Eating disorder: Types, Symptoms and Causes
Introduction
An eating disorder is a serious and fatal illness that will affect in thoughts and eating behavior. It involves ether eating too little that the person will be thin or eating too much in the same time which will lead to weight gain. Eating disorder is more common in females aged between 13 to 35 years old. Eating disorders may affect on the body systems like GI system, heart, bones, and teeth. With the treatment, the patient can go back to its normal life. Researchers show that eating disorder is an interaction between behavioral, psychological, and biological.
What is an Eating disorder?
An eating disorder is a mental disorder, and it’s irregular or abnormal eating behavior that affects negatively on the physical, emotional, and mental state of the person. In some cases, eating disorders are associated with other disorders like obsessive-compulsive disorder and panic and anxiety, also drug abuse. If it’s not treated, it will lead to serious complications in the body.
Types of eating disorders
Eating disorders have three main types which are: bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. First, people who suffer from bulimia nervosa are eating frequently and too much amount in a short time, and very rapid. There weight may be normal or overweight or obese, or even underweight, but not underweight as people with anorexia nervosa. They usually stop eating only if their stomach hurt or someone interrupted them or fall asleep. After their finish, they will feel pain in their stomach, and they will fear about weight gain, so, they will use laxatives several times per day or week, and they will force themselves to vomit.
Secondly, anorexia nervosa is associated with an overweight loose up to 15% of the normal body weight. Also, people with anorexia nervosa have limited intake of food, and fear of being overweight. They reject to eat enough, and they do exercise forcefully, and sometimes they assess to vomit to lose weight.
Finally, binge eating disorder, is a chronic disorder, as the bulimia nervosa people are overeating in a large amount of food in short time, but it differs from bulimia nervosa that the people will not try to use laxatives or assess vomiting or fast to lose weight. Which will lead to serious problems like super obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease like hypertension.
Symptoms of eating disorder
Each type of eating disorder involved symptoms physically or on their behavior.
First, the symptoms of bulimia nervosa include: sore throat, acid reflux disorder, because the purging of fluid they will suffer from severe dehydration, constant vomiting, chipmunk face, kidney problems because of using of diuretics, and intestinal problems because of laxative abuse. In rare situation, bulimia nervosa can cause fatal complications like arrhythmias, esophageal tears, gastric rupture.
Second, the symptoms of anorexia nervosa may develop over time in contrast with starvation, such as: cease of menstrual periods, dry hair and nails and skin (yellowish), severe constipation, decrease in blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate, and temperature, so it will be sensitive to cold, low calcium level (osteopenia), mild anemia, depression, growth of lanugo hair all over the body, multiorgan failure, brain damage.
Finally, the symptoms of binge eating disorder include: eating more rapidly with a large amount in a short period of time, eating all the time even if the stomach is full, eating alone, depression, and significant distress.
Causes of eating disorders
The exact reason is unknown, but there is some situation that lead the person to have eating disorders, such as:
- Family history of eating disorder, or alcoholic-drug abuse.
- Negative comments about the bodyweight or shape may affect in eating habits.
- The nature of the people's job, for example: models, athletes, ballet dancers.
- Perfection or obsessive personality.
- Low self-steam
- Anxiety
- Sexually abused
Stages of eating disorder for recovery
These stages vary according to each person's state, but the basic steps are similar. There are six stages which are:
1- Pre-contemplation
In this stage, the person will be denied that it has eating or behavioral problems, and it will be anger and hostile during this stage. The family or friends can detect any abnormalities in its behavior or eating habits by finding any symptoms like: eating too much or too little, fasting, or use laxatives.
2- Contemplation
In this stage the person will be aware that he has a problem and that he need help, but he doesn’t have the commitment to change its behavior or habits.
3- Preparation
In this stage, the person has a desire to change and start planning.
4- Action
In this stage, there is a change in individual behavior and its thoughts. This stage requires commitment and persistence in the plan (diet and exercise), the person will face its fears to reach its goal.
