Food plays a vital role in daily life. It is therefore not surprising if in this context more and more people suffer from eating disorders or eating disorders. In modern times, especially the media and the economy have created an ideal image, which many people emulate. Thus it comes then in the consequence that it comes in the area of the nutrition again and again to behavioral disturbances.
What are eating disorders?
An eating disorder or eating disorder is any abnormal eating behavior. However, there are different forms of eating disorders. One of the most common is anorexia nervosa, also called anorexia. Sufferers have a strong fear of gaining weight and try to cope with this fear by refusing food. Patients with anorexia nervosa are either severely underweight or lose weight drastically within a short period of time. Another eating disorder is bulimia nervosa, also called bulimia or binge eating disorder. It involves regular bouts of ravenous appetite, during which sufferers eat vast quantities of food in a short period of time. They then vomit to prevent weight gain. However, some sufferers vomit almost every meal, regardless of binge eating. This form of bulimia often occurs together with anorexia. Binge-eating disorder occupies another area of eating disorders. Sufferers of this disorder eat a disproportionate amount of food. They also suffer from binge eating. As a result of the severe weight gain, other diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure occur.
Causes
The causes of eating disorder are very different. Superficially, almost every eating disorder focuses on weight loss. However, the causes lie deeper. In many cases, child abuse and sexual abuse play a role. One’s own personality structure also plays a significant role in the development of eating disorders. Low self-esteem, perfectionism and compulsive controlling behavior favor the development of disordered eating behavior. Family difficulties, such as disturbed attachments, neglect or overprotection, also favor eating disorders.
Symptoms, complaints, and signs
Just as varied as the forms of eating disorders are the symptoms by which they can be recognized. It is important to know that the definition of “eating disorders” is a psychologically indicated syndrome. Diseases with a purely physical cause, which result in difficult food intake or processing, are referred to by other terms. A typical symptom of an eating disorder is a strong mental preoccupation with food and food intake. Women are much more often affected by eating disorders than men, but the clinical picture also occurs in men. The relationship to normal food intake becomes increasingly complicated, the thoughts of the person affected constantly revolve around food. Very often, the focus is also on how to avoid food as much as possible. The environment of the affected person usually does not notice the eating disorder for a long time, because sufferers cover up their behavior very well and usually do not talk about it. In many cases, the eating disorder becomes visible at some point when it is accompanied by dramatic weight loss. Many sufferers not only want to be slim, but extremely thin, which can drive them into anorexia in the end. What is striking here is a strongly subjective view and assessment of one’s own body. Already conspicuously slim people speak heaped of having to lose weight at all costs or of being too fat.
Diagnosis and course
The diagnosis of eating disorders is not always easy, especially since those affected rarely have an insight into the disease. Affected persons are usually conspicuous by a strong weight loss or gain or by being underweight. The constant preoccupation with the topic of food can also be conspicuous and should draw attention. A specialist can confirm the suspicion. This is done through a thorough examination that includes a blood test. Depending on the type of eating disorder, certain factors provide information about whether or not an eating disorder is present, since weight is not always the decisive factor. However, if there is clear underweight or overweight and metabolic diseases have been excluded as a cause, the suspicion of an eating disorder is obvious. A detailed diagnosis by a psychologist can confirm the suspicion.The course of this disease strongly depends on the patient’s insight as well as on the severity and possibly already existing secondary diseases. Anorexia in particular often takes a fatal course, as the heart can be irreparably damaged by malnutrition. If the patient shows understanding and cooperates, the treatment can be successful. However, in many cases, a lengthy and multidisciplinary therapy is necessary to cure an eating disorder.
Complications
Individuals suffering from eating disorders naturally face different problems and complications. The biggest and most serious complication is of course weight loss, which logically occurs due to lack of nutrients. The body is not supplied with enough energy, so all fat reserves are used up. In permanent eating disorders, affected individuals lose a lot of weight within a short period of time. In the worst case, this complication can even lead to death if the body is supplied with too few nutrients. Eating disorders are in most cases associated with repeated vomiting. In many cases, this occurs immediately after eating. The frequent vomiting can cause severe irritation of the mucous membranes and throat. In particularly bad cases, even the lungs can be permanently damaged. In affected individuals suffering from an eating disorder, the entire immune system is of course immensely weakened This makes the human body more susceptible to a number of diseases. Since the body lacks important vitamins, infections occur more frequently and recovery is also complicated many times over. A normal infection can cause dangerous complications in a person with eating disorders. Even with appropriate medication, treatment will be extremely complicated and lengthy.
When should you go to the doctor?
If it is determined that an eating disorder is present, it is not always necessary to consult the doctor right away. In many cases, when an eating disorder is recognized, the affected person can do something himself. If possible, he or she should enlist the help of family members. If it is a case of extreme obesity, i.e. obesity, an illness that has not yet been noticed could also be the reason for the rapid and excessive weight gain. This should definitely be clarified by a medical professional. The doctor can likewise enlighten about a diet and present further measures such as a stomach reduction. In the case of eating disorders associated with radical weight loss, it is very difficult for some patients to regain weight on their own. First of all, there must be an understanding that it is a disease. In this case, too, it is best to consult a doctor. If the sick person is threatened with severe deficiency symptoms, to the point of starvation, medical attention is absolutely necessary. There is usually a mental disorder, the cause of which should be clarified by a specialist. To regain weight, a lot of patience is needed, which is almost impossible without medical support.
