Abnormal Psychology 9th Edition Quiz

Characteristics of Eating Disorders

• Eating disorders involve disturbances in eating behaviors, emotions, and thoughts
• Can affect physical and emotional well-being
• Examples: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and other specified feeding or eating disorders

Anorexia Nervosa

• Characterized by self-starvation, significant weight loss, and fear of gaining weight
• Two subtypes:
  • Restricting type: Refuses to eat, engages in excessive exercise to prevent weight gain
  • Binge/purge type: Engages in binge eating, followed by purging behaviors (e.g., self-induced vomiting, laxatives)
• Dangerous consequences: cardiovascular complications, stomach expansion, weak bones, kidney damage, impaired immune system, and suicide

Bulimia Nervosa

• Characterized by binge eating followed by purging behaviors to prevent weight gain
• Purging behaviors include self-induced vomiting, laxatives, diuretics, or other medications, fasting, and excessive exercise
• Can lead to electrolyte imbalance, heart failure, and suicide

Binge-Eating Disorder

• Characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating without compensatory behaviors
• Accompanied by feelings of disgust, depression, or guilt, and often leads to obesity
• Depression is a common comorbidity

Table 2 Comparison of Eating Disorders

• Eating disorders vary on several characteristics, including:
  • Body weight
  • Body image
  • Bingeing
  • Purging or other compensatory behaviors
  • Sense of lack of control over eating

Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders

• Partial-syndrome eating disorders that do not meet the full criteria for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa
• Atypical anorexia nervosa: Meets all criteria for anorexia nervosa, but weight is within or above normal range
• Bulimia nervosa of low frequency and/or limited duration: Meets criteria for bulimia nervosa, but binge eating and purging occur less than once a week and/or for less than 3 months
• Night eating syndrome: Regularly eating excessive amounts of food into the night after dinner

Obesity

• Not a DSM-5-TR diagnosis, but associated with some mental disorders
• Defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or over
• Associated with increased risk of:
  • Coronary heart disease, hypertension, and stroke
  • Type 2 diabetes and cancer
  • Low quality of life and emotional problems
• Causes:
  • Living in a toxic food environment
  • Lack of exercise

Understanding Eating Disorders: Biological Factors

• Genetic factors
• Changes during puberty in girls
• Imbalance or dysregulation of neurochemicals
• Abnormalities in hormone levels and systems regulating serotonin

Understanding Eating Disorders: Sociocultural and Psychological Factors

• Social pressures and cultural norms promoting thinness
• Social media and body dissatisfaction
• Athletes and eating disorders
• Cognitive factors:
  • Low self-esteem
  • Wanting to please others
  • Dichotomous thinking style (“all-or-nothing” thinking)
• Emotion regulation difficulties and disordered eating patterns
• Family dynamics:
  • Difficulty with separation and individuation from family
  • Family with eating disorder
  • Low parental warmth and high parental demands

Treatments for Eating Disorders

• Psychotherapy for anorexia nervosa:
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy
  • Family therapy
• Psychotherapy for bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder:
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy
  • Interpersonal therapy
  • Supportive-expressive psychodynamic therapy
  • Behavioral therapy
• Biological therapies:
  • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (reduce binge-eating and purging behaviors)
  • Antidepressants (used to treat anorexia nervosa and result in reduction of symptoms)
  • Antipsychotics (lead to increases in weight in people with anorexia nervosa)
  • Antiepileptic medications and obesity medications