What is an Eating Disorders and why does It Occur?
Accordingly, with DSM-5, we have different eating disorders and different criteria for diagnosing them.
| Anorexia Nervosa |
Anorexia Nervosa occurs when an individual develops an extreme fear of gaining weight due to a wrong perception of his body. It is prevalent in women and mental health with more suicides. Common signs of anorexia nervosa consist in physical and behaviours. Physical signs are related to starvation symptoms and food deficiency. Lack of nutrients and vitamins, hair loss, brittle nails, constipation duo lack of fluids in the body and many more.
Mental and behaviour symptoms consist of anxiety, depression, fear of gaining weight. Isolating, hiding foods, and eating certain foods. In the worst scenario, suicide can happen.
|
| Bulimia |
Bulimia consists of eating many foods while we fear gaining weight. That can lead the individual to induce self-vomit or other techniques to swallow foods or lose weight. That includes using and abusing legal and illegal drugs and extreme exercise.
Physical symptoms include obesity and obesity-related diseases. Eating a large number of foods usually between two hours. Other common signs are constipation, malnutrition, teeth problems. Mental symptoms of bulimia are isolation, anxiety, hiding when eating, fear of weight gain, feeling guilty about eating and moods swings.
|
| Binge Eating Disorder |
This eating disorder is similar to bulimia but miss the feeling of shaming and guilty. Consequently, individuals who suffer from BED do not practice purge. They eat for the pleasure to eat. Same as above, we have physical and mental symptoms and related obesity diseases. |
| Pica |
A typical feed and eating disorder affects a woman during pregnancy and childbirth. Pica consists in eating non-nutrient foods such as clay, ice, soap and other objects on different occasions during one month. Usually, Pica is associated with iron and zinc deficiency and sometimes comorbidity with other mental health. People who suffer from Pica can show gut problems related to their intake object. Signs of Pica are low levels of iron and zinc with consequent anaemia, besides gut problems duo the object they ingest. |
| Rumination Disorders | Rumination disorder is very similar to reflux. However, it has different causes and symptoms. For example, it does not give the sense of burning duo acid gastric. Rumination disorder is not related to gut problems but psychological, and the reflux is different from the reflux we have when we do not digest. |
| Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder | This type of eating disorder occurs when an individual has a very restricted diet or avoids many foods. |
| Other Specified Eating disorders | These disorders fail diseases with similar symptoms and signs of classified eating disorders. But they still do not reach the criteria to be classified as the disorders above. |
| Unspecified Feeding or Eating Disorders |
Eating Disorders are often a comorbidity of other diseases such as addictions, autism, bipolar disorders and much other mental health. Only with a proper investigation they can be diagnosticated and arrested.
Different therapies and ways how to approach
- Nutrition counselling. That consists of many different strategies for healthy eating and behaviour models changes. That includes different models, from motivational interviews to psychodynamic models. Includes Cognitive behaviour therapy and other tools. This therapy is very indicated for people who suffer from feeding and eating disorders, addictions, and general mental health. Behaviour changing models have shown to be very effective.
- Food therapy. This type of therapy is more for kids trying certain foods related to sensory problems. The therapy teaches the child to be confident with a sensory evaluation of foods. Consequently, the therapy can include different sections such as smelling foods, looking at the food, tasting it, and eating it. This therapy’s benefits are well known in the child with problems dealing with foods.
- Family-Based Therapy. This therapy suggests involving a family in the therapy with the clients. Family can be very supportive for kids and adults. In some cases, proper training and an excellent open mind can become a powerful tool to solve many mental health, including feeding and eating disorders.
- Graduated exposure therapy. Here, we find mainly children or people who have autism. They are very picky, lousy, and have minimal food choices and preferences. The therapy gradually exposes the individual to a different food to increase his food choices. Research has shown that child who practices this therapy increases their food choice from four items to over 50 in about six months.
- Play therapy. That consists of group therapies where clients express themselves by playing in different ways. Therapies benefits are building a solid relationship with people, learning how to express their feelings, and how to deal with certain circumstances. Playing with clay can be one of them. Also, playing with food, painting or even with an educational game board can be a promising therapy for our clients.
- Sequential Oral Sensory. This therapy, very similar to food therapy, includes the assessment for the individual. In different sessions, the individual will be trained about new foods, the importance of food in life, and eating. In other words, that is specific training about the importance of healthy eating in life.
- Nutritional Education is very similar to nutrition counselling. We have many nutritional strategies and knowledge, but the nutritional education audience is entirely in control of his will and his food choice. That does not happen with people who suffer from mental health, and in this case, we need nutritional counselling to address the behaviour.
Eating Disorders Statistics
Planning On Changing Your Lifestyle?
Trying to focus on the solution rather than the causes. That will lead you to a different level of thinking, reduce your stress, and make you feel better. Being constantly under stress increase the level of cortisol. Cortisol loves to help our body to store fat in our hips and our abdomen.
Right now, we know how to identify our triggers and learn how to deal with them. After that, the biggest challenge has an action plan to prevent relapse. A good relapse prevention plan includes three main steps. Firstly, recognize your triggers, secondly, deal with them and finally use our self-efficacy to deal with them without back in the old habits.
Get In Touch Today