Eating disorders are a group of symptoms that are associated with disordered eating and its quantity. Such conditions are accompanied by a large number of physical health complications and can trouble a person for many years. For example, there is a risk of developing amenorrhea, osteoporosis, dehydration, impaired heart and kidney function, problems with the digestive system, impaired dental integrity, deep deficiencies of trace elements, insulin and leptin resistance, infertility. And, unfortunately, the list can be continued.
An eating disorder begins when we become obsessed with body image and the food we eat. A person with an eating disorder has:
● chronic diets, despite being dangerously underweight
● constant fluctuations in body weight
● obsession with calories and fat content in foods
● ritual patterns of eating food, including cutting it into tiny pieces, eating alone and/or hiding food
● excessive fixation on recipes or cooking, refusing to taste
● avoidance of family, friends and any involvement in society
● alternating periods of overeating and starvation, etc
Unfortunately, statistics indicate that a person dies every hour from this disease in the world, and every 4th person with RPH pushes himself to commit suicide.
There are the following varieties of RHP:
● anorexia nervosa;
● bulimia nervosa;
● psychogenic overeating;
● distortion of taste (use of inedible products).
More about some of them:
Anorexia nervosa
This is a significant restriction of food consumption, which leads to a critical decrease in body weight (below the acceptable parameters for the current age). At the same time, a person has a strong fear of losing weight and, despite his low weight, continues the process of losing weight.
Very often, people with anorexia nervosa, in addition to food restrictions, torture the body:
● excessive physical exertion;
● artificially induced vomiting;
● the use of laxatives, diuretics and cleansing enemas.
Bulimia nervosa
It has a lot in common with anorexia:
● excessive connection of the level of self-esteem with the appearance of the body;
● fear of weight gain.
The main difference between bulimia is uncontrolled bouts of severe overeating (mainly against the background of "diet" and starvation). These attacks are accompanied by a fear of gaining weight, and a person begins to prevent this by using already known laxatives and diuretics, vomiting, excessive physical activity, etc.
A factor in the development of RHP is low self-esteem and an irrational deep conviction that "I'm not like that/not so beautiful", and also:
● feeling of anxiety, depressive state;
● avoidance of conflicts and confrontations with loved ones, as consequences – suppressed aggression;
● desire to be good and obedient;
● difficulty showing "bad" feelings - aggression, anger, fear, restlessness;
● inability to take care of oneself and one's own well-being.
The best prevention of eating disorders is the formation of a positive image of one's own body. If you or a loved one notices a combination of several signs of RCP, it is absolutely necessary to seek professional medical and psychological help.
In our center, you or your loved ones can receive support and qualified help from a psychotherapist and a clinical psychologist. Rewrite your own story and the emotions involved in it in such a way that you feel yourself in your real body again. Give yourself the right to live.
On the way to the patient's recovery, we also use ketamine-assisted integrative therapy, which and patient reviews can be found in more detail on the website https://www.expio.clinic/.
Book recommendation: "The body heals" https://knigogo.com.ua/chitati-online/tilo-vede-lik/
Daria Olehivna Shaposhnyk-Dominska, candidate of psychology, clinical psychologist of the "Expio" medical center.