Eating Disorder

Posted by Winnie Melda on March 21st, 2019

The American Psychiatric Association (APA), 1994 mentions two official eating disorder syndromes: bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. There is also the third category known as binge-eating disorder (Shpiro, 2007). All three types are poly symptomatic syndromes defined by maladaptive behaviors and attitudes on issues like body image, weight, eating among other nonspecific disturbances. Such disorders affect a person's mood, self-image and impulse regulation. Anorexia Nervosa is the relentless search for thinness, and one is afraid of the consequences of eating such as obesity and gaining weight resulting in willful restriction of food intake. An individual with AN imposes upon herself to dangerous emaciation and gradual weight loss.

AN is among a wide range of psychological symptoms alongside other pathological eating disorders including anxiety, obsess, and depression. People with endorsed stereotypical personality features such as over control, perfectionism and rigidity. Neurotransmitters play a significant role in appetite control. Actions upon taste behaviors of dopamine and noradrenaline seem to include both inhibitory and exhibitors effects on feeding behavior. Genetic studies have also aimed to identify genes that determine eating behavior. Relevant studies on anorexia samples have not found a linkage of variants of dopamine. Thus, there is the tendency that bulimic ED variants are characterized by behavioral and impulsivity decontrol. Neurobiological agents in Pathophysiology of eating disorders. Studies have examined neuropeptide, neurotransmitter and hormone systems that affect feeding behaviors, appetite, and temperament.

Environmental factors also affect a person’s eating habits. The social context that overvalues slimness and links body image to the overall self-esteem tends to have many people suffering from anorexia. Problems of self-image among females have indirectly heightened dieting susceptibility and other pathological eating practices. Thus, it is common to find behaviors like self-criticism, perfectionism, reward independence among other issues common in AN prone individuals. Clinicians should educate patients on the risks of AN, stress the importance of early detection of problems and have an action plan to suit a client needs (Fairrburn et al., 2009).

References

Fairrburn G, Cooper Z, Bohn K, Hawker DM, et al. (2009). Tran diagnostic cognitive behavior therapy for patients with eating disorders: A two-site trial with 60-week follow-up. American Journal of Psychiatry, 166:311–319

Shapiro J, Berkman D, Brownley KA, Sedway JA, & Bulik C. (2007). Bulimia nervosa treatment: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 40:321–336

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