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Eating Disorders
Do you think you might have an
eating disorder?
All Students 9.5%
Males
5.0%
Females
11.6%
Do you know someone who you
think has an eating disorder?
All Students 68.3%
Males
70.0%
Females
67.4%
90% are female
Eating Disorders
• For those of you who know someone with
an eating disorder:
• What makes you think he or she has one? What
do they do?
• Why do they do it?
Eating Disorders
• Eating disorders involve serious disturbances in
eating behaviors, such as extreme and unhealthy
reduction of food intake or severe overeating, as
well as feelings of distress or extreme concern
about body shape or weight
- National Institute of Mental Health, 2004
Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa
• Resistance to maintaining body weight at or above
normal for height and age
• Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat,
even though underweight
• Disturbance in body image, undue influence of
weight and shape on self-esteem, denial of
seriousness of low body weight
• Lifetime prevalence among females: 0.5-3.7%
Anorexia – Related Behaviors
• Obsessed with the process of eating
• Repeatedly checking body weight
• Exercising compulsively
• May involve compensatory behaviors (purging)
Symptoms of Bulimia Nervosa
• Recurrent episodes of binge eating and a sense of
lack of control during binge episodes
• Recurrent compensatory behavior to prevent
weight gain (purging, fasting, or excessive
exercise)
• Binging and compensatory behaviors both occur at
least 2x/week for 3 months
• Lifetime prevalence among females: 1.1-4.2%
Symptoms of Binge Eating
• Do at least 3 of the following 5 things:
•
•
•
•
•
Eat much faster than normal
Eat until uncomfortably full
Eat large amounts when not hungry
Eat alone due to embarrassment over amount
Feel depressed or guilty after eating
• Binge eating = bulimia without the purging
• 2-5% of Americans in a 6 month period
Body Weight Patterns
• Anorexia nervosa – underweight
• Bulimia Nervosa – normal weight
• Binge eating – over weight
Associated Factors
• Beauty standards
• 76% of women who diet do so for cosmetic
rather than health reasons
Conformity or Deviance?
• Are people with anorexia conforming to, or
deviating from cultural expectations?
• How about binge eaters and bulimics?
Do you suffer from depression?
All Students 27.0%
Males
15.0%
Females
32.6%
Do you suffer from anxiety?
All Students
Males
Females
46.0%
25.0%
55.8%
Statistically Significant
Eating Disorders & Depression
Depression-Yes
Depression-No
% of class who
think they have an
eating disorder
29.4%
2.2%
very statistically significant
Eating Disorders & Anxiety
Anxiety –Yes
Anxiety – No
% of class who
think they have an
eating disorder
20.7%
0.0%
very statistically significant
Primary and Secondary Deviance
• Primary deviance
• Multiple causes
• Often excused without lasting consequence
• Secondary Deviance – deviance that
results from having been labeled deviant
• Internalization
• Reduced opportunities
Becoming “Anorexic/Bulimic”
• When the desire to be thin co-occurs with
initial failure at dieting, experimentation
with extreme dieting methods is likely
• When weight loss from extreme dieting is
approved by others, the dieting is reinforced
Labeling the Behavior
• Extreme dieting is initially excused as
“primary deviance”
• How?
• Over time, weight loss and/or binge
eating bring negative public attention
• People become “concerned,” stop praising
appearance, and eating behaviors
• The secret is out - the labeling process begins
Labeling and Help Seeking
• “People with eating disorders often do not
recognize or admit that they are ill. As a result
they may strongly resist getting and staying in
treatment” – NIMH, 2004
• Labeling can facilitate help-seeking
• Accepting the problem (self-labeling) legitimizes the
need for help & treatment
• Help-seeking is most likely if the problem is viewed in
“medical” rather than “judgmental” terms
Treatment for Eating Disorders
• Medical Intervention
• For anorexics, restore weight to normal range
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
• Psychological disturbances (distorted body image, low
self-esteem), may include families
• Medication Therapy
• Anti-depressants, anti-anxiety