Eating disorder clinic. Eating disorders: what are they and why are they dangerous? Prevention of psychogenic vomiting

Eating disorders are a very common and serious problem of modern society, which claims the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world. It has psychological aspects that often occur in adolescence, during the period of personality formation. At first, refusing food or eating in stressful situations is rare, and later it turns into a lifestyle that even a very strong-willed person cannot change on his own. Another problem is that people with eating disorders do not agree to admit the problem to the last and oppose any offered help.

Manifestations of ED

It is not so easy to identify the presence of a tendency to an eating disorder, because the patient hides deviations in every possible way and is sometimes likened to the behavior of a drug addict or an alcoholic. He begins to eat stealthily or provoke vomiting after a joint meal in the family circle, thereby diverting suspicion from himself. In psychiatry, there are many cases where adolescents managed to mask their nutritional problems for a long time, and parents began to sound the alarm only at the moment of pronounced deviations.

Routine observation of a person will help to suspect the prerequisites for the development of the disease in a timely manner. Eating disorders in preschool and early school children can only be noticed by parents, so it is worth paying special attention to their behavior. The most serious causes leading to the disease are formed in childhood. Their timely detection will avoid global problems in adolescence and adulthood. The presence of RPP will be evidenced by:

concern about their appearance, body structure, figure;
inadequate perception of food, a great need for it or imaginary indifference;
rare or frequent meals;
quirks during the meal, such as the desire to divide a sandwich into many small parts;
scrupulous calculation of the calorie content of dishes and division into portions by weight;
uncontrolled eating even in the absence of hunger;
nausea and vomiting after eating;
permanent rejection of certain types of products;
great interest in celebrities who have ideal, according to stereotypes, body proportions.

The more deviations in behavior will be noticed, the more likely that the object of observation has the makings of developing an eating disorder or the disease is already progressing. e.

bulimia

Bulimia is a neurogenic disorder that leads to the development of uncontrolled eating in large quantities and does not always coincide with the person's taste preferences. Bouts of gluttony are replaced by violent attacks based on self-criticism. A person eats until he feels a clear excess due to overdistension of the stomach and esophagus. Usually bouts of gluttony end in vomiting and extremely poor general condition. But after a while, everything repeats again, and a person is not able to interrupt this pathological cyclicity, because the areas of the brain responsible for eating behavior cannot be controlled.

The patient tries to cope with the disorder on his own, takes laxatives, induces vomiting, resorts to gastric lavage measures. As a result, a person loses contact with himself and falls into a deep depression. The eating disorder persists and even worsens. Attempts to cope with the disease on their own lead to the development of anorexia, and after a breakdown - again to uncontrolled weight gain. A long-term similar condition leads to a complete imbalance in the body and often ends in death.

Anorexia

The main features of the manifestation of anorexia are a sharp restriction in the quantity and changes in the qualitative composition of food. Most often it affects women. Eating even small portions of plant foods, they experience a strong fear that there will be a sharp increase in volume and the process of losing weight will be disrupted. In their view, the body mass index should be several points lower than normal, and there are no limits to perfection, and the slimmer the waist and the thinner the legs, the more attractive the figure seems to others. With a body mass index of less than 16 and pronounced signs of exhaustion, patients do not deviate from these beliefs and continue to follow a strict diet with a gradual refusal to eat altogether.

In order to enhance the effect, you can often notice manipulations that speed up the process of getting rid of "extra" kilograms. Refusal of fats, carbohydrates and the required amount of liquid. Taking appetite suppressants, diuretics, intense and too frequent workouts - up to loss of consciousness. The most dangerous symptom in anorexia is specially induced vomiting. At this stage, patients suppress appetite and provoke the development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Exhaustion leads to the development of physiological abnormalities, which are manifested by the cessation of menstruation, lack of libido, withering of all vital functions and muscle atrophy. With severe anorexia, the patient loses the ability to self-move and self-service. Even a few spoken words cause severe shortness of breath and fatigue. In order to preserve vital functions, such as breathing, heartbeat, and others, patients are forced to be at rest and not waste energy on talking and moving. It is all to blame for the irreversible consequences that have arisen, as a result of which the body ceases to take nutrients from the outside, even in the form of a drip in a hospital.

Compulsive overeating

Binge eating disorder is a type of bulimia. The fundamental difference is that a person does not accept the state as pathological and does not seek to unload. He regularly consumes increased and too high-calorie portions, explaining this by the need for increased nutrition. This type of disorder is the most common and has a sluggish course.

The disease has a cyclical pattern of symptoms. First, a person experiences very strong hunger and has an equally strong appetite, then he eats as much as he can. When oversaturated, he tries to limit himself, but still cannot cope and resorts to snacking too often. Even at the moment of a slight hunger, he tends to eat a portion several times the size of the standard one. When eating delicious food, he cannot stop and deny himself the pleasure, which leads to regular gluttony. Partly in this way, patients overcome stressful situations.

