Self-Help Information: Eating Disorders
What are Eating Disorders?
We all worry about food sometimes, overeat at holidays or skip a
meal.
In some people, the worry becomes extreme and they live in
constant fear of food and fat, often struggling to hide eating
patterns they cannot control. When this occurs, an eating disorder
may result. Eating Disorders are extreme expressions of a range of
weight and food issues experienced by both men and women. They
include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and compulsive
overeating. All are serious emotional problems that can have
life-threatening consequences.
Technically speaking, the "eating" in eating disorder refers to
a set of eating habits, weight management practices and attitudes
about weight and body shape. The "disorder" means that the
eating-related attitudes and behaviors result in (a) loss of
self-control and other forms of behavioral inefficiency, (b)
obsession, anxiety, guilt, and other forms of misery, (c) alienation
from self and others, and (d) physiological imbalances which are
potentially life-threatening.
Anorexia Nervosa
The defining features of this disorder are
(a) an intense and irrational fear of body fat and weight
gain,
(b) an iron determination to become thinner and thinner, and
(c) a misperception of bodyweight and shape to the extent
that the person may feel or see "fat" even when emaciation is
clear to others.
These psychological characteristics contribute to drastic weight
loss and defiant refusal to maintain a healthy weight for height and
age. Food, calories, weight, and weight management dominate the
person’s life, and woe to anyone who tries to disrupt this private
system.
The symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa include:
Refusal to maintain weight at or above a minimally normal weight
for height and age
Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat
Distorted body image
In females, loss of three consecutive menstrual periods
Extreme concern with body weight and shape
Bulimia Nervosa
This disorder is characterized by self-perpetuating and
self-defeating cycles of binge-eating and purging. During a "binge"
the person consumes a large amount of food in a rapid, automatic,
and helpless fashion. This may anesthetize hunger, anger, and other
feelings, but it eventually creates physical discomfort and anxiety
about weight gain. Thus, the person "purges" the food eaten, usually
by inducing vomiting and by resorting to some combination of
restrictive dieting, excessive exercising, laxatives, and diuretics.
The term nervosa reminds us that people suffering from bulimia
are similar to those with Anorexia Nervosa. Both may have a
distorted body image, an intense fear of fat, and the conviction
that a slender body shape is absolutely crucial for self-acceptance.
The symptoms of Bulimia Nervosa include:
Repeated episodes of bingeing and purging
Feeling out of control during a binge
Purging after a binge (vomiting, use of laxatives, diet pills,
diuretics, excessive exercise, fasting)
Frequent dieting
Extreme concern with body weight and shape
Other Eating Disorders
A significant number of people with "eating problems" do not
quite fit the criteria for Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa.
However, there is substantial disagreement about the nature and
labeling of these "other" eating disorders. Clearly there are some
people who abuse vomiting and/or exercise without bingeing as forms
of weight management, while there are others who indulge in
repetitive episodes of bingeing without purging. Compulsive
overeating is characterized primarily by periods of impulsive
gorging or continuous eating. While there is no purging, there may
be sporadic fasts or repetitive diets. Body weight may vary from
normal to mild, moderate, or severe obesity.
What Causes Eating Disorders?
Eating disorders arise from a combination of long-standing
psychological, interpersonal, and social conditions. Feelings of
inadequacy, depression, anxiety, and loneliness, as well as troubled
family and personal relationships, may contribute to the development
of an eating disorder. Our culture, with its unrelenting
idealization of thinness and the "perfect body" is often a
contributing factor.
Once started, eating disorders may become self-perpetuating.
Dieting, bingeing and purging help some people to cope with painful
emotions and to feel as if they are in control of their lives. Yet,
at the same time, these behaviors undermine physical health,
self-esteem, and a sense of competence and control.
What are the Warning Signs?
A marked increase or decrease in weight not related to a medical
condition
The development of abnormal eating habits such as severe
dieting, preference for strange foods, withdrawn or ritualized
behavior at mealtime, or secretive bingeing
An intense preoccupation with weight and body image
Compulsive or excessive exercising
Self-induced vomiting, periods of fasting, or laxative diet
pill, or diuretic abuse
Feelings of isolation, depression, or irritability
(The above information was adapted from material produced by
Dr. Michael Levine, Dr. Margo Maine and Eating Disorder and
Prevention, Inc.).
Need Additional Help?
Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Counseling and Wellness Services offer free individual counseling
for these and related issues for veterinary students (WSU Veterinary
Students ONLY). For more information or to schedule an appointment
call or e-mail:
Donna J. Scott, PhD
ADBF 1035
509-335-4607
djscott@vetmed.wsu.edu
NOTE: The information contained in these self help
documents is not to be used as a substitute for professional
care. Neither the authors, Washington State University nor the
College of Veterinary Medicine assume liability for injury incurred
by following the information presented in these self-help documents
