Eating disorders: loss of appetite and overeating

What to know about this topic

Eating disorders (ED)

Eating disordersare mental disorders that affect a person's behavior around food and their perception of their own body. They may manifest as loss of appetite or overeating. The most common eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder.

Loss of appetite

Anorexiais a disorder in which a person is afraid of gaining extra pounds. The disease is manifested by refusal to eat and fear of meals. Anorexia can lead to disruption of the functioning of internal organs, decreased immunity and disruption of the menstrual cycle.

Overeating

Bulimia - eating large amounts of food and then trying to get rid of calories by vomiting, intense exercise or taking laxatives.

Compulsive overeating - eating large amounts of food without the subsequent desire to get rid of the extra ones kilogram This leads to diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.

Main Causes of Eating Disorders

• Psychological factors: low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, stress.
• Cultural norms and beauty standards: the ideal of excessive thinness may influence the development of eating problems.
• Genetic and biological factors: a tendency to disorders due to the characteristics of the brain or hormonal disorders.

How to recognize eating disorders?

The first signs of eating disorders may not be obvious, but they often manifest themselves in the following symptoms:

• constant thoughts about food and your weight;
• refusal of food or excessive consumption of it;
• physical changes, such as sudden weight loss or gain;
• emotional symptoms: depression, anxiety, feelings of shame or guilt about food.

Treatment of eating disorders

Treatment requires an integrated approach, combining medication support and psychotherapy.

For anorexia, it is important to restore proper nutrition and work through emotional problems.

For bulimia and overeating, cognitive behavioral therapy is used, and in some cases, antidepressants to control the emotional state.

Opinion expert

“Our body and mind are interconnected. Treatment of eating disorders requires an integrated approach, where everything is important: psychotherapy, emotional health support, physical treatment. Each case is unique, so the approach to treatment must be individual, taking into account the needs of the patient and the characteristics of his condition,” - Kristina Zhivago, Candidate of Medical Sciences, psychiatrist of the highest category, child psychiatrist.