Treatment

Given the severity of the disease and the versatility of its manifestation, a multidisciplinary approach is required. The key principle will be the work of a psychotherapist, who at the initial stage must identify the psychogenic cause and be sure to eliminate it. Until a person is healed of a provoking factor, there can be no talk of a complete recovery. The specialist begins work on recreating the correct image of a person, pushing him to self-knowledge and restoring the perception of himself as part of society.

The course of treatment lasts at least one year, but on average, full recovery takes 3-5 years. Half of the patients are amenable to psychotherapy and permanently get rid of the disease, a quarter manage to partially cope, and the rest are doomed to an unfavorable outcome.

The healing process can be considered launched only after a person realizes the presence of the disease and shows a desire for healing. An eating disorder is not amenable to coercive therapy. Psychotherapy sessions take place on an outpatient basis, and the patient attends them independently, if necessary - with a family representative. Compulsory treatment is possible only in cases of long-term anorexia, when being unattended by a doctor at any time can be fatal.

Psychotherapy sessions are held in individual, group and family modes. Their duration and timeliness depends on the degree of the disease and its manifestations. Family therapy is an integral part of the treatment, because the patient needs support and achieving complete harmony in relationships with others and loved ones. At this stage, a culture of nutrition is instilled, training courses are held on the balance and rationality of the products used. Gradually, a person gets rid of the obsessed attention on his appearance, abandoning the previous diet.

In order to direct energy in the right direction, it is very important to find activities that interest you. Many plunge into the mysterious world of yoga and meditation. Self-knowledge and self-development play an important role in the process of recovery and turning to a new rhythm of life. Often, the therapist suggests living according to a schedule, where all actions are performed at a clearly allotted time. In this mode, there is always a place for outdoor walks, visiting sports sections, such as a swimming pool, and time for hobbies. Over time, a person gets used to living according to a new daily routine and refuses to plan.

Great importance is given to the restorative and supportive stages in the treatment process. The patient should never return to his usual way of life, because each new breakdown threatens with an even greater danger to health, and the psyche becomes resistant to the impact on it with the help of psychoanalysis.

Eating Disorders (EDD) are diseases characterized by unhealthy eating behavior based on preoccupation with one's own weight and appearance.

Eating disorders may include inappropriate or excessive food intake, which may eventually markedly impair an individual's well-being. The most common forms of eating disorders (EDDs) are anorexia, bulimia and compulsive overeating- all of them are found in both women and men.

ECDs can develop at any stage of life, but tend to form and become more common during adolescence or early childhood. Properly selected therapy can be very effective in the treatment of many types of eating disorders.

If RPP is not treated and left without due attention, the symptoms and consequences can be very deplorable, lead to the destruction of health and even lead to death of the patient. Eating disorders are often accompanied by psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety disorders, depression, neurosis, substance abuse and/or alcohol.

Types of Eating Disorders. RPP is:

The three most common types of RPP are:

bulimia - This eating disorder is characterized by frequent overeating, accompanied by "compensating" behavior - artificial vomiting, excessive exercise and abuse of laxatives and diuretics. Men and women who suffer from Bulimia may fear weight gain and be dissatisfied with the size and shape of their own bodies. Overeating and purging tend to happen in secret, creating feelings of shame, guilt, and lack of control. Side effects of bulimia include gastrointestinal problems, severe dehydration, and heart problems caused by electrolyte imbalances.

Causes of Eating Disorders

The exact cause of RPP has not yet been officially confirmed. Anna Vladimirovna Nazarenko, head of the Eating Behavior Recovery Clinic, based on more than 15 years of practical experience, believes that one of the common causes is an individual feature of the aesthetic perception of a person, which is laid in us even before birth. In simple terms, the main reason is the desire to be thin and beautiful from an aesthetic point of view, as an individual personality trait. The type of eating disorder that a patient develops depends on psychological characteristics and external social factors.

Examples of psychological features:

Negative perception of one's own body;
Low self-esteem.

Examples of social factors:

Dysfunctional family dynamics;
A profession and occupation that promotes weight loss, such as ballet and modeling;
Aesthetically oriented sports that promote a muscular toned body;
Examples:
Body-building;
Ballet;
Gymnastics;
Struggle;
Long distance running;
Family and childhood trauma;
Cultural pressure and/or pressure from peers and/or friends and colleagues;
Difficult experiences or life problems.

To date, no studies have been conducted in the field of eating disorders and no evidence has been found in favor of the theory of a genetic predisposition to an eating disorder. The only thing that has been reliably proven is that the risk of getting bulimic is higher if someone in the family has an addiction (alcohol, drug or bulimia).

Signs and Symptoms of RPP

A man or woman with an eating disorder may show a range of signs and symptoms, such as:

Treatment of RPP in 2019

Given the seriousness and complexity of these diseases, patients require comprehensive treatment under the supervision of a team of different specialists who specialize in the treatment of eating disorders. Here, too, everything depends on the level of destruction of the personality. Specialists include: a professional eating disorder specialist, a psychotherapist, in some cases a gastroenterologist, an internist, and a neurologist.

