Eating Disorders

1. Anorexia Nervosa= food preoccupied, distorted thinking,

psychological problems- depression, anxiety, sleep problems (insomnia)
Medical problems amenorrhea, lowered body, temperature, blood pressure, slow heart rate,
reduced bone mineral density, metabolic/electrolyte imbalance, skin problems, cold
feet/hands, and brittle nails.
Fear of gaining weight (obesity)
preoccupied with food, diet, thinness
-purposely take too little food body weight below
-fear of gaining weight seek to prevent it
-distorted body perception, placing inappropriate emphasis on -/weight
- failing to appreciate the serious impact of low body weight
1. Restrictive type
2. Binge eating/purging type

2. Binge eating/purging type- the same problem as in anorexia (because the food doesn’t stick and
therefore doesn’t provide the body with proper nutrition)

3. Binge Eating Disorder – leads to obesity, eating too much of it too fast, feeling guilty after
eating that much, even during the night
- usually eat fast because they feel ashamed that someone will see them eating
- problems: with blood pressure, CHD, diabetes high cholesterol, stroke/ joint pain, headaches,
gastrointestinal problems, shortness of breath
Psychological: depression, anxiety ( because nobody likes obese people, are bullied, nasty
comments), self-disgust, perfectionism / usually eat when they are upset (use food to cope)

Explanations/Theories

1. Psychodynamic- ego deficiency

2. Cognitive- cognitive factors/cognitive distortions
3. Biological- hypothalamus, neurotransmitter imbalance
4. Societal/ factors- social emphasis on thinness (bias towards obesity?)
5. Family/environmental/ethnic, racial/ gender diff.
Treatment: based on the explanations used (psychodynamic approach-psychodynamic treatments;
cognitive-CBT)