Eating Disorders

(3-31-15)

Problems with amount eaten:

• Obesity
  • overeating/inadequate exercise leads to unhealthy body weight
• Anorexia Nervosa
  • a. morbid fear of being overweight
    • often distortions in perception of body and in body image seen
  • b. self-starvation to unhealthy body weight
• Bulimia Nervosa
  • a. episodic loss of control over eating [binge]
  • b. inappropriate/dangerous weight control mechanisms [purge]
    • (1) self-induced vomiting
    • (2) abuse of emetics, laxatives, diuretics
    • (3) excessive exercise
• Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified
  • eating problems which do not clearly fit either AN or BN patterns are probably the most common eating disorders
• Body dissatisfaction is the single strongest predictor of eating disorder symptoms (Phelps, Johnston, Augustyniak, 1999)

Problems with substance eaten

• Pica (L for magpie: the old Romans thought the bird would eat anything. Pica referred to eating nonfood substances, but usually excluded behavior motivated by starvation or belief system. Current use of the term is often synonymous with the more general expression: scavenging behavior.
  • Scavenging Behavior: generic term for eating nonfood substances, regardless of reason.
  • Pica/scavenging behavior is common in very young children, usually outgrown.
• Major concern is risk of lead poisoning if child consumes paints, plaster, or similar material.
  • patterns may be “named” based on substance consumed:
  • a. Geophagia: eating earthy substances
  • b. Trichlophagia: eating hair
  • c. Corprophagia: eating feces
  • d. etc.