What Does Psychology Say About Eating Disorders?

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When it comes to eating disorders, a lot of people will think about obesity and how many people are facing that issue today. However, excess weight and a poor diet with a lot of fast food and sugar are not the only problems related to eating disorders. The solution can be more complicated as well. Commonly, the best way to deal with your weight is to improve the meal plan.

You can do that according to your current condition and choose whether you want to lose or gain weight, include more protein, essential nutrients, avoid sugar, and more. On the other hand, the mental state of a person can also trigger some type of eating disorder. In that cause, help of professionals will be necessary. You can read more about that if you check out St Louis eating disorder treatment. We are going to analyze more about this topic in the following article.

What Are the Main Causes?

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First of all, it is important for people to be aware that most of eating disorders are triggered by some mental challenges and that they cannot be solved so easily without the right support. There are some short-term and long-term factors that can lead to these issues. For example, having a low self-esteem, lack of control of different things in life, or some more serious problems like anxiety, anger, or depression are all common causes that result in uncontrolled diet.

There are some other potential triggers as well, such as some issues that a person is facing at the moment, like losing the job, getting divorced, or some other traumatic or depressive experience. Furthermore, we have to mention the pressure from the surrounding, such as certain norms that are presented as normal. That is the case with anorexia that is often the result for those who are putting too much pressure into losing weight and securing the right figure.

We also have to mention that some of these issues start as light or unprocessed at the beginnings. For example, dealing with a lot of stress can be quite challenging. Therefore, enjoying while eating at fast-food restaurants or buying a lot of snacks can help you relax and enjoy your free time. However, the problem is when this becomes a habit. That is the example of how people are developing the binge-eating disorder.

Different Types of Eating Disorders

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Eating disorders represent serious conditions that can lead to extreme results in both ways, whether it is being too overweight, and having too low body weight.  The Anorexia Nervosa is a well-known condition where the person will face a situation where it has a too low body weight. The main problem is because it is almost never recognized on time. When it comes to main causes, the most common are low self-esteem, lack of clear goals, and pressure from the environment to achieve the right figure.

That is the main reason why it is so common among women since there are often pressured to lose weight and keep it low for more attractive appearance. Keep in mind that simply starving is never a good solution if you are trying to lose weight. Those with anorexia will face all kinds of health issues due to the lack of essential nutrients that can harm their bones, cardiovascular system, and more. Dealing with this problem is not simple, and it always require medical attention.

Another type is Bulimia, and it is similar to anorexia since the result is also to have a very low weight. However, the difference is related to mental state. People with bulimia will eat the food, but the problem is that it is done in unhealthy intervals. A person might enjoy in the lunch, and then feel guilty for eating too much and afraid of how it will affect the weight. Therefore, people with this condition will often force them to vomit and lose all calories they got from the food.

On the other side, there is binge-eating. There is the same problem where people cannot notice it on time. The main issue is that it will lead to serious excess weight problems. The main cause is quite simple to understand because those who develop it will start eating more food as a way to relax and get away from various issues in their lives.

For instance, facing some emotional challenges, or dealing with depression and anxiety. Everything might seem much easier when you can enjoy in some snacks or sweets. The problem is when it becomes a habit. Some people simply stop caring about their appearance and look at the food as an escape from their problems.

The feel of guilt is common as well, but usually not compensated by any physical activity since such person will rather just hide away from others while continuing to eat more and more. Reversing the results from this condition can be very difficult. It is crucial for the patient to focus on therapy and find the real reasons for such condition since that is the only way to resolve this problem.

Getting Professional Help is the Only Solution

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The problem is that a lot of people assume that they will be able to reverse the current condition by changing some of their habits at certain point. The more you wait the bigger will be the consequences. That is the case with both low weight and excess weight. It is crucial to keep in mind that something else is the reason for facing these issues, at least in most cases. Therefore, a person must start going on a therapy to resolve the mental and emotional issues that are causing the eating disorder.

Last Words

We mentioned some of the most common eating disorders. The key to dealing with them is to solve the issues that caused them, and they are often mental or emotional. We all know that it can be relaxing and joyful to have a snack or a candy after a stressful day. However, the problem is when it becomes a habit. The same is with strict diets where you want to lose weight. Going to extremes is never a good option.