Mind & Being Links

Eating Disorders

causes and risk factors
signs, symptoms, and diagnosis
pathophysiology
treatments
consequences and course
the patient
health care team
community involvement
resources and references

Anorexia nervosa (AN) affects 1% of adolescent and young adult females, with an onset of 13-20 years old. Bulemia nervosa (BN) has a incidence of 2-4% in adolescent and young adult females, with an onset of 16-18.

Females are more affected than males (10:1).

Mortality is 5-10%!!!

Causes and Risk Factors

Eating disorders are multifactorial, with psychological, sociological, and biological underpinnings.

Individual: perfectionism, lack of control in some life areas, history of sexual abuse

personality: obsessive-compulsive, histrionic, borderline

familial: maitenance of equilibrium in a dysfunctional family

cultural: prevalent in industrialized societies, where thinness is idolized in the media

genetic

Signs, Symptoms, and Diagnosis

Bulemia Nervosa

Recurrent episodes of binge eating:

eating an amount of food definitely larger than most people would eat in a similar amount of time and in similar circumstances
a sense of lack of control over eating during the episode

Recurrent, inappropriate compensatory behaviour in order to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting, laxatives, diuretics, enemas, or other mediciations, fasting, or excessive exercise.

Binge eating and compensation both occur, on average, at least twice a week for 3 months

self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight

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