EATING DISORDERS
Main forms
An eating disorder is a behavioral disorder, in which the constant mental and emotional preoccupation with the topic of “food and figure” plays a central role.
There are basically three types of eating disorders:
Magersucht (Anorexie)
Bulimia nervosa (Bulimia)
Food addiction (Binge Eating Disorder)
Commonalities
The individual eating disorders arenot clearly distinguishable from each other. Those affected often change from one form to another and the characteristics merge and mix.
The central similarity is that those affected worry obsessively,eating too much. They observe, control and curb their eating behavior in order to lose weight or at least not to gain weight.
causes
There is notthe one Cause of the development of an eating disorder. They arise from a complex interaction of various factors:
Biological causes
Sociocultural causes
Familial causes
Individual causes
ANOREXIA
Beschreibung
Anorexia is an eating disorder caused bypathological need after weight reduction. Often leading to life-threatening malnutrition or other serious health problems.
This disorder primarily affects young girls and women. Young men are also increasingly affected.
Merkmale
The fear of being fat or becoming fat is the central feature of anorexia. The food loses its normality. All thinking increasingly revolves around calories, body weight, figure, food and control of eating.
IMore and more dishes are solving the problem.Fear of being fat and are avoided. Theself-esteem is increasingly defined by body weight and figure.
Those affected try to further reduce their weight through behavior such as extreme starvation, excessive exercise or taking laxatives. The features in detail:
Indications of anorexia
Do your thoughts constantly revolve around food and figure?
Psychological changes
The longer anorexia lasts, the more the self-esteem of the affected person depends on the body weight achieved and the shape of the figure.
The need for control, competence and independence is increasingly being satisfied through eating habits.
Feelings are less noticed, but discipline and control become more and more important.
Relationships are being maintained less and less, social isolation is becoming greater. As the duration of the illness increases, it candepressions and Anxiety disorderscome.
Many people suffering from anorexia feel responsible for everyone and everything.
They believe that they are responsible for the mother's happiness, the maintenance of the parents' marriage, the behavior of the siblings, family peace and harmony.
Distorted body perception
Even if they are significantly underweight, many anorexics still feel that they are too fat. You cannot perceive your own figure realistically.
Cravings and binge eating
For some, the body reacts to the changed eating behavior with real attacks of cravings that cannot always be controlled.
Then it comes to eating attacks, in which similar to the bulimia, large amounts of high-calorie food are devoured and then deliberately vomited up again.
Physical changes
The most noticeable physical change in anorexia is certainly being underweight. Long-term anorexia can lead to serious physical problems:
Hair loss
Tooth damage
osteoporosis
Cardiovascular disorders
Disturbances in the gastrointestinal area
Control and discipline
It is particularly checked whether the restrained eating behavior and the excessive exercise are also reflected in the results: This includes daily weighing with orientation«magical boundaries», d. i.e. a certain body weight must not be exceeded. This limit is often continually lowered.
The figure is also checked often and very critically, usually in front of the mirror or those affected avoid looking at themselves completely.
Anorexia can be treated effectively if the«Profit side» the disease is recognized and understood.
I would like to guide you to think about which onesMeaningand function Your anorexia could be for you.
Influence of social norms
Theextreme slimming ideal, as it is propagated in advertising, model casting shows and on social networks, plays a major role in the development of anorexia.
It propagates that only very slim people are beautiful, recognized and successful.
Especially Young people feel pressured by this and try to get through itrestrictive eating behavior and excessive exercise to conform to the common ideal of thinness.
Through the restrictive eating arisephysical changeswho theBody perception and impair the feeling of hunger and satiety, therebyCravings and binge eating be favored.
Thedistorted body perception leads to feeling too fat even as the weight decreases.
Like in oneVicious circle The physical and psychological changes now ensure that theFear of being fat is getting bigger and food is therefore becoming more and more restricted:
Teufelskreis der Anorexie
Psychotherapeutic treatment
Die Psychotherapie weiss, dass Hungern, Untergewicht, Fressattacken und Erbrechen «nur» die äussere Erscheinungsform dieser Erkrankung sind.
Sie sind das Sichtbar-Werden einer tiefen inneren Not. Deshalb gilt es, die zugrunde liegenden Probleme in der Psychotherapie zu bearbeiten.
Häufig zu behandelnde Probleme sind:
Since both the psyche and the body are changed in anorexia, every client is treated by Start regularlymedical examined.
In particular, blood counts, cardiovascular functions, metabolism and general physical condition are carefully monitored to ensure that the treatment also achieves its goals on a somatic level.
Von Magersucht betroffene Menschen besitzen eine gestörte Wahrnehmung des eigenen Körpers und verweigern aus Furcht vor Gewichtszunahme die Aufnahme von Nahrung. Dabei fühlen sie sich nicht krank.
Those affected “know” how thin they are, but they still “feel” too fat.
BULIMIA
Bulimie erkennen
Bulimia is an eating disorder in which those affected have an uncontrolled desire for food and then carry out weight-reducing measures such as vomiting. This disease is predominantly diagnosed in women.
Indications of bulimia
Do you secretly consume large amounts of food in a short period of time?
Eating often serves the purpose of regulating unpleasant feelings. There is then a great risk that the food will lose its normality.
characteristics
Bulimia starts in the head!
A dominant theme is control.
Bulimia is considered a secret eating disorder. The internal struggle for control, desire and weight often remains hidden from the outside world for a long time.Within a few weeks, the feeling of hunger, satiety and metabolism changes.
The sight of food triggers cravings almost reflexively, just as feeling full triggers the immediate urge to vomit.
Maintaining the facade takes a lot of strength and often ends in self-deception, shame and disgust. Many people who suffer from bulimia becomedepressive.
Health effects
Bulimia can cause serious health complications,How
Electrolyte imbalances
Gastrointestinal problems
Hormonungleichgewichte
Dental problems
Cardiovascular diseases
causes
The causes of bulimia are complex and can result from a combination of different factors.