Eating Disorder: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Any eating disorder can cause serious health problems. As a rule, it is based on psychological factors. Therefore, it is necessary to get rid of them together with specialists.

Types of problems

Experts know that eating disorders can manifest themselves in different ways. The tactics of treatment in each case should be selected individually. It will depend on the established diagnosis and the patient's condition.

The most popular types of disorders are:

• Compulsive overeating;
• Bulimia;
• anorexia.

It is not always possible to recognize people who suffer from any of these disorders. For example, with neurogenic bulimia, weight may be within the norm or slightly less than the lower limit. However, people do not understand that they have an eating disorder. Treatment, in their opinion, they are not required. Dangerous is any condition in which a person tries to formulate the rules of nutrition and adheres to them unswervingly. For example, a complete refusal to eat after 16 hours, a strict restriction or a complete refusal to consume fats, including plant origin, should alert.

What to look for: dangerous symptoms

It is not always possible to understand that a person has an eating disorder. Symptoms of this disease must be known. To find out if there are problems, a small test will help. You just need to answer the following questions:

• Do you have a fear that you will get fat?
• Do you catch yourself thinking that you think about food too often?
• Do you refuse to eat with a feeling of hunger?
• Do you count calories?
• Do you share food in small pieces?
• Do you periodically have attacks of uncontrolled absorption of food?
• Do you often talk about your leanness?
• Do you have an obsessive desire to lose weight?
• Do you induce vomiting after eating?
• Do you get nausea after eating?
• Do you refuse from using fast carbohydrates (bakery products, chocolate)?
• In your menu are only dietary dishes?
• Do others try to tell you that you could eat more?

If you answered "yes" to these questions more than 5 times, then you should consult with a specialist. He will be able to determine the type of disease and choose the most appropriate treatment tactics.

Characteristics of anorexia

Refusal of food appears in people as a result of mental disorders. Any rigid self-restraint, an unusual choice of products are characteristic of anorexia. In this case, patients have a constant fear that they will recover. In patients with anorexia, the body mass index may be 15% less than the established lower limit of the norm. They have a constant fear of obesity. They believe that the weight should be below the norm.

In addition, for people suffering from this disease, is characterized by the following:

• The appearance of amenorrhea in women (absence of menstruation);
• Impaired functioning of the body;
• Loss of sexual desire.

This eating disorder is often accompanied by:

• The use of diuretics and laxatives;
• Exclusion from the diet of high-calorie food;
• Provoking of vomiting;
• The use of medicines intended to reduce appetite;
• Lengthy and debilitating workouts at home and in the gym with the goal of losing weight.

To establish a definitive diagnosis, the doctor must fully examine the patient. This allows you to exclude other problems, which are manifested in much the same way. Only after this can be prescribed treatment.

Characteristic signs of bulimia

But people with mental disorders on the basis of food can develop not only anorexia. Specialists can diagnose such a neurogenic disease as bulimia. In this state, patients periodically cease to control how much they eat. They have bouts of gluttony. As soon as overeating ends, the patients have a strong discomfort. There is pain in the stomach, nausea, often episodes of gluttony result in vomiting. Feeling guilty for such behavior, hostility to yourself and even depression causes this eating disorder. Treatment itself is unlikely to be carried out.

To eliminate the consequences of such overeating, patients are tried by inducing vomiting, washing the stomach or taking laxatives. It is possible to suspect the development of this problem if a person is haunted by thoughts about food, frequent episodes of overeating occur, he periodically feels an irresistible craving for food. Often episodes of bulimia alternate with anorexia. In the absence of treatment, this disease can lead to rapid weight loss, but in this case the established balance is broken. As a result, serious complications arise, and in some cases, a lethal outcome is possible.

Symptoms of compulsive overeating

Finding out how to get rid of the eating disorder, many forget that such problems are not limited to bulimia and anorexia. Doctors also face such a disease as compulsive overeating. It is similar in its manifestations to bulimia. But the difference is that people suffering from it do not have regular discharges. Such patients do not take laxatives or diuretics, do not induce vomiting.

Attacks of gluttony and periods of self-restraint in eating can alternate with this disease. Although in most cases between episodes of overeating people are constantly little by little something to eat. It is because of this that a significant weight gain occurs. This psychological problem for some can arise only periodically and be short-term. For example, this is how certain people react to stress, as if eating problems. With the help of food, people suffering from compulsive overeating, are looking for the opportunity to enjoy and deliver themselves a new pleasant sensations.

Causes of development of abnormalities

With any violations of nutrition without the participation of specialists can not do. But help will be effective only if it is possible to identify the causes of eating disorders and eliminate them.

Most often the development of the disease is provoked by the following factors:

• Overestimated standards for oneself and perfectionism;
• The presence of traumatic experiences;
• Stress, experienced because of ridicule in childhood and adolescence over weight;
• Low self-esteem ;
• Mental trauma resulting from sexual violence at an early age;
• Excessive care of the figure and appearance in the family;
• Genetic predisposition to various eating disorders.

