Along the history, Body image has been determined by society and culture In the Western world, this image has acquired such a fundamental value that since the last decades of the 20th century, a total cult of the body has been practiced.
It is in this context that some of the most devastating pathologies of the late 20th century and early 21st century have emerged, such as eating disorders (ED)
Eating behavior is shaped from the beginning of life. It is through the interactions of the child and the food with the environment that eating habits are created determined.
It is important that the child learns to distinguish different physiological signals such as hunger, satiety or self-regulation of intake, creating appropriate eating behavior, defined as normal behavior related to eating habits, foods ingested, quantities, frequency…
Children They usually integrate feeding habits and practices around 5 years of age, creating different ways and preferences of eating. Mothers, fathers and caregivers play a fundamental role in educating healthy eating patterns, which function as protective factors against future risks.
Eating Disorders (ED)
Eating disorders are characterized by pathological behavior related to an abnormal pattern of food intake, on the one hand, and an obsession with keeping body weight under control, on the other
They involve complex mental disorders, mainly affecting adolescents and young women. These pathologies are characterized by the severity of the associated symptoms, high resistance to treatment and risk of relapses
The World Health Organization (WHO) has placed eating disorders among the priority mental illnesses for children and adolescents given the health risk they imply. The best-known eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, but there are also others, such as binge eating disorder or drunkorexia.
Types of ED
The main types of eating disorders are the following.
1. Anorexia Nervosa
It is a disorder characterized by a weight loss induced or maintained by the patient himself An intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat appears.
The person perceives themselves as overweight despite having a weight below what is considered normal. The methods used to lose weight are dietary manipulation, exercise (75%), and induced vomiting (20%).
2. Bulimia Nervosa
It is characterized by an exaggerated concern for body image and by repeated episodes of excessive food intake ; As a result of this, the person adopts drastic measures to compensate for the compulsive eating.
The patient presents with recurrent binge eating, a feeling of loss of control, and inappropriate compensatory behaviors (self-induced vomiting; laxatives, diuretics, enemas or other medications; fasting; excessive exercise…).
3. Binge Eating Disorder
Like bulimia nervosa, this disorder is characterized by compulsive and recurrent eating. The main difference is that the person does not perform compensatory behaviors (laxatives, fasting, vomiting…).
One of the most common consequences is weight gain or obesity, along with the associated risks (diabetes, cholesterol, etc.).
Drunkorexia or ebriorexia emerges as a new eating problem; People who suffer from it stop eating to try to compensate for the calories they ingest with alcohol. Added to the dangers of anorexia are those of the consumption of this drug
The severity of the disorder will depend, on the one hand, on the degree of alcohol addiction, and on the other, on the severity of the anorexia.
Risk factor’s
Risk factors facilitate the appearance of any type of disorder, including an eating disorder.
Protection and Treatment Factors
According to the psychologist from the Málaga PsicoAbreu Psychologists office, Isabel Sánchez Montero, promote a positive body image and good self-esteem It is one of the main objectives for the prevention and treatment of an eating disorder. Additionally, there are several factors to take into account.
1. The media
The media are an instrument of great influence in aspects related to the health of the population and, very especially, with eating disorders.
Therefore, something very important in the prevention of this type of disorder is collaboration with the media with the aim of promoting a realistic and healthy image.
2. Personal empowerment
There are authors who propose that an important point in prevention would be to enhance sociocultural influences and recognize the importance of self-esteem, self-control and strength of these people.
3. Teamwork
The treatment that EDs require is carried out within a multidisciplinary team, made up of different specialists: doctors, psychologists, nurses, educators, etc. The objectives of psychological treatment include:
How to seek help for eating disorders
The team of Psychologists Málaga PsicoAbreu is specialized in the effective psychological treatment of eating disorders. All of its professionals work to provide individualized care that adapts to the characteristics of each person, placing special emphasis on the quality of the therapeutic relationship, support and guarantees of the intervention. To see the contact details of this psychology center, click here.