At the moment, Israel and Russia mainly use outdated inpatient treatment with antidepressants, which destroy the liver, kidneys, have a short-term effect. The patient is constantly in an inhibited state and the psychotherapist does not have the opportunity to work effectively and conduct psychotherapy of the individual in this state of the patient. Such a state only helps doctors in the hospital to feed the patient and has a short-term effect, i.e. gives a short remission time, but does not give a long-term stable and successful final recovery, since it is necessary to work with the patient through awareness. As practice shows, the latest PSYCHOTHERAPY indicates that the best method of treating ED is outpatient treatment and psychotherapy without a hospital and antidepressants (an exception may be only cases of acute anorexia, when it is already a question of life and death).

To solve many of the problems that a man or woman faces in restoring their health and well-being, individual treatment plans. Treatment of ED is usually supervised by one or more specialists (psychologist, neurologist, etc.):

Medical supervision and care. The biggest challenge in treating eating disorders is dealing with any health problems that may have resulted from the eating disorder;
Nutrition: We are talking about the restoration and stabilization of a healthy weight, the normalization of eating habits and the development of an individual nutrition plan;
Psychotherapy: Various forms of psychotherapy (individual, family, or group) can help address the underlying causes of eating disorders. Psychotherapy is a fundamental part of treatment, as it is it that can help the patient survive traumatic life events and learn how to properly express their emotions, communicate and maintain healthy relationships with others;
Medications: Certain medications can be very effective in relieving the symptoms of depression or anxiety that can occur with eating disorders, or in reducing binge eating and purging.

Depending on the severity of the eating disorder, different levels of treatment may be recommended to the patient, ranging from outpatient support groups to inpatient treatment centers. In any case, the patient first of all needs to recognize the presence of RPP and seek help from specialists.

Stories of girls who have recovered from RPP

Key Points about Eating Disorders

Anorexia kills. This disease actually has the highest mortality rate of all mental disorders. The media often reports on celebrity deaths from anorexia. Perhaps the first such case was the death of Karen Carpenter in the early eighties. The singer suffered from anorexia and abused emetics. She eventually succumbed to heart failure. Many years later, her sad experience was repeated by Christina Renee Henrich, a world famous gymnast who died in 1994.

"Female Athlete Syndrome"- a dangerous disease that can lead to the fact that professional athletes are at risk of serious health problems for life. Their coaches, friends and family should support them and help prevent eating disorders.

Major life changes can trigger the development of RPP. Getting started at university is no exception. A young man or girl leaves home, leaves friends and family to go into the unknown. For some, being a student can be much more emotionally difficult than for others. The start of adulthood can be a major psychological upheaval and, unfortunately, being a student can trigger the development of an eating disorder.

Eating disorders are believed to be more common in affluent women with a good education, who belong to a high socio-economic class. Eating disorders are also often considered an exclusively "European" disease and therefore rarely seen in other ethnic groups. However, this is all a big misconception. In fact, eating disorders have been around for a long time in many cultures and ethnic groups. And this is another proof that there are no barriers and restrictions for eating disorders. Men, women, Europeans, African-Americans, residents of the Caucasus, Kazakhstan, and others can become victims of eating disorders. For example, in the Anna Nazarenko Eating Behavior Recovery Clinic, the second place in terms of the number of applications belongs to Kazakhstan, the third place is shared by Belarus and Ukraine, the first place belongs to Russia.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people (and other members of the LGBT community) are at higher risk of developing eating disorders, incl. anorexia and bulimia. Single gays and bisexuals are more likely to suffer from anorexia (because they are forced to maintain a slim figure as a competitive advantage), while gays and bisexuals who are in a relationship are more likely to suffer from bulimia. Lesbian and bisexual women with eating disorders are not much different from heterosexual women with eating disorders, but lesbian and bisexual women are more likely to have psychiatric disorders.

In pursuit of the ideal. Ballerinas put in a lot of effort to succeed in their profession, however, as a result, they often become victims of eating disorders. It's no secret that ballet dancers often suffer from eating disorders, and this is understandable, since during training and rehearsals in front of a large mirror, they have to compare themselves with their competitors. Moreover, professional ballet itself promotes unhealthy thinness.

Does Vegetarianism Contribute to Eating Disorders? Currently, about five percent of Americans consider themselves vegetarians (they exclude meat and animal products from their diet). This percentage does not take into account those who consider themselves "quasi-vegetarians" (people who eat some animal products, but at the same time the basis of their diet is plant foods). Vegetarianism is much more common among those suffering from eating disorders. Approximately half of patients struggling with an eating disorder practice some form of a vegetarian diet.

The most serious complications resulting from eating disorders are malnutrition or an unstable heartbeat. At the same time, a number of complications associated with eating disorders can have serious long-term consequences for the patient's health, even if they are not obvious and practically do not manifest themselves. Bone loss or osteoporosis is a "silent" yet very serious disease that often affects patients with anorexia.

Due to the huge number

Any eating disorder can lead to the development of serious health problems. As a rule, it is based on psychological factors. Therefore, it is necessary to get rid of them together with specialists.

Problem types

Experts know that an eating disorder can manifest itself in many different ways. Tactics of treatment in each case should be selected individually. It will depend on the established diagnosis and the condition of the patient.

