Skopje and Prague, Narcissus Publications, 2006
About the Author
Sam Vaknin is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. He served as a columnist for Central Europe Review, Global Politician, PopMatters, eBookWeb , and Bellaonline, and as a United Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent. He was the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory and Suite101.
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