Guidelines for Identifying an Eating Disorder

Guidelines for early identification of the presence of an Eating Disorder.

In recent years there has been an increased sensitivity to eating disorders. The idea of what is anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder is becoming more and more humane, understanding that it can happen to anyone and that they are disorders that require those affected to receive a lot of support.

Given the growing awareness of these problems, more and more people are becoming concerned about whether they might have an ED or a loved one does, becoming interested in treatment and wanting to know what the signs are that indicate bulimia or anorexia.

The objective of this article is to answer the question of how to know if a person is suffering from an ED.In this article, we will show what is the generic profile of a person with ED and also highlight the importance of attending psychotherapy to receive the appropriate diagnosis and treatment.

The keys to recognize an Eating Behavior Disorder

Eating Disorders (ED) in adulthood rarely appear suddenly. Most often, they have been latent, having their antecedents in puberty.. It sometimes happens that, when the person reaches adulthood, certain changes or frustrations occur that can trigger their problems with food, both in the form of overeating and purging behaviors and restriction of what is eaten.

Among the best-known EDs are anorexia nervosa and bulimia, conditions that are very common in women. They are not the only ones. There are other lesser known but equally serious eating disorders such as binge eating disorder, pica, rumination disorder and food avoidance/restriction disorder, as well as unspecified conditions in which symptoms of ED are manifested but at subclinical levels.

The most frequent in adulthood are binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa, with anorexia nervosa being the most common.anorexia being more common in adolescence, although not exclusive.

Some experts in ED indicate that they have detected a sequence that is usually repeated. A person suffers from anorexia during adolescence, then bulimia, and finally binge eating disorder in adulthood. The underlying anxiety persists in all three eating behavior problems, and the person channels it all into food.but unlike in adolescence, they have abandoned laxatives and the induction of vomiting, or they no longer have the willpower or time to spend hours doing compulsive exercise.

The most frequent profile in patients with ED is chronic, arising in adolescence. Their disorder develops during early or late adolescence and continues into adulthood. In these cases it is common that the person has already undergone several treatments and has even been hospitalized on more than one occasion. However, we should not ignore the existence of another profile, less frequent, of people who develop their people who develop their ED in adulthood, even in their 30s and 40s.even between 30 and 40 years of age.

With all this we want to indicate that although it is common for people with ED to be diagnosed when they were adolescents, it does not mean that this disorder cannot be diagnosed in adulthood. The possibility of manifesting symptoms as an adult is real. Because of this, added to the fact that there is an increasing awareness of EDs, many people are wondering if they suffer from them or if a loved one has one of these problems. In the following paragraphs we will discover what are the signs that can indicate if you suffer from an ED.

Profile of the adult with ED

As we said, there are several eating disorders, the main ones being anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder. Each of these psychopathological conditions has its own peculiarities and diagnostic criteria.However, we can highlight the following features in the profiles of people with ED in adulthood:

• Low self-esteem.
• Insecurity.
• Tendency to perfectionism (e.g., eagerness to be the best student).
• High self-demanding.
• Obsessive traits.
• Poor self-image.
• Victim of abuse and rejection (e.g., at school).
• Emotionally unstable and does not handle frustration well.

Emotional problems cause people prone to ED to develop an unhealthy relationship with food, either by using it as a form of escape, or by using it as a means of escape.either using it as a form of escape or coping or motivated by an obsession to achieve a certain appearance or weight. The dysfunctional relationship with food will not be solved by reaching a stable and healthy weight because, as the name suggests, they are eating disorders, and therefore treatment should be oriented towards the eating behavior and the patient's thoughts that motivate it.

Warning signs

The following warning signs are not diagnostic criteria, and therefore, we cannot take them as confirmation that we suffer from a problem related to food.

It is essential to understand that to know if we suffer a TCA we must go to a clinical psychologista person trained to carry out the diagnosis of what can happen to us. However, we can be aware of certain signs that can inform us of suffering from an ED, both in ourselves and in others. The most relevant are the following:

1. Food-related

• Unjustified use of restrictive diets.
• Constant preoccupation with food.
• Exaggerated interest in cooking recipes.
• Feeling of guilt for having eaten.
• Bizarre eating behavior (e.g., eating very fast, eating standing up...).
• Getting up from the table and locking oneself in the bathroom after eating.
• Increased frequency and amount of time in the bathroom.
• Avoiding meals with family or friends.
• Eating on the sly.
• Large amounts of leftover food, wrappers...
• Restrictive dieting and, all at once, binge eating in short periods of time.

2. Weight-related

• Sudden and unjustified weight changes.
• Exaggerated fear and rejection of being overweight.
• Compulsive physical exercise with the sole objective of losing weight.
• No physical exercise and overweight.
• Self-induced vomiting.
• Consumption of laxatives and diuretics.
• Amenorrhea: disappearance of the menstrual cycle for at least 3 consecutive months.
• Malnutrition.

3. Other physical signs

• Cold hands and feet.
• Dryness of the skin.
• Constipation.
• Pallor.
• Dizziness.
• Hair loss.

4. Related to body image

• Perception of having a fatter body.
• Attempts to hide the body (e.g., with clothes, not bathing at the beach...).

5. Behavioral related

• Changes in academic or work performance.
• Progressive isolation.
• Increased irritability and aggressiveness.
• Increased depressive symptoms and/or anxiety.
• Manipulative behavior.
• Constant lying.

The importance of going to therapy

Since EDs are very complex, it is necessary that their treatment be directed by interdisciplinary teams specialized in them. Thus, people with EDs such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia or binge eating disorder will not only receive help from clinical psychologists but also from psychiatrists, general practitioners, nutritionists, social educators, coaches....

Treatment is long and complex and, as we have mentioned, there is often chronicity in these disorders. However, recovery is possible and although these disorders usually leave some sequelae, it is also true that 70% of patients who receive treatment eventually overcome their ED, the earlier the intervention, the greater the success.