Sadorexia: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Anorexia nervosa is one of the best known and most dangerous mental disorders in the short term, with a high lethal potential for those who suffer from it if treatment is not provided.

It is one of the eating disorders, and involves the obsession with achieving a figure that is considered perfect by themselves, while cognitive distortions appear that make them see themselves as excessively thick or even obese. reducing intake and carrying out different behaviors to reduce their weight or prevent the possibility of gaining weight despite being underweight, which can cause various problems and even lead to death.

However, in recent times a variant or evolution of this disorder has been detected that can be even more dangerous, since it includes self-harm as one of its symptoms. It’s about sadorexia which we are going to talk about throughout this article.

What is sadorexia?

Sadorexia is a second generation eating disorder considered a highly dangerous variant or evolution of anorexia nervosa.

In this variant, in addition to the symptoms typical of classic anorexia (the subject who suffers from it manifests an intense restriction of intake that leads to a progressive weight loss that goes beyond the minimum healthy weight, an intense fear of gaining weight and significant distortions of body image which generate behaviors that can be the cessation of intake or methods such as the use of excessive exercise, laxatives or inducing vomiting) the person who suffers from it performs self-harming behaviors in order to avoid hunger or punish possible excesses

Sadorexia is a condition that first requires the existence of anorexia and which means that sadomasochistic symptoms are also added to this. Adolescent or young adult women usually suffer from it, although there are male cases.

In addition to the above, other symptoms of both disorders include excessive and rapid weight loss that may become incompatible with life On a physical level, dizziness, pain, fatigue and low energy level, amenorrhea or loss of menstruation, skin problems, infections, gastric, liver and kidney problems can be observed, among others.

It is also common for anxious and depressive symptoms to appear, high emotional lability and possible isolation from their environment, as well as concealment of their eating habits and a tendency to deceive, manipulate and lie so that their habits are not detected. In sadorexia too It may be common for the person to hide their skin from view so that the lesions are not visible

Over time and without treatment, the body will become increasingly weaker until it can suffer arrhythmias, organ failure, catabolism (the body consumes itself), nervous disorders, coma and/or death.

Self-harm as a method

These self-harming behaviors often include voluntarily hitting oneself, cutting oneself (often with sharp instruments), giving oneself burns, or even breaking bones. In some cases it leads to self-mutilation or amputation of body parts.

The acts of self-harm carried out in this disorder can have various purposes, although the main one and the one that identifies sadorexia is the use of pain as a mechanism to forget about the feeling of hunger and not eat, as well as to reduce the anxiety felt due to the sensation of hunger. In this sense, at a popular level this procedure is also known as the pain diet.

In addition, some people with sadorexia also use self-harm. as a method of self-punishment when they consume what they consider excessive Another possible trigger is the existence of aversive feelings such as suffering, sadness or guilt, in the face of which physical pain can be caused in order to distract oneself and avoid focusing on the emotional sphere.

All of these acts are very dangerous in themselves and can end the person’s life directly, or further weaken an organism (for example due to blood loss) that is already fragile due to reduced intake or the use of methods such as sports or laxatives. It also facilitates the appearance of infections both due to open wounds and the progressive weakening of the immune system.

Causes

Sadorexia is a disorder whose study is relatively new (in fact it is not yet included in the main diagnostic manuals and the first mention of this term dates back to 2007), and its causes are not completely known. However, it is considered that it does not have a single cause but rather has a multifactorial origin.

It has been observed that people with this type of alteration may have different characteristics, but These are usually emotionally labile and insecure subjects Another typical profile is found in perfectionist, demanding, hyper-responsible people with rigid and inflexible beliefs. It is not uncommon for people to have had previous traumatic experiences (for example, bullying) and to have felt rejected or singled out for their physical appearance and/or weight.

It is proposed that a possible cause may lie in the projection on eating habits of the need for control over one’s life. And it is often observed that those who suffer from anorexia and this type of sadistic turn called sadorexia usually have feelings of lack of control and competence over their lives.

To all this is added an overrated view of the importance of body shape and appearance largely culturally acquired and that can be introjected in such a way that, in interaction with other factors, it can generate everything from insecurities to behavioral alterations such as those mentioned.

Treatment

Sadorexia is a condition that has only recently begun to be investigated as such, and its treatment requires multidisciplinary work and the development of more specific protocols. However, adaptations of the treatments used in anorexia nervosa and in disorders that involve self-harm can be used.

To carry out a treatment it is very useful nutritional rehabilitation with which the aim is to first achieve the recovery of a healthy weight and body mass (especially when the underweight is severe) and normalize eating habits.

It may be necessary to admit the patient to the hospital, in order to normalize her state of health and maintain control over her condition. It is advisable to avoid access to sharp objects usable for self-harm. Motivation to change will have to be worked on with techniques such as motivational interviewing and help the patient herself be able to draw up a balance of the advantages, disadvantages and risks of her current situation.

Body distortions should be treated with methods such as cognitive restructuring or exposure (for example with mirrors or virtual reality) with response prevention (in this case both self-harm and other possible measures that the person uses).

Beliefs about oneself or about the importance of body image and figure can also be restructured, treating the subject’s own beliefs as a hypothesis but trying to contribute to generating alternative, more adaptive interpretations. Training in stress and anxiety management as well as the acquisition of coping methods of these can be positive in terms of reducing self-harm.

The adaptation of dialectical behavioral therapy methods could also be considered in order to reduce self-harming behaviors. In this sense, it can be useful to work on aspects such as self-awareness, emotion regulation and impulsivity, social skills, life goals and the search for a more realistic, positive and validating self-concept.

Other tips to accompany therapy

Family or social support may be essential, since they can help generate and maintain change and avoid relapses. It is useful to carry out psychoeducation not only with the patient but also with those around them to provide guidelines and promote understanding of the process that their loved one is going through.

Also Caution should be taken when using Internet networks since there are some dangerous pages of people with this and other eating pathologies in which users provide each other with advice to limit intake, something that can worsen the situation of the person who suffers from it.