The most popular types of disorders are:

It is not always possible to recognize people who suffer from any of these disorders. For example, with bulimia nervosa, weight may be within the normal range or slightly below the lower limit. At the same time, people themselves do not realize that they have an eating disorder. Treatment, in their opinion, they do not need. Dangerous is any condition in which a person tries to draw up nutritional rules for himself and strictly adheres to them. For example, a complete refusal to eat after 4 p.m., a strict restriction or a complete rejection of the use of fats, including vegetable origin, should alert.

What to look for: dangerous symptoms

It is not always possible to understand that a person has an eating disorder. The symptoms of this disease must be known. To identify if there are problems, a small test will help. You just need to answer the following questions:

Do you have a fear that you will gain weight?
Do you find yourself thinking about food too often?
Do you refuse food when you feel hungry?
Do you count calories?
Do you cut food into small pieces?
Do you periodically have bouts of uncontrolled eating?
Are you often told about your thinness?
Do you have an obsessive desire to lose weight?
Do you induce vomiting after eating?
You appear
Do you refuse to eat fast carbohydrates (baked goods, chocolate)?
Are there only dietary dishes on your menu?
Do people around you try to tell you that you could eat more?

If you answered “yes” more than 5 times to these questions, then it is advisable for you to consult with a specialist. He will be able to determine the type of disease and choose the most appropriate treatment tactics.

Characteristics of anorexia

Refusal to eat appears in people as a result of mental disorders. Any severe self-restraint, an unusual choice of products are characteristic of anorexia. At the same time, patients have a constant fear that they will recover. Patients with anorexia may be 15% less than the established lower limit of normal. They have a constant fear of obesity. They believe that the weight should be below normal.

In addition, people suffering from this disease are characterized by the following:

the appearance of amenorrhea in women (absence of menstruation);
violation of the functioning of the body;
loss of sexual desire.

This eating disorder is often accompanied by:

taking diuretics and laxatives;
exclusion from the diet of high-calorie foods;
provoking vomiting;
taking medications designed to reduce appetite;
long and exhausting workouts at home and in the gym in order to lose weight.

To establish the final diagnosis, the doctor must fully examine the patient. This allows you to exclude other problems that manifest themselves in almost the same way. Only then can treatment be prescribed.

Characteristic signs of bulimia

But it's not just anorexia that can develop in people with eating habits. Specialists can diagnose a neurogenic disease such as bulimia. In this condition, patients periodically cease to control how much they eat. They have bouts of gluttony. As soon as the overeating is over, patients experience severe discomfort. There is pain in the stomach, nausea, often episodes of overeating end in vomiting. Feelings of guilt for such behavior, self-dislike, and even depression cause this eating disorder. Treatment alone is unlikely to succeed.

Patients try to eliminate the consequences of such overeating by inducing vomiting, gastric lavage, or taking laxatives. You can suspect the development of this problem if a person is haunted by thoughts about food, he has frequent episodes of overeating, periodically he feels an irresistible craving for food. Often episodes of bulimia alternate with anorexia. If left untreated, this disease can lead to rapid weight loss, but the balance in the body is disturbed. As a result, severe complications occur, and in some cases, death is possible.

Binge Eating Symptoms

Understanding how to get rid of an eating disorder, many forget that such problems are not limited to bulimia and anorexia. Doctors also face such a disease as compulsive overeating. It is similar in its manifestations to bulimia. But the difference is that people suffering from it do not have regular discharges. Such patients do not take laxatives or diuretics, do not induce vomiting.

With this disease, bouts of gluttony and periods of self-restraint in food can alternate. Although in most cases between episodes of overeating, people constantly eat a little something. This is what causes significant weight gain. This may occur only intermittently for some and be short-lived. For example, this is how certain people react to stress, as if eating problems. With the help of food, people suffering from compulsive overeating look for an opportunity to get pleasure and give themselves new pleasant sensations.

Reasons for the development of deviations

In case of any malnutrition, the participation of specialists is indispensable. But help will only be effective if the causes of eating disorders can be identified and addressed.

Most often, the development of the disease is provoked by the following factors:

high standards for oneself and perfectionism;
the presence of traumatic experiences;
stress experienced due to ridicule in childhood and adolescence about;
mental trauma resulting from sexual abuse at an early age;
excessive concern for the figure and appearance in the family;
genetic predisposition to various eating disorders.

Each of these reasons can lead to the fact that self-perception will be violated. A person, regardless of his appearance, will be ashamed of himself. You can identify people with such problems by the fact that they are not satisfied with themselves, they cannot even talk about their bodies. They attribute all the failures in life to the fact that they have an unsatisfactory appearance.

Problems in teenagers

Very often, eating disorders begin in adolescence. Significant hormonal changes occur in the child's body, his appearance becomes different. At the same time, the psychological situation in the team also changes - at this time it is important for children to look the way they are accepted, not to go beyond the established standards.

Most teenagers are preoccupied with their appearance, and against this background, they may develop various psychological problems. If the family did not devote sufficient time to the development of an objective, adequate self-esteem in the child, did not instill a healthy attitude towards food, then there is a risk that he will develop an eating disorder. In children and adolescents, this disease often develops against a background of low self-esteem. At the same time, they manage to hide everything from their parents for quite a long time.

