Wednesday 24/07/2024
PHOTO: Digital image
TEXT: María Sabaté and Lina Camacho
Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that involve disordered eating behavior. This might mean restricting food intake, eating very large quantities of food at once, countering food eaten through purging, fasting or excessive exercise, or combination of these behaviors. It is important, though, to remember that eating disorders are not about food. Instead, the eating behavior might be a coping mechanism/ self regulation strategy or a way for the sufferer to feel in control.
Risk factors of eating disorders:
It’s common to believe you can “see” an eating disorder. However, they are mental illnesses, and changes in behavior and mood will probably be noticeable well before changes to appearance. Eating disorders vary from person to person in a unique way, however research shows there are some common signs and traits that increase the likelihood of developing an eating disorder.
Perfectionism
Perfectionism is one of the first signs of an ED, it is predictive of both the onset and maintenance of the disorder. Perfectionism is linked to social anxiety associated with one’s appearance, and the fear of being negatively judged by others, and these associations are related to increased ED. Worry about one’s imperfections is a strong predictor of ED.
Emotion dysregulation
One of the main factors that influence eating disorders is Emotion regulation, which refers to one’s ability to effectively manage and respond to emotional experiences or situations, including the processes used to control, evaluate, and adjust one’s emotional responses. When emotions are not regulated efficiently or successfully, this gives place to emotional dysregulation. Difficulties with emotion regulation are linked to the development, maintenance, and outcomes of eating disorder (ED) symptoms. Research indicates that individuals with EDs often use maladaptive strategies like self-destructive behaviors, avoiding emotions, rumination, suppression of desires or negative feelings, and unsuccessful coping techniques to self-regulate.
Struggling to accept and tolerate emotions, coupled with negative judgments of these emotions, may drive individuals to diet and restrict carbohydrates to regain a sense of control. By controlling food intake, they may feel they are controlling their emotions.
Anxiety sensitivity or fear of emotions
Anxiety sensitivity is the fear of experiencing the bodily symptoms of anxiety, believing that anxiety (an emotion as valid as the others) has negative physical, cognitive, or social consequences. This sensitivity can also be understood as the fear of having emotions, meaning that emotions when are deemed as negative produce such anxiety that leads to physical distress, also negative thinking loops and often social withdrawal in order to avoid anxiety-provoking situations. ED behaviors are often a way to avoid or repress all the anxiety they might be experiencing.
Body dissatisfaction
One of the first signs of an eating disorder is body dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction involves a negative assessment of one’s body appearance or features, arising from a gap between perceived and ideal body image. Such dissatisfaction can lead to viewing the body as separate from the self, which may result in self-destructive behaviors (due to disembodiment).
The higher the level of body dissatisfaction, the greater the likelihood of developing an eating disorder, as individuals may use behaviors like binge-eating as a temporary coping mechanism to relieve the distress and negative emotions related to their body image issues.
How to prevent Eating Disorders?
To prevent EDs, it’s important to understand factors like perfectionism, difficulty managing emotions, fear of anxiety, and dissatisfaction with body image. Identifying these risks allows us to act early and offer preventive support. Promoting self-acceptance and creating safe spaces to talk about emotions are key to avoiding these disorders. If you or someone close to you is dealing with these issues, seeking professional help can be very beneficial. Prevention starts with understanding and taking mindful steps to maintain a healthier relationship with food and with oneself.
References
- Bazo Perez, M., & Frazier, L. D. (2024). Risk and resilience in eating disorders: differentiating pathways among psychosocial predictors. Journal of Eating Disorders, 12(1), 62.