5- Maintenance
In this stage, the person will try to maintain its behavior by focusing on the positive things. Stable behavioral change was observed during this stage. The person is using both coping skills and healthy self-care to gain new skills and behavior. It requires support from family and friends to sustain the new skills and behavior.
6- Relapse
In this stage will be some returning to some of the old habits of behavior and thoughts. This stage can be useful to see what is useful and what trigger arises for the individual.
Guidelines for how to behave with someone have an eating disorder
Eating disorders affect both the person who is unwell and those who care for them. It’s not easy to deal with someone suffering from an eating disorder, family or friends may feel frustrating and disappointed, and struggle with them emotionally. This is some advice of how the family and friends and lover of the patients can help them:
- Encourage the patient to learn new skills
Try to bring the positive effect of the person and talk with it about the healthy eating style.
- Use humor to communicate
Laughter is a great way to communicate.
- Seek about professional help
Try to convince the person to consult a doctor to provide a good plan to help them especially if the case was very difficult.
- Fucose on food and weight
Take care of a person's weight and food issues.
- Focusing the stress on another thing rather than food
Frustrations and stress emotional should be expressed on other ways, help the person to find other ways to express its emotional like painting, or exercise.
- Separate the person from the disorder
Family and friends should put on their mined that the person with eating disorder reflect the symptoms to its behavior.
- Person's self-esteem
Try to build a positive attitude.
- Be patient
As the person of an eating disorder becomes helpless and anger.
- Accept your limitations
Family or friend member can’t deal with all the problem or issues associated with eating disorder, so every member should know its role in the therapeutic journey.
- Don’t make the eating disorder your first role
Spend time with the other family members and friends.
- Get as much of knowledge
Try to know all the information that you should know about eating disorder, like; how to communicate with them, should know different strategies, and support group can help the patients.
- Co-exist training
The person with an eating disorder needs to co-exist with food and people, rather than its eating disorder.
Treatment of the eating disorder
The recovery from an eating disorder is taking time, and it differs for each individual. The person may have to treat mental or physical issues besides of eating disorder and it will be included in the therapeutic plan. Also, the treatment depends on the type of eating disorder. The treatment plan involve:
- Medications/drug
Medications therapy like antipsychotics and antidepressants can be helpful to treat an eating disorder, also to treat anxiety or depression
- Diet counseling
The person may need continuous health cheeks if the eating disorder effect on the physical health.
- Group, individual, and family psychotherapy
The main goal for group therapy is to provide a supportive network of people who have the same issues
Family, the success of the treatment depends on the support of the family and their encouragement and make changes to their behaviors in the right way to deal with their patient. Family can work together to help the person with an eating disorder to get well and to overcome its issues, physically and mentally, and emotionally. If there any issues or problems between the family members or between the family and the patient it will be better if they try to find a solution because such these disputes can affect on the person and make its condition worst. Also, if there any difficult communication between them, or alcoholic/drug abuse, or physical sexual abuse. All these things can be the main reason that lead a person to have eating disorder.
- ·Monitoring of medical care and physical management
Medical problems like: kidney problems, dental problem, heartburn, osteoporosis.
Alternative Therapies
For some people the alternative therapies can help them as an adjunct to medical and psychological, and nutritional. For example, massage and meditation can help to reduce anxiety levels. Alternative therapy concerned with mental and physical health therapy, including:
- Treatment with herbal methods (Naturopathy) which stimulate the body to heal itself.
- Chinese therapy (Acupuncture) its ancient way that use herbal and needle to stimulate the energy of the body to flow.
- Aromatherapy, which is a therapy by using an essential oil to reduce anxiety and relief the stress and relaxation.
- Meditation, for mental relaxation.
- Homeopathy aims to stimulate the antibodies to illness.
Hypnosis therapy
it’s a traditional sleep-like state or altered consciousness state, during this state the person will be more acceptable for suggestions and have a higher ability to influence their function without consciousness. There are resent theory’s for hypnosis ways like: telling story, role playing, or interpersonal effect between the therapist and the person.