These problems develop, as a rule, at the age of 11-13 years - during puberty. Such teenagers concentrate all attention on their appearance. For them, this is the only means that allows them to gain self-confidence. Many parents play it safe, fearing that their child has developed an eating disorder. In adolescents, it can be difficult to determine the line between normal preoccupation with appearance and a pathological condition in which it is time to sound the alarm. Parents need to start worrying if they see that the child:

tries not to attend events where there will be feasts;
spends a lot of time on physical activity in order to burn calories;
too dissatisfied with his appearance;
uses laxatives and diuretics;
obsessed with weight control;
overly scrupulously monitors the calorie content of foods and portion sizes.

But many parents think that an eating disorder in children cannot be. At the same time, they continue to consider their teenagers at the age of 13-15 as babies, turning a blind eye to the disease that has arisen.

Possible Consequences of Eating Disorders

The problems that these symptoms can lead to should not be underestimated. After all, they not only adversely affect health, but can also cause death. Bulimia, like anorexia, causes kidney failure and heart disease. With frequent vomiting, which leads to a lack of nutrients, such problems can develop:

damage to the kidneys and stomach;
feeling of constant pain in the abdomen;
the development of caries (it begins due to the constant exposure to gastric juice);
lack of potassium (leads to heart problems and can cause death);
amenorrhea;
the appearance of the cheeks of the "hamster" (due to pathological enlargement of the salivary glands).

With anorexia, the body goes into a so-called starvation mode. This may be indicated by the following signs:

hair loss, breaking nails;
anemia;
amenorrhea in women;
decrease in heart rate, respiration, blood pressure;
constant dizziness;
the appearance of a hair gun all over the body;
the development of osteoporosis - a disease characterized by increased bone fragility;
an increase in the size of the joints.

The sooner the disease is diagnosed, the sooner it will be possible to get rid of it. In severe cases, even hospitalization is necessary.

Psychological help

Many people with overt eating disorders believe they don't have any problems. But without medical help, it is impossible to correct the situation. After all, it is impossible to independently figure out how to conduct psychotherapy for eating disorders. If the patient resists and refuses treatment, the help of a psychiatrist may be needed. With an integrated approach, a person can be helped to get rid of problems. After all, with severe violations, psychotherapy alone will not be enough. In this case, drug treatment is also prescribed.

Psychotherapy should be aimed at the work of a person on his own image. He must begin to adequately evaluate and accept his body. It is also necessary to correct the attitude towards food. But it is important to work out the reasons that led to such a violation. Specialists who work with people suffering from eating disorders say that their patients are overly sensitive and prone to frequent negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, anger, sadness.

For them, any restriction in food or overeating, excessive physical activity is a way to temporarily alleviate their condition. They need to learn to manage their emotions and feelings, without this they will not be able to overcome an eating disorder. How to treat this disease, you need to deal with a specialist. But the main task of therapy is the formation of a correct lifestyle for the patient.

Worse work to get rid of the problem is for those who have difficult relationships in the family or constant stress in the workplace. Therefore, psychotherapists must also work on relationships with others. The sooner a person realizes that he has a problem, the easier it will be to get rid of it.

Recovery period

The most difficult task for patients is the development of self-love. They need to learn to perceive themselves as a person. Only with adequate self-esteem can physical condition be restored. Therefore, nutritionists and psychologists (and in some cases psychiatrists) should work on such patients at the same time.

Professionals should help overcome an eating disorder. Treatment may include:

drawing up a nutrition plan;
inclusion in the life of adequate physical activity;
taking antidepressants (only necessary if there are certain indications);
work on self-perception and relationships with others;
treatment of mental disorders such as anxiety.

It is important that the patient has support during the treatment period. Indeed, often people break down, take breaks in treatment, promise to return to the planned action plan after a certain time. Some even consider themselves cured, although their eating behavior does not change much.

How to treat an eating disorder, as well as how to get rid of food addiction on your own - you will learn about this in this article.

An eating disorder is any kind of disorder related to food and appearance. A strong desire to lose weight or fear of gaining weight, weight control or constant diets, obsession with proper nutrition, overeating and, conversely, refusal to eat.

These symptoms have specific names and even diagnoses - overeating, bulimia, anorexia nervosa, and recently orthorexia (obsession with nutrition) has also been included here. They are united by one term eating disorder, because one disease sometimes passes into another, and sometimes they can go in parallel. They often have the same roots and causes.

And if you dig deeper, into psychological motives, all these diseases are very similar in nature. I am a psychologist and I work with all types of food addiction. In this article, I will tell you what are the underlying psychological causes of these disorders, how are bulimia, anorexia and overeating so similar and different from the point of view of the psyche. And also how to treat them and whether it is possible to do it yourself.

How to treat an eating disorder - 3 root causes

Shame, guilt and punishment

Feelings that people with an eating disorder tend to experience more often than others are shame and guilt. These feelings are not always fully realized, sometimes it happens like this: some event happened to you in childhood, because of which you experienced a strong sense of shame or guilt, and it still reaches out for you, pops up in your life, you cannot forget it. Or it affects all subsequent events: every time something like this happens, you immediately experience shame or guilt, even if there was no significant reason for this.

