Abnormal Midterm 2
Chapter 10 Eating Disorders
• Lifetime prevalence in the U.S. in 2001 and 2003
– Anorexia nervosa (women 0.9%; men 0.3%); Bulimia nervosa (women
1.5%; men 0.5%); Binge eating disorder (women 3.5%; men 2.0%)
• Oneyear prevalence in Canada in 2002
– 0.5% of Canadians reported an eating disorder diagnosis (women 0.8%;
men 0.2%)
– Women ages 1524 reporting an eating disorder: 1.5%
– 1.7% of Canadians meet criteria for an eating attitude problem
• Eating disorders can cause longterm psychological, social and health problems
Types of Eating Disorders:
Anorexia Nervosa (AN)
Bulimia Nervosa (BN)
Binge eating disorder
Eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS)
Anorexia Nervosa (AN)
Anorexia – loss of appetites
Nervosa appetite loss due to emotional reasons
Term a contradiction because most patients do not lose their appetite or interest
in food
4 features required for the diagnosis:
1. refusal to maintain a normal body weight ( likely to have the
disorder themselves
• AN and BN á in identical twins than fraternal twins
• heritability estimate of 56%
Eating Disorders and the Brain
• Hypothalamus proposed to play a role in AN
• Paraventricular nucleus also implicated • Abnormal cortisol
• á endogenous opioids due to starvation
• â regional muopioid receptor binding in the insular cortex in BN
• â levels of serotonin metabolites in BN
SocioCultural Variables
• Steady progression toward increasing thinness as the ideal
– Unrealistic cultural pressures
• Scarlett O’Hara effect
• á Body dissatisfaction
• Activity Anorexia
• Gender Influences
• CrossCultural Influences
– Eating disorders more common in industrialized societies, such as the
United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, and Europe, than in non
industrialized nations
To diet or not to diet?
• The diet industry is a multibillion dollar a year business
• Hedonic system
• Heredity: 2050% of variability is genetic
• Psychological factors
– Stress, motivation for thinness
– Dieting appears to be a predictor of ED
– False hope syndrome
• Dieting tends to lead to weight fluctuation and is a health risk factor
Etiology: Psychological Views
CognitiveBehavioural Views on AN
• Emphasize fear of fatness and bodyimage disturbance as the motivating factors
that make selfstarvation and weight loss powerful reinforcers
– Behaviours that achieve or maintain thinness are negatively reinforced by
the â of anxiety about becoming fat.
– Dieting and weight loss may be + reinforced by the sense of mastery or
selfcontrol they create
• see the thinspiration effect
• Criticism from peers and parents about being overweight may also contribute to
ED
Psychodynamic View
• Disturbed parentchild relationships
• Symptoms of eating disorder fulfill some need or to avoid growing up sexually
Family Systems Theory
• Relationship between patient and how the symptoms are embedded in a
dysfunctional family structure than may exhibit the following characteristics:
– Enmeshment
– Overprotectiveness – Rigidity
– Lack of conflict resolution
Child Abuse
Personality Factors
In AN
• Perfectionistic, shy, and compliant before the onset of the disorder
In BN
• Histrionic features, affective instability, and an outgoing social disposition
BN and AN
• High in neuroticism and anxiety and low in selfesteem
• High on traditionalism, indicating strong endorsement
• Narcissism
CognitiveBehavioral Theory of BN
Treatment of ED
Up to 90% of people with ED are not in treatment and those who are in treatment are
often resentful
Biological Treatments
• SSRIs in particular fluoxetine (Prozac)
– Frequently used to treat bulimia
– Helps reduce depression, distorted attitudes toward food and eating
• Unfortunately, SSRIs not consistently effective
• More dropouts of studies in biological and cognitivebehavioural treatments
• Currently, there is no empirical basis for using antidepressants to treat AN
Psychological Treatment of AN
– Twotiered process
• Immediate goal is to help the patient gain weight
nd
• 2 goal of treatment is longterm maintenance of weight gain
– Not yet reliably achieved
– CBT of the maintenance of AN
• Based on an extreme need to control eating
• Tendency to judge selfworth in terms of shape and weight
• Treatment has shown
– SchemaFocused Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Family Systems Therapy,
and Interpersonal Therapy used to treat EDs Psychological Treatment of BN
– CBT: treatment of choice for BN and binge eating disorder
Psychological Treatment of BN
– CBT: treatment of choice for BN and binge eating disorder
– Goal: to develop normal eating patterns
– Clients:
• Question society’s standards for physical attractiveness
• Uncover and challenge detrimental beliefs about starving and
becoming overweight
• Learn that normal can be maintained with dieting
•
More
Less