Eating disorders, also known as Eating Disorders (ED), are serious diseases that chronically disrupt the patient’s dietary behaviors, sometimes with fatal effects. When we think about these clinical entities, the first thing that comes to mind is anorexia and bulimia, but in reality there are other conditions associated with caloric intake that are recognized internationally.
For example, recently pica, rumination syndrome, avoidance/restriction of food intake disorder, and binge-eating disorder, among others, have recently been included in EDs. Eating problems no longer lie only in not eating or vomiting, since doing so in excess for very specific periods of time, counting calories at all times or ruminating on food and then spitting it out are also clinical entities that must be taken into account.
Beyond psychiatric terms, it is worth noting that 1 to 2% of women and 0.2 to 0.4% of men in the world suffer from eating disorders, especially in the form of anorexia and bulimia. It is necessary to normalize these diseases and talk about them openly so that the patient can receive the necessary help without stigma, but we can never lose sight of the fact that Eating Disorders are extremely dangerous. Here we tell you why.
Before exposing the prognosis of some Eating Disorders, it is necessary to define them. As indicated by the United States National Library of Medicine, EDs are serious mental health conditions, involving serious problems with how one thinks about food and individual dietary behavior on a daily basis..
For now, the clinical entities already mentioned are included within this group, but not those related to obesity or derived from other factors (such as pregnancy or alcoholism).
The American Psychological Association (APA) publishes its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders from time to time, which sets the standard for the diagnosis of psychiatric illnesses. According to the fifth edition, published in 2013, Anorexia nervosa is diagnosed based on the following criteria:
Besides, Disorders such as anorexia nervosa can be classified from mild to extreme based on the Body Mass Index (BMI) and also based on the patient’s behaviors. (restrictive type or compulsive/purging type). The rest of EDs follow equally strict diagnostic criteria and are also divided into various categories: for example, the severity of bulimia is quantified around the number of compensatory episodes (laxatives, diuretics, self-inflicted vomiting, etc.) that the patient performs, from 1 to 14 a week.
Why are TCAs so dangerous?
First of all, we want to make it clear that EDs have a solution, as long as you go to the clinic quickly and seek help, both from professionals and from your family. It is not our intention to generate fear in a patient with an eating disorder, since it has been demonstrated thousands of times that it is possible to escape the destructive cycle that these clinical entities represent.
In any case, we cannot ignore reality: according to professional clinics, Anorexia nervosa is the psychiatric disease with the highest mortality rate in the world, above schizophrenia, chronic anxiety, major depressive disorders and any psychological clinical entity you can think of. It is estimated that no more and no less than 2 out of every 10 untreated patients end up dying from their condition, either from suicide or from physiological consequences.
No wonder: anorexia and bulimia prevent the correct functioning of the body in every sense, since without energy, cells cannot continue with their metabolic reactions necessary for existence. Reduced calorie intake to a minimum causes osteoporosis (due to calcium resorption), loss of muscle tone, gastrointestinal problems, electrolyte abnormalities, kidney damage and, ultimately, cardiac pathologies that can lead to death.
In addition to the harmful effects of TCAs on the body, it is also necessary to highlight that the healing process is very slow and emotionally costly. Clinical studies such as “Current approach to eating disorders: a clinical update” state that, after 9 years of professional care, half (50%) of patients with anorexia nervosa achieve complete remission of their condition, not counting the permanent effects of the disorder at a physiological level.
The results for bulimia are somewhat more encouraging, as it is estimated that up to 75% (or more) of patients fully recover at some point, which is reflected in a much lower mortality rate. Ruminant syndrome, pica and other conditions do not present conclusive long-term results in all cases, but they are also associated with a better prognosis.
These pathologies have a solution, but they must be stopped quickly
In general, it is estimated that the prognosis is worse the later the disorder is diagnosed, the lower the Body Mass Index (BMI) and the more associated diseases the patient has, such as depression, anxiety and other clinical entities. For all these reasons, the conclusion is more than clear: when faced with an Eating Disorder, every second counts. That’s why It is important to seek professional help as soon as possible.
As these conditions have been studied, humans have realized that eating by repeatedly eating foods without energy, counting calories at all times, spitting out food after chewing it or applying compensatory mechanisms to avoid gaining weight after eating They are not normal behaviors. Beyond vomiting and lack of food intake, if you have seen yourself reflected in these lines, go quickly to therapy.
