Eating Disorder Notes

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Eating Disorder Notes
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KEY CONCEPT

• No matter what negative coping mechanism one
  chooses (or falls into) they are all similar
  because they are all destructive addictions which
  disallow a person to function normally.
• Every person who uses a negative coping mechanism
  to deal with their problems faces the same issues
  and ingrains the same bad habits. Often they are
  caused by the same types of issues as well.

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Eating Disorders

• Always start with a diet
• Always have an underlying cause
• Are the mental illness with the 1 death rate
• May impact future fertility
• Are characterized by
• Obsession with food thoughts and body image
• Distorted body image
• Constant dieting
• Lying

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Types of Eating Disorders

• Anorexia Nervosa
• Bulimia Nervosa
• Exercise Bulimia
• Binge Eating Disorder
• Chronic Dieting
• Drug Abuse

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Anorexia Nervosa

• Characterized by self starvation
• Has big issues with control
• Fear of gaining weight
• Known as Slow suicide
• Practice ritualistic behavior
• 1/10 anorexics is male
• Fear of growing up

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Bulimia Nervosa

• Characterized by binging (eating large amounts of
  food) and purging (throwing up)
• Weight can vary
• Habitual lying to cover up behavior/addictions

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Exercise Bulimia

• Characterized by eating then obsessive
  over-exercising
• They cant go a day without exercising

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Binge Eating Disorder

• Food Addiction
• Binge eating or eating lots of food
• Over eating with no compensatory behavior
• Obese

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Chronic Dieting

• Constantly on a diet
• Loses and gains weight, monthly/yearly

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Drug Abuse

• Abusing drugs to change body appearance
• Example
• Steroids
• Speed
• Crystal Meth

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Causes of Eating Disorders

• Low self-esteem
• Peer/media/family pressure
• Depression
• Family problems
• Abuse
• Fear of growing up
• Suicidal
• May have physiological roots

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Major Effects Anorexics

• Heart damage
• Loss of period (puberty stops)
• Loss of fertility (can affect later in life)
• Osteoporosis
• Anorexia is a sentence for death (1/10 anorexics
  will die)
• Damage done to heart CANNOT be undone, bones can
  regenerate

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Major Effects Bulimics

• Tooth decay
• IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
• Acid reflux
• Digestive systems
• Heart problems
• Can be fatal (chemical balances are out of whack)

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Major Effects Exercise Bulimics

• Over-exhaustion
• Heart damage
• Joint problems

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Major Effects Binge Eating Disorders

• Obesity
• Heart problems
• Discrimination
• Joint problems

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Major Effects Chronic Dieters

• Metabolism slows down each time
• Heart problems

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Major Effects Drug Abusers

• Over-dose
• All the problems drugs can bring
• Legal
• Social
• Relationship
• Economic
• Health
• Mental/Emotional
• Environmental
• Physical (long/short term health problems)

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Treatment underlying cause MUST be dealt with
to recover

• Therapy
• Anonymous meetings
• Hospitalization
• Anorexics
• Scheduled Eating
• Most difficult to treat because they shut down
  their biological drive to eat

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Do I have an eating disorder?

• How much time do you spend thinking about food?
• How much time do you spend thinking about body
  image?
• Can you go a day without exercising?
• Can you eat a normal meal without punishing
  thoughts/actions?
• Do you binge, purge, take drugs, or skip meals
  regularly with the hope of losing weight?

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Questions to ask if you may have an eating
disorder

• Can I go a day without exercise?
• Do I obsess about food and body image?
• Do I ever abuse drugs, purge, or over-exercise in
  order to lose weight?
• Do I eat/not eat in an attempt to control my
  emotions?