Food – one of the basic basic human needs according to the famous psychologist Abraham Maslow. Dissatisfaction with this blocks the formation of desires of a higher level. If a person is hungry, all thoughts will be focused on getting food. However, on the basis of this need, various disorders may arise, the underlying causes of which are psychological in nature. Food – the first thing a baby needs at birth. Then, in adulthood, it can replace various unsatisfied desires and aspirations, causing an eating disorder such as: anorexia nervosa, bulimia, or compulsive overeating. See also the reasons for the formation of other forms of addictive behavior at estet-portal.com.
How and why does an eating disorder occur
Like other types of psychological dysfunctions, changes in normal food intake are due to a number of reasons and are associated with a complex of features. Most often, eating disorders are the result of traumatic experiences in childhood or adolescence. In these cases, rather severe manifestations of it are formed. Similar problems can also appear in families with excessive preoccupation with the topic of food, centering the child's psyche and associating the topic of food with other behavioral taboos.
The presence of excess weight in childhood, the ridicule of surrounding children can also be a trigger for the formation of such disorders. One of the important factors – the presence of a genetic predisposition to disorders of a nature that does not exclude inheritance.
The combination of symptoms characteristic of their various types complicates the therapy. The multiplicity of symptoms and their sufficient stability somewhat complicate the diagnosis and psychotherapy of this type of disorders.
Eating disorders are associated with underlying causes, predominantly of a traumatic nature. It is often a combination of various symptoms, combined with feelings of both guilt and shame. They are quite stable and require long-term psychotherapy.
What is an eating disorder
Often, the beginning of the process of deliverance is hampered by an insufficiently critical assessment of one's condition and the stability of one's conviction that one is right. Eating Disorders – this is such a dysfunction, in which the attitude to one's physical image, food, vital activity have a negative impact on health. Can the way a person perceives himself change radically, what impression does he make on others? There is an excessively small or excessively large amount of food consumed. Such manifestations are often combined with compulsive activity or subsequent release from food by induced vomiting. The following types of eating disorders have been described:
• Anorexia nervosa: characterized by a decrease in body weight (not corresponding to the minimum norm for age), severe anxiety about weight gain, lack of menstruation in women, an altered subjective image of one's own body.
• Bulimia nervosa: is described by episodes of intermittent binge eating with constant control of body weight (eg, by induced vomiting, laxative abuse, exercise, etc.).
Bulimia nervosa is accompanied by marked anxiety about one's figure and weight. Periods of binge eating can be accompanied by feelings of guilt and shame.
• Binge eating disorder: is recurring episodes of hard-to-control binge eating. This violation differs from the previous one in that a person does not necessarily control body weight, practically does not worry about his figure.
Diagnosing can be difficult because the described symptoms are often combined, requiring careful psychological analysis for successful work with such clients.
Eating Disorder: Psychotherapy and Medication
Changing eating habits affects such an important personality formation as the image of "I". The components of this education include an idea of your body, of yourself as a whole. A traumatized person has a complex set of experiences. This is a possible sense of guilt, self-punishment practiced in case of such violations.
As a rule, movement towards recovery is characterized by a set of measures. This is taking medications, as eating habits are disturbed, physiological processes in the body suffer. Psychotherapy is also required for a marked change in eating habits, a tendency "to stress eat".
To heal, you must first work through traumatic experiences. Without this, the dependency may come back again. The psychotherapist works with the response of the relationship «trauma– food intake", while the image of "I" is corrected. An important component of successfully overcoming an eating disorder is improved regulation and subjective control of emotional states in such people. Work experience demonstrates their increased emotional sensitivity, vulnerability to emotional factors.
To overcome an eating disorder, the joint efforts of doctors and psychologists (psychotherapists) are needed. It is important to break the connection of psychotrauma – food and correct the image of "I" towards harmonious their normal needs.
It must be remembered that co-management of such a problem is successful if treatment is started as early as possible. Do not neglect the help of loved ones in order to return to a harmonious and happy life.
Read also: Sudden weight loss: Top 4 reasons
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