The treatment teams
Treating of eating disorder requires management by a number of professionals, the treatment usually should include psychological, physical, social, and behavioral dimensions of the disorder. This requires a multidisciplinary team, and this team may include: psychologists, general practitioners, psychiatrists, counselors, dietitians, pediatricians, social workers. Each of one of them have a role in the plan.
General practitioner, GP usually is the first line for people with eating disorder. They are assessing symptoms, examination, and education for medical problems. When a moderate or severe eating disorder is suspected the patients will refer to specialist for further assessment and give the therapy. Psychologists, they are a physician that provide counseling to couples, or individuals, or even groups. Clinical psychologists are trained in diagnosing and assessment, and treatment for mental illness and psychological issues. Psychiatrist, they can prescribe and monitoring the medications, also they can assess the physical symptoms.
Dietitian, they can provide the nutritional assessment, and diet plans, and diet education. They develop a healthy diet program for the patient. For patient with eating disorder they discuss with them the consequences of not eating well and recognize the healthy response for each condition. Pediatrician, they are usually involved in treatment of eating disorder in pediatric.
Social worker, they give counselling for the group and individual and also for the couples. They also influence for self-help and group support. Their role is to assists with counselling and give advices and knowledge of how to overcome the causes of eating disorder, and how the disorder will affect in their body and mental state, also affect in their behavior and their social life.
Eating disorders and children
Eating disorder is common in adolescence, but children is also can be affected. Eating disorder is very dangerous especially in young children as the disorder may develop fast and affect in the growth and development in the children. The diagnose may be difficult in young children because of the continues physiological change on the growth and eating requirement.
Many of children affected on celebrity culture and obesity crisis and confused about what should they eat and how they exercise. Research shows that 20-25% of children with eating disorder are boys and may there is a connection between obesity n children and eating disorder development during adolescent. Changing in eating behavior may indicate that the child has social and emotional problems, or development issues like teasing, depression, physical abuse, bullying. Regardless of age, eating disorder is all about emotions and thoughts not food. Often eating disorder developed in children as control behavior on what’s going on in their life’s. children influenced by their parents, teachers that play an important role in changing its behavior and balanced their lifestyle and their diet and body image.
Parents and teachers should not describe the food as bad or good because it may develop emotional conflict in children when they eat the bad food. Also, the parents and teachers should avoid using the food as a reward or punishment. Encourage the child of self-acceptance and avoid promoting for perfectionist behavior, grades, achievement. Encourage the children to express their emotions and feelings freely and encourage of open communication at home. Encourage sport for a healthy lifestyle for fitness and good health. Parents should avoid criticize the look or appearance of their children and avoid comparing to another child.
Eating disorders and pregnancy
Pregnancy is a challenging time for all mothers emotionally, physically, and psychologically. The nutrition of the mother should be enough for her and the baby otherwise both will be affected negatively.
Pregnancy also is a stressful time with a lot of pressure on the mother and having eating disorder during this time can be dangerous on her and the baby, in this case, the mother should consult the doctor immediately.
The risk of eating disorders on the mothers:
- Dehydration
- Cardiac arrhythmia
- Malnutrition; which will affect on both the mother and baby
- Hypertension
- Gestational diabetes
- Depression after or during the pregnancy
- Risk of miscarriage
- Anemia
The risk of eating disorder on the baby:
- Difficulties in feeding
- Respiratory distress
- Premature birth
- Malnutrition
- Anorexia will lead to low baby weight
- Binge eating disorder will lead to high baby weight
- Poor development
Conclusion
An eating disorder is a serious condition and can be dangerous if it’s not treated it as soon as possible and can be developed and affect on the body systems like having a disease and affect on the mental state. People with eating disorder should consult a physician and establish an ongoing relationship. We should stand with our family or friends that having an eating disorder and encourage them to treat and change their behavior and thoughts. And provide them with a positive atmosphere to keep them going with their therapy journey,
References
- https://www.eatingdisorders.org.au/eating-disorders
- https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/eating-disorder
- https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/eating-disorders/index.shtml
- https://www.yourhealthinmind.org/mental-illnesses-disorders/eating-disorders
- https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/eating-disorders.html
