Eating disorders are a group of symptoms that are associated with disordered food intake and quantity. Such conditions are accompanied by a large number of physical health complications and can bother a person for many years. For example, there is a risk of developing amenorrhea, osteoporosis, dehydration, heart and kidney disorders, digestive system problems, dental integrity, deep micronutrient deficiencies, insulin and leptin resistance, and infertility. And, unfortunately, the list goes on.
An eating disorder begins when we obsess about our body image and the food we eat. A person with an eating disorder is characterized by:
● chronic dieting, despite being dangerously underweight
● Constant fluctuations in body weight
● Obsession with calories and fat content in foods
● Ritualistic eating patterns, such as cutting food into tiny pieces, eating alone, and/or hiding food
● Excessive fixation on recipes or cooking, refusing to taste
● Avoiding family, friends, and any social involvement
● alternating periods of overeating and fasting, etc.
Unfortunately, statistics show that a person dies of this disease every hour in the world, and every 4th person with PBD is suicidal.
The following types of PBDs are distinguished:
● anorexia nervosa
● bulimia nervosa
Psychogenic overeating
● distortion of taste (consumption of inedible goods).
Read more about some of them:
Anorexia nervosa
This is a significant restriction of food intake that leads to a critical decrease in body weight (below the acceptable parameters for the current age). At the same time, the person has a strong fear of gaining weight and, despite being underweight, continues the process of losing weight.
Very often, people with anorexia nervosa, in addition to food restrictions, torture their bodies:
● Excessive physical activity;
● artificially induced vomiting
● use of laxatives, diuretics, and cleansing enemas.
Bulimia nervosa
It has a lot in common with anorexia:
● an excessive connection between self-esteem and body appearance;
● fear of weight gain.
The main difference between bulimia is uncontrolled bouts of severe overeating (mostly against the background of "diets" and starvation). These attacks are accompanied by the fear of gaining weight, and a person begins to prevent this by using well-known laxatives and diuretics, vomiting, excessive physical activity, etc.
A factor in the development of PBD is low self-esteem and an irrational deep-seated belief that "I am not like that/not that good", and
● feelings of anxiety, depression
● avoidance of conflicts and confrontation with loved ones, resulting in repressed aggression;
● desire to be good and obedient;
Difficulty expressing "bad" feelings - aggression, anger, fear, anxiety;
Inability to take care of oneself and one's own well-being.
The best prevention of eating disorders is to develop a positive body image. If you notice a combination of several signs of an eating disorder in yourself or a loved one, it is imperative to seek professional medical and psychological help.
In our center, you or your loved ones can get support and qualified help from a psychotherapist and clinical psychologist. Rewrite your own story and the emotions involved in it in such a way that you can feel yourself in your real body again. Give yourself the right to live.
On the way to the patient's recovery, we use ketamine-assisted integrative therapy, which can be found in more detail and patient reviews at https://www.expio.clinic/.
Book recommendation: "The Body Keeps Score" https://knigogo.com.ua/chitati-online/tilo-vede-lik/
Shaposhnyk-Dominska Daria Olehivna, PhD in Psychology, clinical psychologist at the Expio Medical Center.
