This is a three-part series to increase and provide correct information about the five most commonly misunderstood mental health disorders. If you haven’t read parts one and two of this series click on the link below.

https://theanatomyofthinking.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-silent-pandemic-part-15.html

https://theanatomyofthinking.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-silent-pandemic-25.html#more

This whole series is in collaboration with mood diet. mood diet is an up and coming psychology-based initiative which aims at creating awareness about psychology and help individual experience conscious living.

Eating disorders contains a wide variety of subtypes aside from the infamous anorexia and bulimia. The main issue in any eating disorder is not the food itself, it is mostly the anxiety associated with food, body image, body dysmorphia, and how they perceive themselves as a person.

History of eating disorder

One interesting argument can be made here, such as eating disorders was developed recently or the number of cases for eating disorder increased with the use of social media. Well, this is a very common misconception that one has. To answer the first misconception we need to take a deep dive into history. The first case of anorexia in the western countries was noticed in the 12^th and 13^th centuries in the form of spiritual denial of self. And as of to the next misconception that the number of cases of the eating disorder increased due to social media, well the part blame for the sudden surge in eating disorder can be given to the unrealistic beauty standards set by social media, it is not fully to blame. The most number of cases of anorexia and bulimia was noticed in the 1970s-1980s, and to this date, bulimia is seen to have steep growth in the number of cases

One very odd advertisement which encouraged bulimia as a lifestyle choice, was the sale of laxative coated gums. These gums were especially targeted and sold to women in order to “get in shape after pregnancy” and “to keep your husband’s interest”. (the ad is attached at the end)

Evolution of eating disorders

Prior research on clinical sample suggests the ties between sexual competition hypothesis for eating disorder; “where the drive for thinness can be seen as an originally adaptive strategy for women to preserve a nubile female shape, which, when driven to an extreme, may cause eating disorders.” A number of evolutionarily-informed theories and hypotheses have been proposed. For example, the “Reproductive Suppression Hypothesis” of Anorexia Nervosa considers “eating restriction as an unconscious strategy to delay reproduction in times of disadvantageous environmental conditions by lowering the amount of body fat to a level incompatible with ovulation” (Wasser and Barash, 1983; Surbey, 1987; Crawford, 1989; Voland and Voland, 1989; Condit, 1990; Salmon et al., 2008). Along similar lines, Salmon et al. (2008) proposed that “cultural, social, and ecological factors such as enhanced female-female competition or unwanted sexual attention from males in modern urbanized Western societies may cause fears related to weight gain and body image” (Salmon et al., 2008).

Types of Eating Disorder

American psychiatric association’s diagnostic and statistical manual for mental health 5^th edition described the various types of eating disorders which includes:

· Anorexia nervosa – generally developed during adolescence and affects more women than men. In this people generally consider themselves to be overweight even when they are severely underweight. People with anorexia constantly monitor their weight and strictly restrict their calories.

· Bulimia nervosa – like anorexia this also develops in the adolescent and early adulthood and is less common in males. In this, people tend to consume a large amount of food until they are painfully full in a specific period of time. and purge with vomiting, or use laxatives to egest the ingested food.

· Binge eating disorder – this is one of the most common type of eating disorder. This can develop in any stage of life. Individuals with this disorder consume unusually large amounts of food in very little time, they have no control over how much they eat.

· Pica – this is a very rare subtype of eating disorder where there is a craving for things that should not be ingested, for example, mud, stone, ice, chalk, soap, paper, hair, wool. This is commonly seen in pregnant women and children.

· ARFID – “avoiding restrictive food intake disorder”. Individuals with this disorder notice disturbed eating either due to lack of interest or distaste for certain, color, taste, texture, or temperature.

· Rumination disorder – from the name it is clear that, the individuals regurgitates food that has been previously chewed and swallowed, re chews and then either re-swallows or spits it out.

· Night eating disorder – individuals with this syndrome frequently eat excessively often after awakening from sleep.

· OSFEED - while not included in DSM- 5 this includes any other condition that have symptom similar to those of an eating disorder but does not fit into any of the above-mentioned types.

How does eating disorder develop?

The exact cause of eating disorders is unknown. As with other mental illnesses, there may be many causes, such as:

· Genetics and biology. Certain people may have genes that increase their risk of developing eating disorders. Biological factors, such as changes in brain chemicals, may play a role in eating disorders.

· Psychological and emotional health. People with eating disorders may have psychological and emotional problems that contribute to the disorder. They may have low self-esteem, perfectionism, impulsive behavior, and troubled relationships.

· Family history. Eating disorders are significantly more likely to occur in people who have parents or siblings who've had an eating disorder.

· Other mental health disorders and stress. People with an eating disorder often have a history of an anxiety disorder, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

· Dieting and starvation. Dieting is a risk factor for developing an eating disorder. Starvation affects the brain and influences mood changes, rigidity in thinking, anxiety, and reduction in appetite.

Complications

Eating disorder of all the other psychological disorder causes more death per year than any other psychological disorder. The longer and ingrown this disorder is, the more one is at risk for:

Serious health problems
Depression and anxiety
Suicidal thoughts or behavior
Problems with growth and development
Social and relationship problems
Substance use disorders
Work and school issues
Death

How can I prevent eating disorders?

Although there is no enclosed set of rules which can avoid developing an eating disorder, one can develop or help others develop healthily eating pattern using the following strategy:

· Avoid dieting stringently. Light dieting is safe but restricting to eat even when you really want to eat something over a long period of time trains your brain, and the secretion of hunger producing hormone decreases.

· Talk to someone who seems like to develop an eating disorder. Unfortunately, there are a lot of websites that promote anorexia and bulimia as a lifestyle choice to maintain a “summer body”.

· Cultivate and reinforce a healthy body image. One must reinforce constantly that one weighs more than what the scale shows. They weigh in with their opinions, idea, and how they have or can change the world. The toxic culture of beating yourself up because of the number on the scale should be avoided and must be positive.

· Enlist the help of your doctor. If you are planning on making any dieting choice your lifestyle, you must talk it out with your doctor and discuss the pros and cons and whether or not you need to take on that diet pattern, or is it safe prior to practicing it.

Eating disorder eats one person from inside out, it can affect anybody ranging from princess Diana in the ’80s to Demi Lovato in the present times.

If you notice a family member or friend who seems to show signs of an eating disorder, consider talking to that person about your concern for his or her well-being. Although you may not be able to prevent an eating disorder from developing, reaching out with compassion may encourage the person to seek treatment.

It can be hard, but talking about it and asking for help can lighten the burden, as Elton John said to Larry King in an interview; “as soon as I said those words [“I need help”] I knew I was going to get better, and I was determined to get better”

References:

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The Anatomy of Thinking

The silent pandemic [3/3]

History of eating disorder

Evolution of eating disorders

Types of Eating Disorder

How does eating disorder develop?

Complications

How can I prevent eating disorders?

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