Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders Bio-Med Academy

We live in a society that is extremely pre-occupied by body image where we are bombarded everyday about how we should look, how we should dress, how we should act. Bio-Med Academy

Facts • 75% of American women are dissatisfied with their weight. • So are 41% of American men Bio-Med Academy

Facts • Amongst American high school students, 44% of the females and 15% of the males were attempting to lose weight, and 28% of the males were attempting to gain weight by building muscles • 50% of American women are on a diet at any one time • Between 90% and 99% of fat reducing diets fail to produce permanent weight loss • 2/3 of dieters will regain the weight within a year. Virtually all will regain it within five years Bio-Med Academy

Eating Disorders There are three main types of eating disorders: • Bulimia • Anorexia • Binge Eating Bio-Med Academy

Characteristics of Bulimia • Frequent episodes of “BINGE-EATING • A rapid and sometimes automatic consumption of food in a discrete period of time • A feeling of LACK OF CONTROL • Powerlessness felt during the binge, often followed by an anxiety about anticipated weight gain and mood swings Bio-Med Academy

Characteristics of Bulimia • Recurrent “PURGING • Attempts to undo the effect of the binge by dangerous methods like self-induced vomiting, diet pills, excessive exercise, and/or laxatives or diuretics • Frequent, intense, and DISTORTED CONCERNS ABOUT SHAPE AND WEIGHT • Including: a conviction that body shape and weight are crucial factors determining self-esteem, and a strong drive for thinness and a fear of fat. Bio-Med Academy

Warning Signs of Bulimia The chances of recovery increase the earlier Bulimia is detected. Therefore it is important to be aware of some of the warning signs--you could be in the position to really help someone! Bio-Med Academy

Warning Signs of Bulimia • Possible evidence of BINGE-EATING: • Appears to eat large amounts of food (esp. high calorie food) without gaining weight • Large amounts of food purchased or shop-lifted • Evidence of SELF-INDUCED VOMITING: • Catching the person in the act • Leaves the table immediately after eating and goes to the bathroom. Glands under the jaw are swollen. Bio-Med Academy

Warning signs of Bulimia • Evidence of PURGING: • Enthusiastic discussion of ways to eat a lot without gaining any weight. Possession of large amounts of laxatives or diuretics • Unexplainable paleness and complaints of dizziness • Decaying teeth • Unexplainable muscle cramps, or heart and kidney problems that are unusual for teenagers Bio-Med Academy

Bio-Med Academy

Unhealthy body image can start at an early age. Bio-Med Academy

Anorexia Nervosa • 1% of female adolescents • One of the most common psychiatric diagnosis in young women • 5-20% of individuals struggling with anorexia will die • One of the highest death rates of any mental condition • Weight loss is 15% or greater below the expected weight Bio-Med Academy

Anorexia Nervosa Characteristics • Extreme and irrational fear of becoming fat • Strong determination to become increasingly thinner • Significant weight loss • Distorted perception of body shape • It's an attempt to use food and weight to deal with emotional problems. Bio-Med Academy

Why do people get Anorexia? • Culture. Women in the U.S. are under constant pressure to fit a certain ideal of beauty. Seeing images of flawless, thin females everywhere makes it hard for women to feel good about their bodies. More and more, men are also feeling pressure to have a perfect body. Bio-Med Academy

Why do people get Anorexia? • Families. If you have a mother or sister with anorexia, you are more likely to develop the disorder. Parents who think looks are important, diet themselves, or criticize their children's bodies are more likely to have a child with anorexia. Bio-Med Academy

Why do people get Anorexia? • Life changes or stressful events. Traumatic events or stressful things like starting a new job, can lead to the onset of anorexia. • Personality traits. Someone with anorexia may not like her or himself, hate the way she or he looks, or feel hopeless. She or he often sets hard-to-reach goals for her or himself and tries to be perfect in every way. • Biology. Genes, hormones, and chemicals in the brain may be factors in developing anorexia. Bio-Med Academy

Problems caused by Anorexia • Girls with anorexia usually stop having menstrual periods. • People with anorexia have dry skin and thinning hair on the head. They may have a growth of fine hair all over their body. • They may feel cold all the time, and they may get sick often. • People with anorexia are often in a bad mood. Bio-Med Academy

Problems with Anorexia • They have a hard time concentrating and are always thinking about food. • It is not true that anorexics are never hungry. Actually, they are always hungry. Feeling hunger gives them a feeling of control over their lives and their bodies. It makes them feel like they are good at something--they are good at losing weight. • People with severe anorexia may be at risk of death from starvation. Bio-Med Academy

Bio-Med Academy

What is the treatment for Anorexia? • Treatment of anorexia is difficult, because people with anorexia believe there is nothing wrong with them. Bio-Med Academy

What is the treatment for Anorexia? • Patients in the early stages of anorexia (less than 6 months or with just a small amount of weight loss) may be successfully treated without having to be admitted to the hospital. • But for successful treatment, patients must want to change and must have family and friends to help them. Bio-Med Academy

What is the treatment for Anorexia? • People with more serious anorexia need care in the hospital, usually in a special unit for people with anorexia and bulimia. Bio-Med Academy

What is the treatment for Anorexia? • Treatment involves more than changing the person's eating habits. • Anorexic patients often need counseling for a year or more so they can work on changing the feelings that are causing their eating problems. These feelings may be about their weight, their family problems or their problems with self-esteem. Bio-Med Academy