“Shame, shame on you, what a horror, people will see, be ashamed ...”. If these words were often said to you in childhood, or were not said, but taught to experience these feelings, then most likely they accompany you to this day. You experience one of these feelings, or both at once, even where, by ordinary standards, you have not done anything shameful. And after a really unpleasant act by social standards, you can be ashamed, scold, blame, hate yourself for many more months, or maybe years.

Both of these feelings are formed due to the fact that the person allegedly did something wrong, or looked inappropriate. The difference between them, as a rule, is that shame is experienced in front of witnesses, while you can feel guilt in solitude.

Shame and guilt go hand in hand with an eating disorder. How are these feelings and eating disorders connected? They do not accept you, they compare you, they try to make someone better out of you, they criticize, shame, punish or entrust you with a sense of guilt. All this leads to self-rejection, low self-esteem, self-hatred, the desire to correct oneself, change, disappear, hide, punish, mock oneself or teach oneself a lesson. Feelings of guilt and shame are so deeply rooted in your subconscious that you continue to punish yourself again and again, even if you are no longer guilty of anything. Or so: you specifically do something because of which you will feel guilty. And also something for which you will then punish yourself. Most often unconsciously.

The punishment can be different: a complete refusal of food as a refusal of life. The desire to disappear, to dissolve, to hide, the feeling that you have no right to occupy the place. Another type of punishment is the cleansing of the stomach by inducing vomiting immediately after eating. “I ate so much, well, shame on me! I deserve punishment." Inducing vomiting in this case acts as a method of cleansing from sin, a way to free oneself from one's own imperfection. Sometimes guilt and punishment are reversed: you may overeat just so that you have a reason to beat yourself up.

I described the first reason that can lead to an eating disorder. Does being shamed as a child always lead to food addiction as an adult? No. And if you have an eating disorder, does that mean you were shamed as a child? Not at all necessary. But the tendency to food addiction is precisely among those who often experienced shame and guilt in childhood.

The trauma of the abandoned, the trauma of the rejected

During my practice, I discovered another undoubted trend: food addiction is more susceptible to those who received the trauma of being abandoned or rejected in childhood. can be obtained due to the absence of a parent (one or both). For example, leaving the family, long business trips, death, emotional absence (no involvement in your upbringing), or you were sent to a camp or sanatorium. The trauma of the abandoned is more likely to form overeating or bulimia.

This is a book that will become your bridge from victim to hero - a strong person who is not content with what he has, but changes until he is absolutely satisfied with his life.

When is a specialist needed?

Often a person cannot cope on his own because the disease is unconscious. It is difficult for a person to understand and analyze why he overeats or refuses food, what exactly prompts him to do this. And due to a lack of understanding of how to treat an eating disorder in his particular case, he simply gives up and decides to live with it.

The reasons that led to the appearance of the disease are often denied, repressed (forgotten), not realized, or the person simply does not admit to himself that they exist. This is the main problem of self-treatment: the majority of people are not able to realize, see and feel the motives of their behavior.

Eating disorders are socially accepted diseases, they are so common that it seems that there is no obvious reason to see a specialist. It would seem that almost every person has problems with eating behavior - so how then can we call it a pathology? But most diseases are provoked precisely by malnutrition, with cravings for flavor enhancers and sweets, refusal to eat or inducing vomiting. Underestimation of nutritional disorders leads to terrible consequences, such as dysfunction of the intestines, ovaries and, as a result, the absence of the menstrual cycle, loss of teeth, leaching of trace elements and vitamins.

From a psychological point of view, eating disorders are often the cause of social isolation, fear, anxiety, apathy, and depressive disorder.

In this case, the mandatory help of a specialist is needed. You can not put up with the disease and drag it out for a long time, because this is fraught with serious organic and mental destruction. I am a psychologist, and I conduct individual consultations via Skype. I can help you understand the causes of your disease and recover from it. We will work with both (if they were the cause) and your current state. The healing process consists in being aware of all the processes that are taking place in your mind and body. Also, between consultations, I determine for you tasks and exercises that will help you restore a normal relationship with food and your appearance.

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Conclusion

I congratulate you, you have received a lot of new information about the treatment of eating disorders, how to get rid of food addiction on your own, as well as the causes and consequences of these phenomena. But the main thing is not what you got, but what you will now do with it. If you close the tab and think that someday you will definitely apply the information received, then it is unlikely that anything will change in your life. And if you write to me in order to start working on the path to a happy healthy life, or at least begin to increase self-esteem through self-love, then most likely you have come to my site today for a reason, and soon big changes await you. the best.

Let's summarize:

Eating disorders - bulimia, overeating and anorexia nervosa - have similar roots and motives, and it happens that they exist in one person in parallel or flow one into another
The causes of frustration can be shame and guilt, the trauma of being abandoned and rejected, and the pursuit of perfection. In fact, there are many more reasons, but all of them are somehow tied to a lack of acceptance of yourself, which in most cases was provoked by your rejection by a significant parent.

