1. Eating Disorders Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, Binge-eating

2. What is an eating disorder?
Mental disorder in which a person has a need to starve, binge, or to binge and purge
Binge – eating a large amount of food over a short period of time
Purge – rid the body of food by vomiting or using laxatives and diuretics
10 million females and 1 million males in the United States
Considered an addiction
Person has a psychological or physical need to engage in a behavior
Eating Disorder Addiction is fueled to control weight
Examples: starvation, eat to excess, vomit, use laxatives/diuretics, or exercise to extremes

3. Factors Contributing to Eating Disorders
Being female - Teenage girls and young women are more likely than teenage boys and young men to have anorexia or bulimia.
More than half of US teen age girls report they are trying to loose weight
Age - Although eating disorders can occur across a broad age range, they are much more common during the teens and early 20s.
Family history - Eating disorders are significantly more likely to occur in people who have parents or siblings who've had an eating disorder. Influences from family environment.
Mental health disorders - People with depression, anxiety disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder are more likely to have an eating disorder.
Dieting - People who lose weight are often reinforced by positive comments from others and by their changing appearance. This may cause some people to take dieting too far, leading to an eating disorder.
Stress – School, family issues, peers, relationships, feeling insecure/not in control
Sports, work and artistic activities. Athletes, actors, dancers and models may be at higher risk of eating disorders. Coaches and parents may unwittingly contribute to eating disorders by encouraging young athletes to lose weight.
Pop Culture – Trends/Fads glorify people who are skinny as attractive and glamorous

4. Types of Eating Disorders -Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa – eating disorder in which a person is obsessed with weight, body shape and food intake to the point of self-imposed starvation.
Characteristics:
Obsessed with exercising to extremes, vomiting, using laxatives or diuretics
Obsession with being thin, fail to see when they have become dangerously thin
Lanugo Hair – Fine hair all over the body. Body’s adaption to keep itself warm due to low weight and loss of body fat, “Survival Mode”
Studies show most cases are contributed to high expectations set from family to do well in either school, sports, extracurricular activities
Results in feeling inadequate and controlled – One thing they can control is whether they eat or not, gain control by starving themselves
Usually deny they are starving themselves

5. Lanugo Hair Example

6. Types of Eating Disorders - Bulimia
Bulimia – eating disorder in which a person binges and purges
Binging involves eating large amounts of food in a short period of time
Purging involves ridding the body of food eaten (vomit, laxatives, diuretics)
Bulimic Binge-Purge Cycle
Eat Guilt Purge Eat
Goal for individuals is to loose weight, obsessed with body shape and size
Risk Factors:
Raised in families with alcoholism or abuse
Feelings of insecurity and depression
Unlike Anorexia, people with bulimia know they have a problem
Guilty and ashamed, but unable to change behavior

8. Types of Eating Disorders – Binge-eating
Binge-eating – person cannot control eating and eats excessive amounts, obsessed with eating food
Person binges two or more times per week, more common in females than males
Cannot resist the urge to eat when they see food, eat too much too often
Characteristics:
Have difficulties expressing emotions and coping – turn to food to help cope
Overweight or obese
Over eat in private while pretending to diet around peers
Need to be treated in order to help control weight and diet

10. Treatment
Treatment plans often are tailored to individual needs and may include one or more of the following:
Individual, group, or family psychotherapy.
Medical care and monitoring.
Nutritional counseling
Medications (for example, antidepressants).
Treatment is provided by multidisciplinary team:
psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker, nutritionist, and/or primary care physician
National Eating Disorder Hotline