Eating Disorders

What is Body Dysmorphia with Eating Disorders?:

• Body Dysmorphia is a distinct disorder.
• Inability to perceive body parts accurately; excessive concern re: a slight physical anomaly; imagined defect of appearance
• Body Dysmorphia person says, “I look disgusting.  I’m hideous.  I cannot be seen in public”
• Body Dysmorphia is not a vanity driven obsession

What is Distorted Body Image with Eating Disorders?:

• Distorted Body Image is the effect of malnourishment.
• Individuals refuse to go to social places d

Dr. Patricia Pitts was interviewed for a segment on Extra, featuring Manorexia, which airs Friday December 5th at 7:00pm on Channel 4.  A former Bella Vita client who had anorexia, was also interviewed.

For many patients, their eating disorder serves many purposes including:

• To avoid dealing with emotions
• Becomes their identity
• As a way to deal with abusive relationships
• Becomes their way of expressing anger
• As a way to avoid social gatherings
• To regulate intense emotions
• Reinforce negative self-talk to support low self-esteem
• As a way to create order in their life

Why do people have Eating Disorders?

• Need for Control
• Perfectionism,
• High Achiever
• Low Self Esteem
• Depression and Anxiety
• Relational Difficulties
• Media Influence
• Trauma
• Difficulty expressing feelings and thoughts

What is Anorexia? 

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that is characterized by a distorted body image, low body weight combined with an obsessive fear of weight gain.  An anorexic controls their weight by starvation, exercise, vomiting and purging. Other factors include: 

Do you think you might be bulimic?

Bulimics exhibit many symptoms, some of the common ones are:

• Repeated episodes of bingeing and purging
• Feeling out of control during a binge
• Purging after a binge (vomiting, excessive exercise, use of laxatives, diet pills, diuretics, or fasting)
• Frequent dieting
• Extreme concern with body weight and shape

What is Disordered Eating?

A wide variety of irregular eating patterns and behaviors define disordered eating including: 

• While Disordered Eating is not an Eating Disorder, it can lead to one
• Focus on food, weight, body shape and size turns into strict eating and exercise habits compromising health, happiness and safety

A 2007 Harvard study showed 1 in 4 or 25% adult males have anorexia or bulimia and this epidemic is on the rise. There is a 50% increase in males seeking treatment in the last 5 years.

Eating Disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.  20% of those with Anorexia Nervosa will die prematurely from complications with their eating disorder including suicide.

Dimensions of an Eating Disorder

There are many dimensions to an eating disorder:

• Psychological – people pleasers, difficulty confronting effectively, inability to have their own voice, perfectionist, obsessive compulsive, isolate, etc.
• Interpersonal – abusive, smothering, emotionally unavailable, controlling, blaming/placating relationships, etc.
• Cultural – what’s in:  Twiggy, Muscular, Breasts, Celebrity Anorexia; Diet of the Day; and Exercise Fad; what matters is what works for you.
• Genetic – anorexia ru

Other Eating Disorder Statistics:

• Eating disorders afflict 7 million American girls & woman each year
• Eating disorders affect 1 million men (10% boys)
• 80% of American women are dissatisfied with their appearance
• 25% men & 40% women are dieting on any given day in the U.S
• Of the 5,000 Ads shown per day, 1/3 focus on appearance
• Models are thinner than 98% of Americans
• Boys & girls alike are impacted by the media’s focus on appearance