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Thinness to protruding bones, the gym and diets as the only meaning of life or uncontrolled raids on the refrigerator in the minds of society have become stronger as a choice of people and an indicator of willpower. This doesn't seem like a problem: those who are malnourished simply have to start eating, and those who want to be lean-stop eating. The way out seems logical, if you do not know that these people have eating disorders. Myths and misunderstandings about eating disorders are many, and they contribute to an increase in the number of cases. the site tells what it really is and what is the danger of such disorders.

What is RPP?

Eating Disorders (EDD)-This is a group of eating disorder syndromes that are considered psychiatric disorders. There are many types of these disorders, but the most famous-these are anorexia, bulimia and compulsive or psychogenic overeating. In addition, these disorders can appear together or replace each other during a person's life.

Anorexia-psychopathological fear of obesity and sagging figure, which becomes an obsession. Under the influence of this obsession, people lose weight, and set too low a limit for themselves.-this is due to a distorted perception of one's own body. Weight becomes less than the physiological norm, concomitant diseases appear: hormonal, metabolic disorders and organ function.

bulimia-disorder with bouts of overeating and marked anxiety in weight control. Patients develop their own style of eating and overeating: when vomiting is caused after eating or laxatives and diuretics are used. Bulimia often occurs in patients after anorexia goes into remission.

Compulsive or psychogenic overeating-a disorder that manifests itself as overeating. Control over food intake is lost: people eat a large amount of food without feeling hungry, during times of severe stress, or simply in a short period of time. Binge eating attacks are accompanied or replaced by feelings of guilt, loneliness, shame, anxiety, and self-loathing.

There are no exact statistics on the incidence of eating disorders: they started to treat these diseases in a complex way not so long ago, and few people turn to specialists about this. The survey involved 237 people who had experienced eating disorders. Most of the respondents (42%) experienced anorexia, another 17%- bulimia, 21% - a combination of anorexia and bulimia. Loss of appetite suffered 6%, compulsive overeating-four%. Alternating bouts of anorexia, bulimia and overeating-4%, all listed at once- 6%.

Who gets RPP?

Anorexia and bulimia are called women's diseases, because they are predominantly teenage girls and young women with this disorder, they are rare in men. A site survey showed the same distribution: 97% of RPP cases- female.

At the same time, the vast majority (80.2%) fell ill with RPP at the age of 10 to 18 years. 16% of respondents were from 18 to 25 years old. Only a small number of respondents were over 25 years old.

Why is RPP dangerous?

The most common RP-anorexia. Patients with anorexia bring themselves to an extreme degree of exhaustion: every tenth patient dies from this. If we add to this the young age of the sick, the situation becomes even more tense. The body is formed at the age of 10-18 years: internal organs, bones, muscles grow, hormonal changes occur, the psyche experiences enormous stress. It is difficult for the body to cope with exhaustion in such conditions. Tense emotional background, desire to fit into"beauty standards, difficulties with establishing relationships in the team, first love-this is fertile ground for the development of RPP. Distrust of elders, fear that they will be laughed at, shame that they did not cope, which do not allow them to ask for help, the inability to turn to a specialist on their own reduces the chances of a cure.

Not everyone can cope with the disease on their own. The point is not only in physical exhaustion, but also in the emotional state of the sick, because RPP-These are mental disorders. We asked respondents to choose what feelings and emotions they experienced because of the disease. Of the 237 people, more than half chose all the options offered: fear, loneliness, anxiety, apathy and indifference, the desire to die and shame. Also 31 people chose the option"Other" . They said they experienced:

hopelessness, the feeling that I can not change anything
helplessness, the feeling that everything is going to hell
hatred for oneself and one's body
anger and anger at oneself and others
fear for health and future
joy and pride for their alleged success and willpower
that I am unworthy of existence
panic attacks, horror, tantrums
loss of control over oneself, one's body and life
hatred for those who talked about food
an unbearable desire to be needed by at least someone.

In addition, some health problems due to eating disorders remain forever. The whole body suffers from exhaustion. The stomach often "gets up" and cannot digest food. If patients used diuretics and laxatives, especially antidepressants such as fluoxetine, then the kidneys, liver, and heart fail. Teeth crumble and fall out.

Another danger is that it is not known whether RPP can be completely cured. Many achieve a long-term remission, but then some events become a trigger that starts everything all over again. Reducing the number of seizures-already a great success in the fight against RPP.

What causes RPP?

Those who fell ill with eating disorders told the site what caused the onset of their disorders. The stories vary, but the vast majority speak of humiliation by classmates, friends, and family, as well as stereotypes in society:"beauty standardson photos on Instagram, the popularity of thinness, the romanticization of mental disorders. But some stories are really scary:

"My dad molested me, and I decided that I did not deserve food. I punished myself like that."

"I have latent schizophrenia. EDD is a consequence of the disease. I refused food because of voices that suggested that I was ugly and fat."

“After the death of a loved one, anorexia appeared, and then, due to restrictions, bulimia.”

