The visible impacts of eating disorders on mental health

Research studies and psychological views indicate that people who suffer a great deal of pain, emotional burden, and inner turmoil, or who are obsessed with their body images, often turn to food for seeking some kind of comfort or nurturance. These people are more likely to develop or experience some kind of eating disorder.

There is a persistent disturbance in eating or eating-related behavior of people who are diagnosed with ‘ Eating disorders ’, which leads to either altering the food consumption or absorption of food. It is never a ‘phase’ or ‘choice’, but rather a serious medical condition that has visible impacts on the mental health of an individual. Eating disorders can lead to a wide range of physical and mental health complications.

Significant impairment can be observed in the individual’s mental, psychological, and physical functioning. Research studies show that people who are diagnosed with eating disorders may have other mental health-related conditions like substance abuse disorders, depression, or anxiety.

The most common eating disorder includes –

• Anorexia Nervosa,
• Bulimia Nervosa, and
• Binge eating disorders,

each having serious repercussions on mental health.

Anorexia Nervosa Eating Disorder -

People who are diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa, experience a few symptoms -

a. they are unable to maintain normal body weight

b. they experience intense and unrealistic fear of gaining weight or body fat

c. they hold a distorted perception of their body images/ body shape.

They are always dissatisfied with their body shape, size, and weight and tend to believe that they are larger than they actually are. They try restricting their food intake which leads to a depletion of nutrients. They often feel sluggish, lethargic, fatigued, and have slow breathing and pulse. They also have weak muscles, bones, hair, and nails.

The most serious consequence is heart and brain damage and even multiple organ failure. These people value thinness so much that they are repelled by being overweight. A core disturbance in body image is experienced by people with Anorexia Nervosa.

Women with Anorexia Nervosa, have a higher risk of suicidal ideations . As per the research studies, there is a 25 percent chance of suicidal attempts in women with depression (as comorbidity).

The impacts of eating disorders on mental health are quite evident.

They experience -

• mood disorders
• anxiety
• substance abuse disorders and
• impulse control-related disorders.

Majority of the people are likely to develop Anorexia Nervosa in their teenage years or in their early twenties. Women have 25 percent more prevalence than men.

Bulimia Nervosa Eating Disorder

It is an eating disorder that is identified with the consumption of a large amount of food (usually unhealthy) within a short period of time. It also involves getting rid of the added or extra calories consumed by eliminating food. This elimination is done through unnatural methods called ‘purging’, which includes vomiting, excessive use of laxatives, or other extreme actions.

Individuals with Bulimia Nervosa experience a loss of control that makes them believe that they cannot hold back their consumption of food or that they cannot regulate how much they eat.

To avoid gaining weight or in the efforts of losing weight, they tend to engage themselves in purging, during which they eliminate food with inappropriate means like misuse of laxatives, using enemas, overusing saunas, regurgitating, rechewing their food, and self-induced vomiting. People with Bulimia Nervosa also use other unnatural methods to avoid weight gain like the use of a few medications (for example, ipecac syrup) or medications that induce vomiting, excessive fasting or a rigorous exercise regime. Although Bulimia Nervosa is more prevalent in women, men also experience this disorder.

Binge Eating Disorder

In the case of Binge-eating disorder, individuals engage in binge-eating behaviors over a discrete period of time. Binge eating is usually seen among people who feel lonely , and guilty and who experience feelings of self-disgust or self-embarrassment. It is not associated with any kind of compensatory behavior and hence significant weight gain can be observed.

Individuals with eating disorders in general, often overestimate their own body size and hence they tend to avoid social situations, try being aloof, and are often seen wearing baggy clothes.

People with eating disorders develop a series of health changes that can be deadly or life-threatening. All these changes in health conditions can have fatal consequences and hence seeking professional medical help and mental health services are necessary. Variations in genes, selective processing of emotional stimuli, and depressive mood are also associated with the impact of eating disorders. Past studies indicate that pharmacological interventions work best along with psychotherapy or mental health services to treat the core symptoms of eating disorders.

Mental health care services thus can be sought in order to deal with an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and self-regulation of eating behavior. Mental health professionals or clinicians might use SSRIs to treat individuals with eating disorders for a period of 6 months.

Psychotherapy can help individuals to identify and change their distorted perceptions of their body shape and weight. Cognitive Affective components and Cognitive Behaviour therapy attempt to help individuals change their maladaptive assumptions of body images and work on their selective biases or parts of the body they dislike.

Mental health service providers help people with eating disorders with mirror confrontation techniques, mindfulness techniques, and other means that dispute their distorted cognitions that affect their body image. Family therapy is also often used in the case of teens with eating disorders till the time they gradually develop autonomy. Psychoeducation and adequate psychotherapeutic interventions are often included in the interventions.

Mental health service providers help people with eating disorders with mirror confrontation techniques, mindfulness techniques, and other means that dispute their distorted cognitions that affect their body image. Family therapy is also often used in the case of teens with eating disorders till the time they gradually develop autonomy. Psychoeducation and adequate psychotherapeutic interventions are often included in the interventions.