Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders

Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders

Key Terms

• Disordered eating: a range of irregular eating habits that include an unhealthy relationship with body image and food
• Eating disorder: a mental illness that causes major disturbances in a person's eating behaviors
• Orthorexia: an obsession with healthy eating that leads to negative consequences
• Acid reflux disorder: a health consequence of eating disorders
• Constipation: a health consequence of eating disorders
• Lanugo: fine hair that grows all over the body due to malnutrition

Disordered Eating

• Characterized by an unhealthy relationship with body image and food
• May include behaviors such as:
  • Excessively counting calories
  • Constantly dieting
  • Classifying foods as "good" or "bad"
  • Feeling shame or guilt about eating
  • Being preoccupied with weight, food, or appearance
  • Eating when bored or anxious
• Can lead to nutritional deficits, lack of energy, and negative health consequences

Eating Disorders

• Characterized by a mental illness that causes major disturbances in a person's eating behaviors
• Types of eating disorders:
  • Anorexia Nervosa: characterized by severely restricted eating behaviors, intense body dissatisfaction, and low body weight
  • Bulimia Nervosa: characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors
  • Binge Eating Disorder: characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating
  • Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID): characterized by severely restricted eating behaviors, intense body dissatisfaction, and low body weight
  • Otherwise Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED): characterized by eating disorders that do not meet the criteria for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder but still cause significant distress or impairment
• Risk factors:
  • Physical: having a close relative with an eating disorder, having a close relative with another mental illness, having a history of dieting or restricting calories, and having type 1 diabetes mellitus
  • Mental: having an anxiety disorder, perfectionism, rigidity in following rules, and a negative body image
  • Social: media images, societal and family expectations, unrealistic portrayals of "ideal" bodies, lack of respect for diversity, stigma, bullying, teasing, social isolation, and a history of trauma

Health Effects of Eating Disorders

• Malnutrition: a person does not consume the appropriate amounts of nutrients needed for healthy growth
• Cardiovascular system: can lead to heart disease, such as congestive heart failure and death
• Digestive system: can cause stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, damage to the salivary glands and teeth, and lead to acid reflux disease and inflammation of the pancreas, and dehydration, blocked intestines, and chronic diarrhea
• Nervous system: can cause difficulty concentrating, fainting, and headaches, and delayed brain development
• Endocrine system: can cause low levels of certain hormones, leading to a loss of menstrual periods in women and decreased sexual drive in men
• Teeth and bone health: can lead to dry skin, thin hair, brittle nails, and lanugo, and a weakened immune system and an increased number of red blood cells, characteristic of anemia

Treatment of Eating Disorders

• Disordered eating behaviors rarely go away without proper treatment
• Eating disorders are mental illnesses and should be addressed by a multidisciplinary team of professionals, including a therapist, doctor, dietitian, and sometimes a psychiatrist
• Warning signs of eating disorders:
  • Physical: fluctuations in weight, digestive conditions, lack of menstruation in females, dizziness, fainting, and weakness
  • Mental and emotional: fixation on appearance, weight, and food, discomfort eating around others, lack of interest in previously enjoyed activities, extreme concern about appearance, and extreme mood swings
  • Behavioral: refusing to eat certain foods, not eating or eating very small amounts, frequent dieting, withdrawal from friends and family, and frequently checking appearance in the mirror
• Therapy: individual therapy, family therapy, and group therapy can help individuals manage eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors
• In one study, 39% of teens in family therapy had stopped their disordered eating behaviors after 20 therapy sessions, compared to 18% of teens in individual therapy