“From early childhood, they told me about the “harmfulness” of this or that food, I constantly heard “a girl should be thin”, “you need to be thinner.” My mother has an RPP, now I am recovering and helping her. I ignored, but such statements are all were equally deposited in the subconscious. The whole process was triggered by the person’s statement that I was “fat”. Click. And now I consider myself fat, now I don’t like myself, now I believe everything “bad” that they tell me about the figure.

"15 years old is the age when the body begins to change, body weight increases. In six months I recovered a little: from 46-48 to 54 kg. Well, my friends considered it their duty to tell about it. I found a scale at home and made sure of it. I decided that there is nothing better than mzh (eat little). But everything could not end so well, and for the third year I have been suffering from bulimia. I feel that I will die from this soon ... ".

“No one has ever loved me. Not even myself. I don’t know what the reason is, maybe in skin color or facial features: I’m half Iranian. diet. Lost weight, but could not finish the last 5 kg - and began to puke. Overeat and puke. I have had bulimia for 10 years. "

How to tell if you or someone close to you may have an eating disorder

From the outside, you can see if a person's behavior has changed. Refusal of food or excessive consumption of it, fanatical burning of calories-reason to wonder if everything is okay.

In addition, the Clark Institute of Psychiatry has developed the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT). The test is intended for screening: it does not accurately determine the presence of a disorder, but allows you to identify its possibility or tendency to it. A version of the EAT-26 test is used, which has 26 questions, and sometimes with a second part of 5 more questions. The test is freely distributed, it can be used and passed by anyone. On the Internet, EAT-26 can be accessed, for example, atwebsites of psychologists .

Another way - check body mass index (BMI). This is important if you notice that a person is rapidly losing or gaining weight. There are many methods for determining BMI, but the Quetelet indicator is considered the simplest and most accurate. It is calculated according to the formula:

I = mh²,

where:

m - body weight in kilograms;
h - height in meters.

For example, a person's weight = 70 kg, height = 168 cm. In this case, the body mass index is considered as follows:

BMI = 70: (1.68 × 1.68) = 24.8

Now BMI needs to be checked with a table of values:

In our example, BMI is included in the normal value. Here it is also important to take into account that the weight is individual and depends on many indicators: the skeletal system, the development of the muscular system, gender, the state of the internal organs. But if you check how a person's BMI has changed, then you can understand whether it is worth sounding the alarm. Especially if it happened abruptly.

But more important - observe and talk to the person. RPP-it is a mental disorder that may not immediately affect the physical body. You just need to be more attentive to your loved ones and yourself. It is better to sound the alarm and find out that everything is in order than to leave a person alone with a disease that often wins. If you suspect something is wrong, it is best to immediately contact a specialist. In the early stages, therapy with a psychologist helps, if everything is running-go to a psychotherapist. It is very important not to leave sick people unattended..

You are not alone and you can handle it: what do people with eating disorders wish each other

the site asked survey participants to talk about their feelings and offer advice to those who are struggling. We quote some of them on condition of anonymity.

"Don't start. I almost died several times, my heart could not stand it ... Diseased organs and excess weight, despite all attempts. Look for help wherever you can. At one time, my relatives who lived with me stopped me. Now there is no one. Move in with your mom, dad, sister, let them watch you like a suicide because in reality it is an unconscious suicide.

"I want to say that this kind of mental disorder is terrible. It destroys you completely, and you do not resist, on the contrary, you only praise your illness, pushing yourself even closer to the abyss. You really deserve a happy and wonderful life without pens and thoughts that kill your mind and body.Love yourself and stop blaming food and the number on the scale for everything.Realize that you are beautiful and you do not need hunger to read a lot, move and find out exactly what you were doing during periods of strict diets, trying to distract yourself from the forbidden food.I will even say more: to truly enjoy self-development and life in general, food MUST BE in your stomach.Products give us energy, strength for new goals, it stops your turmoil on a weekday, cheers you up - and this OK, stop thinking that enjoying a delicious mom's dinner is disgusting. about. Start again, but without hunger!".

“When I was too thin, they took pictures of me on the street and pointed fingers. I liked being thin, but this is a constant weakness, the inability to even sit on a hard and take a bath, because the bones stick out and it becomes very painful. Sorry, even irritations on the buttocks are painful were. Hair fall out, skin like a lizard. Menstruation was not two years and the digestive tract did not work as much. And this is a constant anxiety about food, which takes all the time and life. I could not draw, play the guitar and write. I began aggressive at home and had little contact.
Deciding to recover, I didn’t eat much, everything slowly, victory after victory. It turned out to be difficult to gain weight, for 1.5 years it was almost imperceptible to others. But they even began to get to know me more often. The sparkle in his eyes reappeared. Relatives rejoiced to tears that I was finally eating, and not dying!
I got my first period in two years. I didn't believe it at first. I cried. I told my mom and she cried too. It happened on my dad's birthday, and when dad found out in the evening, he came to my room and just hugged me. So he never cried...

"After a year of inducing vomiting after eating, my skin deteriorated, my teeth began to crumble, my hair fell out and stomach problems appeared, and permanent damage from the teeth appeared on the knuckles of my fingers. Health problems sobered me. I realized that it does not matter which I have weight: losing weight is not worth the lost health and nerves.