Treatment and therapy
The treatment of an eating disorder depends on the severity and sequelae. In most cases, inpatient therapy in appropriate specialized clinics is necessary. In severe cases, physical stabilization must first take place before the actual underlying disease can be treated. In most cases, the therapy of an eating disorder is multidisciplinary and primarily includes a psychologically oriented therapy. In any case, close-meshed medical care is provided, which monitors and treats any consequential damage, such as heart disease, deficiency symptoms or diabetes. Furthermore, depending on the patient, other therapy options such as occupational therapy, eating training, body therapy, art therapy, rehabilitation measures, physiotherapy, sports programs or assisted living can have a supportive effect. It is important to find out where the cause of the eating disorder lies and to eliminate or treat it. Systemic therapy or family therapy can also help here. In severe cases, a sick child or adolescent must be removed from the family by the youth welfare office.
Outlook and prognosis
The prognosis of an eating disorder depends on various influencing factors.They include the form of the eating disorder, the onset of the initial manifestation, and the severity of the disorder. If other mental illnesses exist, the prognosis worsens. The most unfavorable prognosis is for anorexia nervosa. This is rarely completely cured. Statistically, 1/3 of patients remain eating disordered for the rest of their lives, 1/3 suffer further illnesses and only 1/3 of those affected manage to improve their state of health. Complete recovery is very rarely achieved. Patients gain weight, but usually remain severely underweight throughout their lives. Approximately 10% of anorexics die as a result of malnutrition. The younger a patient is at the onset of the disease and the earlier treatment is given, the better the chances of recovery. A low initial weight at the start of therapy reduces the prospects of improvement. In bulimia nervosa, about half of patients have a good prognosis. 30% experience a chronic course of the disease, and 20% of bulimics show little improvement in symptoms as they progress. Eating disorder patients often develop anxiety disorders, addictive disorders, or impulse control disorders. The more often the vomiting is self-induced, the more entrenched bulimia is. Patients of anorexia often develop bulimia in the further course.
Prevention
An eating disorder cannot be prevented in the conventional sense. However, the risk that a child or adolescent will develop it can be reduced by appropriately reducing key facilitating factors. This includes a stable and caring family in which healthy and strengthening relationships are present. Children who are self-confident and self-assured and have sufficient sustainable attachments are better able to cope with setbacks and their own weaknesses and are thus less prone to behavioral disorders, especially eating disorders.
Aftercare
After therapy has been completed, it makes sense to continue strengthening personal resources. Self-esteem often takes on a key role in this process. Eating disorders often lead to social isolation. At the latest during aftercare, it is then time to rediscover old acquaintances and strengthen contact with friends and family members. In this context, people who until recently suffered from an eating disorder also have to deal with the question of how openly they want to deal with their medical history. Since eating disorders often develop in adolescence, many affected people first have to learn how to cope at school or in professional life again during aftercare. Even for adults, job applications or returning to the old job can be a challenge. Aftercare involves behavior in everyday life. This includes shopping, cooking and everyday household chores. Fixed structures can help maintain healthy behavior patterns that have been established. Psychological aftercare consists largely of relapse prevention. There may be other psychological problems besides the eating disorder that also need to be treated. Because eating disorders can result in medical complications, medical aftercare may also be required, for example, for organ failure and weakness. Aftercare is often divided between the end of psychotherapy and complementary measures such as self-help groups or group sessions in counseling centers with psychological guidance.
Here’s what you can do yourself
What patients can do to treat their eating disorder themselves depends on the type of disorder as well as the extent to which the disorder has already reached. However, individuals suffering from an eating disorder should always consult a physician and, if necessary, begin psychotherapy. In the case of regular, uncontrollable eating attacks followed by vomiting, it is important to find out the causes of the attacks. Those affected can then avoid such situations or learn to cope better with these challenges. If stress is the trigger for eating attacks, relaxation techniques such as autogenic training or yoga often already help. If the eating attacks occur mainly at night, the right shopping behavior can ensure that the attacks can no longer be acted out unhindered. Anyone suffering from bulimia should always have only the food for the current day in the house.At most, healthy, low-calorie foods may also be purchased in larger quantities. People suffering from anorexia often benefit from a diet plan, which should be prepared by a trained ecotrophologist. If deficiency symptoms have already occurred, the use of dietary supplements can be useful. It is often easier for anorexics to consume calories in liquid form. Vegetable shakes and milkshakes can be transformed into a healthy, energy-rich meal by adding ground nuts or seeds. For example, 100 grams of pine nuts provide nearly 700 calories while helping to provide important micronutrients.
