How to know if you have an eating disorder

Sometimes you can see the following sequence: anorexia during adolescence, then bulimia, and finally binge eating disorder in adulthood. “The anxiety persists and the person channels everything by eating, but he has abandoned laxatives and induction of vomiting and no longer has the willpower to work out in the gym,” describes Linares.

Gago agrees in pointing out that the most frequent profile is the one that can be classified as chronic, in which the ED “develops in adolescence – early or late – and lasts until adulthood.” In these cases it is common “for the person has already undergone several treatments and even several hospital admissions”. But we must also take into account the other, less frequent profile of people in whom ED develops after their thirties or around the age of 40.” As occurs in adolescence, EDs in adults affect women more.

It is estimated that in Spain there are, as a whole, 400,000 cases of eating disorders. There are no figures on how many of them affect individuals over 20-30 years old, but psychologists assert that they are more frequent than is thought.

Profile of the adult with ED

The profile of the adult with an eating disorder would be that of a person with:

• Low self-esteem.

• Unsafety.

• tendency to perfectionism.

• High self-demand.

• In some cases, obsessive traits.

• Bad concept of your personal image (in his childhood-adolescence he was overweight or obesity).

• has suffered rejection (for example, suffered bullying at school).

• Eagerness to be the best student and the perfect daughter (especially in those who suffer from anorexia).

• Emotionally he has not grown, does not know how to tolerate that things don’t go as planned.

Faced with these emotional difficulties, “lack of control with food becomes the scape valve”says Linares. But it is worth keeping in mind that “the problem is not solved by reaching a stable weight” and the only way to stop it is to ensure that the affected person “reaches self-knowledge, knows how to manage frustration, resolve conflicts… Everything that until that moment has not known how to manage”.

Risk factor’s

“There are several factors that play a role in the predisposition, appearance and maintenance of the disorder,” explains Gago. “From social issues, such as the culture of thinness and beauty, to issues related to attachment, family or traumatic events that may have been present in the person’s life.” The expert highlights the following:

Individual factors

• Genetic predisposition. The risk of suffering from an ED increases above the values ​​of the general population if there is a history of a family member with an ED.

• Psychological traits. Certain personality traits, such as very high self-demand, obsessive perfectionism, need for control and cognitive rigidity, are closely related to the appearance of an eating disorder.

• Low self-esteem. Having low self-esteem, that is, making a negative and unsatisfactory assessment of oneself, increases the probability of suffering from eating disorders.

• Negative body image. People who do not have a real image of their own body and whose emotions and feelings towards them are negative are more vulnerable to suffering from an eating disorder.

• Adolescence. Adolescence is the life stage in which there is a greater risk of developing an eating disorder. ED is diagnosed in people of all ages, but in most cases the disease debuted during adolescence. This happens because during this stage the person’s personality, self-esteem and social role are in full development and, therefore, they are more vulnerable in a social environment in which the pressure for image is excessively high.

• Female sex. Of every 10 cases of ED, 9 are women and 1 is a man.

Family factors

• Unstructured family environment. Families in which there is no stable and safe structure have a higher risk of ED in some of the members, especially in those who individually are more at risk, such as adolescent girls.

• Overprotective family environment. Those families in which communication and family dynamics are excessively rigid, controlling and demanding can influence the development of an eating disorder.

• Stressful life experiences. Traumatic changes in the family structure, such as the death of one of the members, can increase the likelihood of EDs. Also couple breakups.

Social factors

• Prevailing beauty model. The current beauty model, which praises excessive thinness, has a very important role in the development of eating disorders.

• Social pressure regarding image. In recent decades, the social value of the image has also gained relevance, so not only do we have a model of beauty that is harmful to health, but also the social pressure received regarding the importance of looking like this model is excessively high. “These two factors combined have a clear influence on the appearance of eating disorders. The role of the media in the dissemination of the current beauty model places them as responsible agents, to a large extent, in the proliferation of EDs in our society,” says Gago.

• Certain sports or professions. Certain activities, such as dance, for example, can favor the appearance of eating disorders due to the way they treat image when practicing this sport. Those in which you compete by weight categories are also considered risky sports. Likewise, those professions related to the world of fashion, entertainment and/or television/cinema.

• Criticism and ridicule related to the physique. People, especially children and adolescents, who have received criticism and ridicule related to their physical appearance and who, because of this, have felt insecure about their image, may have a greater tendency to develop an eating disorder.

Warning signs

Gago comments that the warning signs “are not diagnostic criteria and, therefore, do not confirm the disease. For this, it is essential that the person be evaluated by mental health professionals.” However, he recognizes that “they are signs that can inform us about the presence of the disease” and show us the convenience of consulting “with a team of professionals.” These are the most relevant:

In relation to food

• Unjustified use of restrictive diets.

• State constant worry about food.

• Exaggerated interest in kitchen Recipes.

• Feeling of blame for having eaten.

• Strange eating behavior (ingestion speed, eating right, etc.).

• Get up from the table and lock yourself in the bathroom afterwards of each meal.

• Increased frequency and amount of time in the bathroom.

• Avoid family meals or with friends.

• Speed with which the food at home ends.

• hidden foodFor example, in your room.

• Large amounts of leftovers, wrappers, etc. in your room or in the trash.

• Go on many diets and, suddenly, give yourself binge eating in short periods of time.

In relation to weight

• Loss or gain sudden and unjustified weight gain.

• fear and exaggerated rejection of being overweight.

• Practice of compulsive physical exercise with the sole objective of losing weight. Or, in cases of binge eating disorder, no physical activity.

• Practice of self-induced vomiting.

• Consume of laxatives and diuretics.

• Amenorrhea (disappearance of the menstrual cycle for at least 3 consecutive months) if you are a woman, as a symptom due to malnutrition.

• Others physical symptoms due to malnutrition: cold hands and feet, dry skin, constipation, paleness or dizziness, hair loss, etc.

In relation to body image

• Misperception of having a thick body.

• Attempts to hide the body with baggy clothesFor example.

In relation to behavior

• Alteration of academic or work performance.

• Isolation progressive.

• Increase of the irritability and aggressiveness.

• Increase of the depressive symptoms and/or anxiety.

• Behaviors manipulatives and appearance of lies.

Multidisciplinary treatment

The consensus is total when it comes to treatment: since eating disorders are complex problems, their treatment must be in the hands of an interdisciplinary team: psychiatrists, psychologists, general practitioners, nurses, nutritionists and, in most cases, also a social educator. “The treatment is long and complex, but we must remember that recovery is possible and that about 70 percent of affected people overcome it”says Ita’s psychologist.