Keys to understanding eating disorders

A review of the characteristics of this type of psychological disorders.

Throughout history, body image has been determined by society and culture.. In the Western world, this image has acquired such a fundamental value that since the last decades of the 20th century a total cult of the body has been practiced.

It is in this context that some of the most devastating pathologies of the late twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century have emerged, such as eating behavior disorders (ED).

Eating behavior

Eating behavior is shaped from the beginning of life. It is through the interactions of the child and food with the environment that certain eating habits are created. habits.

It is important that the child learns to distinguish the different physiological signals such as hunger, satiety or self-regulation of intake, creating an appropriate eating behavior, defined as normal behavior related to eating habits, food intake, quantities, frequency, etc....

Children usually integrate eating habits and practices around 5 years of age, creating different eating modes and preferences.This is the time when different ways and preferences of feeding are created. Mothers, fathers and caregivers play a fundamental role in the education of healthy eating patterns, which function as protective factors against future risks.

Eating Behavior Disorders (ED)

Eating disorders are characterized by pathological behavior associated with an abnormal pattern of food intake on the one hand, and an obsession with keeping body weight under control on the other..

They involve complex mental disorders, affecting mainly adolescents and young women. These pathologies are characterized by the severity of the associated symptomatology, high resistance to treatment and risk of relapse..

The World Health Organization (WHO) has placed EDs among the priority mental illnesses for children and adolescents given the health risk they pose. The best known EDs are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, but there are also others, such as binge eating disorder and drunkorexia.

Types of ED

The main types of eating disorders are the following.

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa is a disorder characterized by self-induced or self-induced weight loss.. There is an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat.

The person perceives an overweight despite having a weight below what is considered normal. The methods used to lose weight are diet manipulation, exercise (75%), and induced vomiting (20%).

Bulimia Nervosa

It is characterized by exaggerated preoccupation with body image and repeated episodes of excessive repeated episodes of excessive food intake.As a result of this, the person adopts drastic measures to compensate for compulsive eating.

The patient presents recurrent binge eating, feeling of loss of control, and inappropriate compensatory behaviors (self-induced vomiting; laxatives, diuretics, enemas or other medications; fasting; excessive exercise...).

3. Binge Eating Disorder

Like bulimia nervosa, this disorder is characterized by compulsive and recurrent eating. The main difference is that the person does not perform compensatory behaviors (laxatives, fasting, vomiting...).

One of the most common consequences is weight gain or obesity, along with the associated risks (diabetes, cholesterol, etc.).

4. Drunkorexia

Drunkorexia or ebriorexia has emerged as a new eating problem; sufferers stop eating in an attempt to compensate for the calories they ingest with alcohol. The dangers of anorexia are compounded by the dangers of this drug..

The severity of the disorder will depend on the degree of alcohol addiction and the severity of the anorexia.

Risk factors

Risk factors facilitate the development of any type of disorder, including an ED.

• Individual factors: family history; personality traits; low self-esteem; negative body image, etc.
• Family factors: lack of family structure; controlling and demanding environment; stressful life experiences, etc.
• Social factors: unreal beauty canon; media demands; sports or activities, etc.

Protective Factors and Treatment

According to Isabel Sánchez Montero, psychologist at PsicoAbreu Psychologists Malaga, Isabel Sánchez Montero, to promote a positive body image and a good self-esteem is one of the main objectives for the prevention and treatment of an ED. In addition, there are several factors to take into account.

1. The media

The media are a highly influential instrument in aspects related to the health of the population and, in particular, to eating disorders. and, very especially, with eating disorders.

Therefore, something very important in the prevention of this type of disorder is the collaboration with the media with the aim of promoting a realistic and healthy image.

2. Personal empowerment

Some authors propose that an important point in prevention would be to highlight sociocultural influences and to recognize the importance of self-esteem, self-control and the strength of these people.

3. Teamwork

The treatment that EDs require is developed within a multidisciplinary team, made up of different specialists: doctors, psychologists, nurses, educators, etc. The objectives of the psychological treatment are

• Helping in the normalization of weight.
• Family counseling.
• Learning healthy eating habits..
• Educate in emotions (recognize, regulate and express emotions in an adequate way).
• Learning to contact and deal with painful private events (thoughts, emotions, physical sensations).
• Recognizing avoidant patterns and developing effective coping patterns.
• Prevent relapses.

How to seek help for eating disorders.

The team of Psychologists Malaga PsicoAbreu is specialized in the effective psychological treatment of eating disorders. All its professionals work to provide individualized attention that adapts to the characteristics of each person, with special emphasis on the quality of the therapeutic relationship, the accompaniment and the guarantees of the intervention. To see the contact details of this psychology center, click here.