What is the treatment for Anorexia? • Some anorexic patients are helped by taking medicine that makes them feel less depressed. These medicines are prescribed by a doctor and are used along with counseling. Bio-Med Academy

How can family and friends help? • The most important thing that family and friends can do to help a person with anorexia is to love them. • People with anorexia feel safe, secure and comfortable with their illness. Their biggest fear is gaining weight, and gaining weight is seen as loss of control. Bio-Med Academy

How can family and friends help? • They may deny they have a problem. • People with anorexia will beg and lie to avoid eating and gaining weight, which is like giving up the illness. • Family and friends should not give in to the pleading of the anorexic patient Bio-Med Academy

What should I do if I think someone I know has Anorexia? • Set a time to talk. Set aside a time to talk privately with your friend. Make sure you talk in a quiet place where you won't be distracted. • Tell your friend about your concerns. Be honest. Tell your friend about your worries about her or his not eating or over exercising. Tell your friend you are concerned and that you think these things may be a sign of a problem that needs professional help. Bio-Med Academy

What should I do if I think someone I know has Anorexia? • Ask your friend to talk to a professional. Your friend can talk to a counselor or doctor who knows about eating issues. Offer to help your friend find a counselor or doctor and make an appointment, and offer to go with her or him to the appointment. • Avoid conflicts. If your friend won't admit that she or he has a problem, don't push. Be sure to tell your friend you are always there to listen if she or he wants to talk. Bio-Med Academy

What should I do if I think someone I know has Anorexia? • Don't place shame, blame, or guilton your friend. Don't say, "You just need to eat." Instead, say things like, "I'm concerned about you because you won't eat breakfast or lunch." Or, "It makes me afraid to hear you throwing up." • Don't give simple solutions. Don't say, "If you'd just stop, then things would be fine!" • Let your friend know that you will always be there no matter what. Bio-Med Academy

Binge Eating Disorder • A newly recognized condition that probably affects millions of Americans. • People with binge eating disorder frequently eat large amounts of food while feeling a loss of control over their eating. Bio-Med Academy

How Does Someone Know if He or She Has Binge Eating Disorder? • Eating large amounts of food, however, does not mean that a person has binge eating disorder. • Doctors are still debating the best ways to determine if someone has binge eating disorder. Bio-Med Academy

How Does Someone Know if He or She Has Binge Eating Disorder? • Frequent episodes of eating what others would consider an abnormally large amount of food. • Frequent feelings of being unable to control what or how much is being eaten. Bio-Med Academy

How Does Someone Know if He or She Has Binge Eating Disorder? • Several of these behaviors or feelings: • Eating much more rapidly than usual. • Eating until uncomfortably full. • Eating large amounts of food, even when not physically hungry. • Eating alone out of embarrassment at the quantity of food being eaten. • Feelings of disgust, depression, or guilt after overeating. Bio-Med Academy

How Common is Binge Eating Disorder, and Who is at Risk? • Most common eating disorder. • Most people with binge eating disorder are obese (more than 20 percent above a healthy body weight), but normal-weight people also can be affected. • Affects 2 percent of all adults, or about 1 million to 2 million Americans. • Among mildly obese people in self-help or commercial weight loss programs, 10 to 15 percent have binge eating disorder. The disorder is even more common in those with severe obesity. Bio-Med Academy

How Common is Binge Eating Disorder, and Who is at Risk? • Slightly more common in women, with three women affected for every two men. • Affects blacks as often as whites; its frequency in other ethnic groups is not yet known. • Obese people with binge eating disorder often became overweight at a younger age than those without the disorder. May have more frequent episodes of losing and regaining weight (yo-yo dieting). Bio-Med Academy

What is the cause of Binge Eating? • Unknown • Up to half of all people with binge eating disorder have a history of depression. Whether depression is a cause or effect of binge eating disorder is unclear. • Many people report that anger, sadness, boredom, anxiety or other negative emotions can trigger a binge episode. Bio-Med Academy

What is the cause of Binge Eating? • Dieting's effect on binge eating disorder is also unclear. While findings vary, early research suggests that about half of all people with binge eating disorder had binge episodes before they started to diet. • Strict dieting may worsen binge eating in some people. Bio-Med Academy

What is the cause of Binge Eating? • Researchers also are looking into how brain chemicals and metabolism (the way the body burns calories) affect binge eating disorder. These areas of research are still in the early stages. Bio-Med Academy

What are the Complications of Binge Eating Disorder? • Diabetes • High blood pressure • High cholesterol levels, • Gallbladder disease • Heart disease • Certain types of cancer Bio-Med Academy

What Treatment is Available for People With Binge Eating Disorder? • Several studies have found that people with binge eating disorder may find it harder than other people to stay in weight loss treatment. • Binge eaters also may be more likely to regain weight quickly. For these reasons, people with the disorder may require treatment that focuses on their binge eating before they try to lose weight. Bio-Med Academy

What Treatment is Available for People With Binge Eating Disorder? • Cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches patients techniques to monitor and change their eating habits as well as to change the way they respond to difficult situations. Bio-Med Academy

What Treatment is Available for People With Binge Eating Disorder? • Interpersonal psychotherapy helps people examine their relationships with friends and family and to make changes in problem areas. • Treatment with medications such as antidepressants may be helpful for some individuals. Bio-Med Academy

What Treatment is Available for People With Binge Eating Disorder? • Self-help groups also may be a source of support. • Researchers are still trying to determine which method or combination of methods is the most effective in controlling binge eating disorder. Bio-Med Academy

Eating Disorders