EATING DISORDERS

Sometimes, when we struggle to overcome emotional issues we engage in unhealthy behaviours. These actions are intended to make ourselves feel better, but they drag us into an unmanageable self-destructive conduct. We find eating disorders and/or self-harm especially in young girls (anorexia, bulimia and binge eating).

If we do not understand and treat our emotional part, we will only look at its consequence, which will hardly lead to any successful outcomes.

Even though bulimia prognosis is usually better than anorexia prognosis, the risk of death among people affected continues to be higher than in general population.

BULIMIA

Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating periods followed by unhealthy behaviours to rapid weight loss such as inducing vomiting (90% of the cases), laxative use, caffeine abuse and /or improper diets.

Other methods to lose weight may involve the use of diuretics, stimulants, water fasting or excessive exercise. Most people with bulimia maintain a normal body weight. Self-induced vomiting can cause thick joint skin and tooth erosion. There is also a high risk of suicide and self-harm.

Bulimia is very common among people who have a close relative who has suffered or suffers from this health problem. The estimated risk percentage attributable to genetic factors is between 30% and 80%. Other risk factors for the disease include psychological stress, cultural pressure to achieve a certain goal, lack of self-esteem and obesity.

The diagnosis is based on the person’s medical records; however, it is difficult to identify because those with the disease tend to be very reserved about their habits. Cognitive behavioral therapy is the main treatment for bulimia. Although the prognosis for bulimia is generally better than for anorexia, the risk of death among affected people remains higher than that of the general population

More information coming soon.

ANOREXIA

Anorexia, also called anorexia nervosa, is an eating disorder that can affect patients of both sexes. It is triggered by an excessive, unlimited and uncontrolled desire to lose weight and maintain a certain standard of beauty.

When a patient is diagnosed with anorexia, they gradually start to stop eating and fail to see that their body is gradually wasting away due to a lack of proper nutrition, and they may even stop feeling hungry completely.

Even with a clear appearance of excessive thinness, this eating disorder is capable of making anorexics see themselves as overweight and continue their quest for ideal thinness. Many doctors point out that anorexia is, above all, a body image disorder.

Due to the lack of nutrients in the body, the ribs and back bones become very visible and the anorexic person starts to develop complementary diseases and conditions, such as alopecia, osteoporosis, hormonal dysfunctions, hypotension, hypoglycaemia, increased risk of infections, changes in heart rhythm, among others.

Another condition, in addition to not eating, is that people with anorexia may end up overdoing physical exercise and using laxative and diuretic medication, always with the intention of losing weight.

BINGE EATING

Binge eating is an eating disorder in which the person diagnosed has recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food in a short space of time, even when they don’t feel hungry.

Despite being related to food, binge eating is associated with various factors: genetic, psychological, biological and behavioural. Generally, during episodes, the person feels a loss of control and, afterwards, they may feel a sense of shame, disgust, anguish and guilt.

As a means of clinical diagnosis, we can highlight the following causes: rigid diets, emotional comfort eating, low self-esteem and more serious emotional problems.

Binge eating can also lead to other health problems such as diabetes, high cholesterol levels, heart problems, obesity, breathing difficulties and others.