HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
What Causes Eating Disorders?
Psychological Factors:
•Low self-esteem
•Feelings of inadequacy or lack of control in life
•Depression, anxiety, anger, stress or loneliness
Interpersonal Factors:
•Troubled personal relationships
•Difficulty expressing emotions and feelings
•History of being teased or ridiculed based on size or weight
•History of physical or sexual abuse
Social Factors:
•Cultural pressures that glorify “thinness” or muscularity and place value on obtaining the “perfect body”
•Narrow definitions of beauty that include only women and men of specific body weights and shapes
•Cultural norms that value people on the basis of physical appearance and not inner qualities and strengths
•Stress related to racial, ethnic, size/weight-related or other forms of discrimination or prejudice
Biological Factors:
•Scientists are still researching possible biochemical or biological causes of eating disorders. In some individuals with eating disorders, certain chemicals in the brain that control hunger, appetite, and digestion have been found to be unbalanced. The exact meaning and implications of these imbalances remain under investigation.
•Eating disorders often run in families. Current research indicates that there are significant genetic contributions to eating disorders. However, these disorders also afflict many people who have no prior family history.
•Balance your eating with your physical activity
•Take charge of your weight (Balance the calories you eat and drink)
•Know the number of calories that you should consume each day (Knowing will help you manage your weight)
•Count your Calorie intake (eat wisely by choosing lower calorie, nutrient rich foods, it will help you manage your weight)
•Enjoy your food, but eat less & avoid oversized portions
•Serve smaller portions to help keep calorie count low
•Use smaller plate, bowl, and cup to help with portion control
•Also a huge part of eating healthy is reading the labels on food that is purchased
Water helps your body with the following:
•Keeps its temperature normal.
•Lubricates and cushions your joints.
•Protects your spinal cord and other sensitive tissues.
•Gets rid of wastes through urination, perspiration, and bowel movements.
You need to drink enough water each day because
you need water to replace what your body loses through normal everyday functions. Of course, you lose water when you go to the bathroom or sweat, but you even lose small amounts of water when you exhale. You need to replace this lost water to prevent dehydration.
•For adults, being overweight and obese is determined by using the height and weight to calculate a number called “body mass index” (BMI)
•BMI is used because most of the time it correlates with their amount of body fat a person has
•An adult with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight
•An adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese
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Health Risks
•A BMI is just one indicator of potential health risk associated with being overweight or obese
•The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute guidelines recommend that you look at other factors that can help predict a persons likelihood of buying obesity related diseases
- The individuals waist circumference, because abdominal fat is a predictor of risk for obesity related diseases
- Other risk factors the individual has for diseases/conditions related to obesity, such as high blood pressure or extreme activity
•Coronary Heart Disease
•Type 2 Diabetes
•Cancer (Breast, Colon, ect.)
•Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
•Dyslipidemia (High Cholesterol, High Triglyceride levels)
•Stroke
•Liver & Gallbladder Disease
•Sleep Apnea
•Respiratory Problems
•Osteoarthritis (Degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone within the joint)
Female:
•Women are much more likely than men to develop an eating disorder.
•An estimated 0.5 to 3.7 percent of women suffer from anorexia nervosa in their lifetime
•Research suggests that about 1 percent of female adolescents have anorexia
•An estimated 1.1 to 4.2 percent of women have bulimia nervosa in their lifetime
•An estimated 2 to 5 percent of Americans experience binge-eating disorder in a 6-month period
Male:
• An estimated 10-15% of people with anorexia or bulimia are male.
• Men are less likely to seek treatment for eating disorders because of the perception that they are “woman’s diseases.”
• Among gay men, nearly 14% appeared to suffer from bulimia and over 20% appeared to be anorexic
Symptoms of Bulimia
DSM 5 CRITERIA FOR BULIMIA NERVOSA
•A. Recurrent episodes of binge eating
•Eating, in a discrete period of time, an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar period of time and under similar circumstances.
•A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode.
•B. Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behavior in order to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications; fasting; or excessive exercise.
•C. At least once a week for 3 months.
•D. Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight.
Binge Eating Disorder (BED)
•Feeling stress or tension that is only relieved by eating
•Embarrassment over how much you’re eating
•Feeling numb while bingeing—like you’re not really there or you’re on auto-pilot.
•Never feeling satisfied, no matter how much you eat
•Feeling guilty, disgusted, or depressed after overeating
•Desperation to control weight and eating habits
•Medical Complications of Bulimia Nervosa
•Dental problems
•dental erosion
•temperature sensitivity
•rounded dental contours
•raised amalgams
•Parotid/submandibular gland enlargement
•Oral/perioral trauma
•Pharyngeal/esophageal inflammation
•Esophageal/gastric tears
•Aspiration
•Fluid and electrolyte imbalances
•Russell's sign
DSM 5 CRITERIA FOR Binge Eating Disorer (BED)
•Recurrent and persistent episodes of binge eating
•Binge eating episodes are associated with three (or more) of the following:
•Eating much more rapidly than normal
•Eating until feeling uncomfortably full
•Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry
•Eating alone because of being embarrassed by how much one is eating
•Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty after overeating
•Marked distress regarding binge eating
•Absence of regular compensatory behaviors (such as purging)
Causes of Binge Eating Disorder
•Biological: Biological abnormalities, such as hormonal irregularities or genetic mutations, may be associated with compulsive eating and food addiction.
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•Psychological: A strong correlation has been established between depression and binge eating. Body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, and difficulty coping with feelings can also contribute to binge eating disorder.
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•Social and Cultural: Traumatic situations, such as a history of sexual abuse, can increase the risk of binge eating. Social pressures to be thin, which are typically influenced through media, can trigger emotional eating. Persons subject to critical comments about their bodies or weight may be especially vulnerable to binge eating disorder.
•Cardiovascular disease
•Type 2 Diabetes
•Insomnia or sleep apnea
•Hypertension
•Gallbladder disease
•Muscle and/or joint pain
•Gastrointestinal difficulties
•Depression and/or anxiety
•Obesity