Dysfunctional Psychology

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Dysfunctional Psychology
Bulimia Anorexia Nervosa
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Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is a serious life threatening
disorder commonly affecting young women. They go
through binging (consumption of large amounts of
food very quickly) and purging (elimination of
the food by vomiting, laxatives, etc.) Bulimics
fast, exercise vigorously, vomit, and/or use
laxatives. This disorder is partly caused by
extreme concern about weight and self image.
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Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder commonly
among young women. This disorder is caused by
excessive worry about the appearance of their
body which results in the fear of gaining weight,
self-starvation, and a distorted view of body
image. There are two types of anorexia on
characterized by strict diet and exercise, and
the other involves binging and purging.
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Symptoms

• Bulimia
• Binging/purging
• Excessive concern with weight
• Depression/mood swings
• Irregular menstrual periods
• Unusual dental problems
• Swollen cheeks/glands
• Heartburn/bloating

• Anorexia (vary widely
• Thin body
• Dry yellowish skin
• Low blood pressure
• Amenorrhea
• Constipation
• Lack of energy
• Chills/damaged teeth

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History

• Bulimia
• The word bulimia comes from the Greek words bous
  (ox) and limos (hunger), meaning a state of
  excessive hunger.
• This disorder is characterized by frequent
  binging associated with emotional misery and
  accompanied by excessive exercise, self-induced
  vomiting, diuretic abuse, laxative abuse, use of
  appetite suppressants, and/or medications used to
  speed up the metabolism.
• Eating disorders as a group are characterized by
  a fear of weight gain and a distorted body image.
  Bulimia and anorexia nervosa are more common in
  young females, while binge-eating disorder is the
  most common eating disorder overall, and is more
  common in adults, with a 21 ratio of females to
  males .

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• Anorexia
• Anorexia Nervosa was first described in England
  in the 17th Century. It was known as an illness
  by modern medicine over one hundred years ago by
  Professor Ernest Lasegue of the University of
  Paris.
• Since more than 90 percent of people who are
  affected are adolescents and young women, the
  disorder can be characterized as a women's
  illness.
• Most activists of the biological cause believe
  that anorexia is caused genealogically (passed
  down through their parents). According to recent
  studies, mothers and sisters of people with
  anorexia or bulimia are at higher risk of having
  one of these disorders.
• Compared to the rest of the population, these
  mothers and sisters have a risk for anorexia that
  is 11 times higher and a risk for bulimia that is
  4 times higher .

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Etiology

• Bulimia
• One hypothesis of a cause involves abnormalities
  of serotonergic function. Serotonin is involved
  in the development of satiety. It is believed to
  increase postprandial satiety rather than
  directly decreasing appetite. Disturbances in
  serotonergic function or low levels of serotonin
  may be responsible for stopping the sensation of
  satiety and prolonging periods of food ingestion.
• Another possible pathophysiology involves the
  presence of increased levels of peptides,
  specifically, pancreatic polypeptide, known to
  increase appetite. Increased levels of the
  pancreatic polypeptide have been found in some
  individuals with bulimia. Abnormalities of
  central nervous system neurotransmitters may also
  be involved in bulimia nervosa.

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• Anorexia
• Evidence for the biological etiology of anorexia
  is found in the twin and family background.
  Siblings of anorexics have are at a higher risk
  of anorexia than the general population. This may
  be influenced by other family factors. Identical
  twin studies have shown a higher concordance rate
  in identical twins.
• Past research has made several connections with
  anorexia and hormonal fluctuations, particularly
  in the hypothalamus and the anterior pituitary
  gland. Anorexia is also shown to be associated
  with right temporal disturbance. These are
  considered secondary factors in the etiology of
  either anorexia or bulimia.
• Hormonal changes have been shown to occur as a
  result of starvation.

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Treatment - Psychotherapy
Cognitive Behavior Therapy- This most common
type of therapy for this dysfunction focuses on
the thoughts that envelop food and eating and
presents a challenge to the dysfunctional beliefs
on the part of the anorexic. The disorder is
treated as if it is nothing more than a fight for
freedom, intelligence, self-respect, and
self-discipline. Another goal of CBT is to
correct the unhealthy cognitive processes that
are causing the distorted beliefs. One of the
main goals of CBT is for the affected person to
have a more self-focused and self-observant
approach, so the person is asked to keep a diary
of food intake and a journal of thought processes
during the treatment period.
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There are six cognitive approaches that are
widely used in CBT 1) education about the
disorder 2) providing informational answers to
questions in regard to weight, calorie intake,
and changing health status 3) showing the
patient to recognize and focus upon negative
thoughts and other emotions linked to the
distorted beliefs and fixations associated with
weight, body shape, nutrition, exercise, and
other aspects of the disorder. 4) teaching the
patient to come up with and replace alternative,
more productive and positive thoughts for the
negative ones 5) problem-solving discussions 6)
teaching alternative coping strategies (Yager
160-161)
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Family Therapy
Family therapy is proved to be highly effective
and necessary in most cases, especially in cases
where the patient is still living at home. This
is because anorexia creates high emotional stress
that echoes among all family members. Families in
which there is a lot of free expressed emotion'
(families that express large amounts of negative
and critical attitudes) affect the progress of an
anorexic patient. Families undergoing a large
amount of stressors may benefit from behavioral
therapy techniques in which the patient and the
family together learn communication and
problem-solving skills
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