Unit 5 Pscyhology, Feeding/Eating Disorders/ Trauma and Stressor

Eating and feeding disorder

altered consumption of food due to psychological factors, that impairs health and psychological functioning

Anorexia Nervosa

starvation diet, may be significantly underweight (showing bones), when people are already slender it’s hard to tell, body doesn’t know when next meal is so it stores more fat and takes nutrients from lean muscle

Promoted by: modeling, sports, media

Bulimia Nervosa

episodes of binge eating and purging (vomiting), not eating because of shame, trying to get rid of calories, pattern, hard to see

Causes of eating disorders

biological- problems with hypothalamus

Social- family environment/communication

Behavioral- reinforcement, observational learning

Genetic- genetic predisposition

Cultural- societal standards

Cognitive- maladaptive thinking, cognitive distortions

Post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD

exposed to stressful/traumatic event that leads to psychological distress, flashbacks, insomnia, hostility, need to relive trauma ie. flashbacks and nightmares (must have for PTSD), acute stressor (trauma) or chronic stressor