Eating Disorders

What are eating disorders?

Severe disturbance in eating behavior that results in altered consumption or absorption with harmful effects for physical health or psychosocial functioning.

What are the three typical eating disorders?

• Anorexia nervosa

• Bulimia nervosa

• Binge-eating disorder

What is anorexia nervosa?

Individuals restrict their food intake through eating less, exercising more, and/or purging food through laxatives and vomiting to pursuit thinness despite being underweight.

What are the causes of anorexia nervosa?

• Sociocultural factors (thin idealness)

• Psychological risk factors (anxiety, obsessionality, and perfectionism)

• Triggers & family environment (conflict at home, other stress, boundary issues)

The causes of anorexia nervosa can also cause other metal illnesses such as:

• Orthorexia (Excessive preoccupation with healthy eating)

• Muscular dysmorphia

How is body image across cultures?

In 58 diverse societies, the vast majority consider plumpness/moderate fat to be beautiful. Plumpness signals affluence in poor but not rich societies.

Historically, how has the incidence of anorexia nervosa change?

The incidence of anorexia has risen in western countries.

What is non-fat-phobic anorexia nervosa?

Individuals who experience weight loss, reduce intake, but have no distorted body image or fixation on weight loss.

How prevalent is anorexia nervosa in Asia?

There has been a rise in eating disorders especially starting in 1990s.

The rates of eating disorders seem to increase with…

social & economic development

Why do rates of eating disorders seem to increase with social & economic development?

Urbanization increases likelihood of obesity & attention to weight. Affluence leads to valuing of thinness over plumpness.