Each of these reasons can lead to the fact that self-perception will be violated. A person, regardless of his appearance, will be ashamed of himself. Identify people with such problems by the fact that they are not happy with themselves, they can not even talk about their bodies. All the failures in life they write off to the fact that they have an unsatisfactory appearance.

Problems in adolescents

Very often, an eating disorder begins at an intermediate age. In the child's body there are significant hormonal changes, his appearance becomes different. At the same time, the psychological situation in the team also changes - at this time it is important for children to look as they are, not to go beyond the established standards.

Most adolescents are concerned about their appearance, and against this background they can develop various psychological problems. If the family has not been given sufficient time to develop an objective, adequate self-esteem in the child, the healthy attitude to food has not been instilled, that is, the risk that he will develop an eating disorder. In children and adolescents, this disease often develops against a background of low self-esteem. At the same time they are able to hide everything from their parents for a long time.

These problems develop, as a rule, at the age of 11-13 years - during puberty. Such adolescents concentrate their attention on their appearance. For them, this is the only means that allows you to gain self-confidence. Many parents are reinsured, fearing that their child has developed an eating disorder. In adolescents it can be difficult to determine the line between normal preoccupation with the appearance and the pathological condition in which it is time to sound the alarm. Parents need to start to worry if they see that the child:

• Tries not to attend events where there will be feasts;
• Spends a lot of time on physical activity in order to burn calories;
• Too dissatisfied with his appearance;
• Consumes laxatives and diuretics;
• Is fixated on weight control;
• Overly delicately monitors the caloric content of foods and the size of portions.

But many parents think that eating disorders in children can not be. At the same time, they continue to consider their teens at the age of 13-15 as babies, closing their eyes to the disease that has arisen.

Possible consequences of eating disorders

It is impossible to underestimate the problems that these symptoms can cause. After all, they not only have a detrimental effect on health, but can also cause death. Bulimia, like anorexia, causes dehydration, kidney failure and heart disease. With frequent vomiting, which leads to a lack of nutrients, such problems can develop:

• Damage to the kidneys and stomach;
• Feeling of constant pain in the abdomen;
• Development of caries (it starts because of the constant effects of gastric juice);
• Lack of potassium (leads to problems with the heart and can cause death);
• amenorrhea;
• The appearance of cheeks "hamster" (due to a pathological increase in the salivary glands).

With anorexia, the body goes into the so-called fasting regime. This can be evidenced by such signs:

• Loss of hair, breaking of nails;
• anemia;
• Amenorrhea in women;
• Decrease in heart rate, respiration, blood pressure;
• Persistent dizziness;
• The appearance of a hair cannon throughout the body;
• Development of osteoporosis - a disease characterized by increased fragility of bones;
• Increase in the size of the joints.

The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the faster it will be possible to get rid of it. In severe cases, even hospitalization is necessary.

Psychological help

Many people with obvious eating disorders feel that they have no problems. But without medical assistance, it is impossible to correct the situation. After all, you can not figure out how to conduct a psychotherapy of eating disorders. If the patient resists and refuses treatment, the psychiatrist may need help. With an integrated approach, a person can be helped to get rid of problems. After all, with severe violations, one psychotherapy will not be enough. In this case, medication is prescribed.

Psychotherapy should be directed at the work of a person in his own way. He must begin to adequately evaluate and accept his body. Correction also needs to be related to food. But it is important to work out the reasons that led to such a violation. Specialists who work with people suffering from eating disorders say that their patients are overly sensitive and prone to frequent occurrences of negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, anger, sadness.

For them, any restriction in eating or overeating, excessive physical exertion is a way to temporarily ease their condition. They need to learn how to manage their emotions and feelings, without this they will not be able to overcome the eating disorder. How to treat this disease, you need to deal with a specialist. But the main goal of therapy is to form a correct lifestyle for the patient.

Worse work to get rid of the problem is for those who have uneasy relationships in the family or constant stress in the workplace. Therefore, psychotherapists should also work on relationships with others. The earlier a person realizes that he has a problem, the easier it will be to get rid of it.

Recovery period

The most difficult task for patients is the development of self-love. They need to learn to perceive themselves as a person. Only with adequate self-esteem can you restore your physical condition. Therefore, to work on such patients should dieticians and psychologists (and in some cases, psychiatrists) at the same time.

Specialists should help overcome the eating disorder. Treatment may include:

• Preparation of a nutrition plan;
• The introduction of adequate physical activity;
• Taking antidepressants (only necessary if there are certain indications);
• Work on self-perception and relationships with surrounding people;
• Treatment of mental disorders, such as anxiety.

It is important that during the treatment period the patient has support. After all, people often break down, take breaks in treatment, promise to return to the planned plan of action after a certain time. Some even consider themselves cured, although their eating behavior remains virtually unchanged.