Study Notes on Eating Disorders from Abnormal Psychology

Definition: Eating disorders are psychiatric conditions characterized by severe disturbances in eating behaviors, body weight, and body image.
Major Types of Eating Disorders:
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Binge Eating Disorder
- Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders

Overview: Individuals with anorexia nervosa often starve themselves for extended periods, convinced they need to lose more weight.
Symptoms:
- Amenorrhea: Cessation of menstrual periods in women and girls who have begun menstruating.
- Types:
- Restricting Type: Involves refusing to eat and/or excessive exercise to prevent weight gain.
- Binge/Purge Type: Involves episodes of binge eating followed by purging behaviors.
Health Consequences:
- Cardiovascular complications
- Stomach expansion
- Weak bones
- Kidney damage
- Impaired immune system
- Increased risk of suicide

Overview: Characterized by episodes of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors to prevent weight gain.
Core Behaviors:
- Bingeing: Uncontrolled eating of large amounts of food.
- Compensatory Behaviors:
- Self-induced vomiting
- Abuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications
- Fasting
- Excessive exercise
Health Complications:
- Electrolyte imbalances, potentially leading to heart failure
- Increased risk of suicide

Definition: Involves recurrent episodes of binge eating without compensatory behavior.
Symptoms:
- Eating rapidly
- Eating until uncomfortably full
- Eating large amounts when not physically hungry
- Eating in private due to embarrassment
- Feelings of disgust, depression, or guilt after bingeing
Health Outcomes: Often leads to obesity; depression is common among individuals with this disorder.

Characteristic	Anorexia Nervosa (Restricting Type)	Anorexia Nervosa (Binge/Purge Type)	Bulimia Nervosa	Binge-eating Disorder
Body Weight	Significantly underweight	Significantly underweight	Often normal or overweight	Often significantly overweight
Body Image	Severely disturbed	Severely disturbed	Overconcerned with weight and shape	Often very distressed with overweight
Bingeing	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Purging or Compensatory Behaviors	No	Yes	Yes	No
Sense of Lack of Control Over Eating	No	During binges	Yes	Yes

Definition: Includes partial-syndrome eating disorders that do not meet full criteria for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.
Examples:
- Atypical Anorexia Nervosa: All criteria met except weight is within or above the normal range.
- Bulimia Nervosa of Low Frequency/Durations: Binge eating and compensatory behaviors occur less than once a week or for less than 3 months.
- Night Eating Syndrome: Regularly eating excessive amounts of food at night after dinner.

Definition: Not classified in the DSM-5-TR, but associated with certain mental disorders.
Criteria: Body mass index (BMI) of 30 or over, calculated as follows:
$BMI = \frac{\text{Weight in pounds} \times 703}{\text{Height in inches}^2}$
Health Risks:
- Increased risk of coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke
- Higher likelihood of type 2 diabetes and cancer
- Diminished quality of life and emotional challenges
Contributing Factors:
- Toxic food environments
- Lack of exercise

Common Methods:
- Self-help books
- Commercial weight-loss programs
- Weight-loss drugs
Healthy Weight Loss Strategies:
- Focus on nutrient-dense foods and avoid empty calories
- Engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity daily
- Create environments that make healthy choices easier
- Promote overall activity throughout the day

Genetic Factors: Influence the likelihood of developing eating disorders.
Neurochemical Dysregulation:
- Lower functioning of the hypothalamus
- Abnormal hormone levels
- Dysregulation of serotonin neurotransmission

Social Pressures:
- Influence of media promoting a thin ideal
- Body dissatisfaction prevalence, especially among athletes
Cognitive Factors:
- Low self-esteem
- Desire to please others
- Dichotomous thinking style (e.g., “all-or-nothing” thinking)
Emotion Regulation Difficulties:
- Maladaptive strategies to cope with painful emotions
Family Dynamics:
- Issues with separation and individuation
- Family presence of eating disorders
- Low parental warmth and high demands

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT):
- Challenges the client's overvaluation of thinness
- Implements rewards for weight gain
Family Therapy:
- Engages both the affected individual and their family as a unit.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT):
- Focus on monitoring emotions and thoughts accompanying eating
Interpersonal Therapy:
- Focus on discussing interpersonal issues and developing coping strategies
Supportive-Expressive Psychodynamic Therapy:
- Encourages discussion of problems related to the eating disorder
Behavioral Therapy:
- Teach monitoring food intake and managing dietary behavior

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs):
- Helps reduce binge-eating and purging behaviors, but may not restore normal eating
Antidepressants:
- Effective for anorexia nervosa, helping to reduce symptoms
Antipsychotics:
- Linked to weight gain in those with anorexia nervosa
Other Medications:
- Including antiepileptic and obesity medications

Flowchart Overview:
- Social pressures toward thinness can lead to negative body image.
- This negative body image can cause overvaluation of appearance and can result in anxiety and depression.
- Excessive dieting emerges from this anxiety, leading to impulsive binge eating.
- The subsequent compensatory behaviors (purging, excessive exercise) can lead to bulimia nervosa.
- Successful weight loss from excessive dieting can reinforce the behavior and lead to anorexia nervosa.

Figures and Visual Data:
- Data on obesity prevalence among various demographics in the United States highlighted the significant differences among racial groups.
- Multiple pathways illustrate how psychological and social factors contribute to eating disorders.