8- Eating Disorders Flashcards
What are the 2 main eating disorders?
Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa
How is anorexia characterised?
Persistent reduction in energy intake
What does anorexia lead to?
Significantly low body weight
What fear do people with anorexia feel?
An intense fear of gaining weight
What behaviour do people with anorexia engage in?
Persistent behaviour that interferes with weight gain
What do people with anorexia experience?
Disturbance in experience of own body weight, lack of recognition of seriousness of current low body weight
What is bulimia characterised by?
Recurrent binge eating episodes
What is a binge eating episode?
Eating more within a discrete time period
What do people with bulimia experience?
A sense of lack of control overeating
What do people with bulimia engage in?
Compensatory behaviour to prevent weight gain
2 biological explanations of anorexia
Hypothalamus dysfunction and dopamine
Who came up with the hypothalamus dysfunction theory and what does it say?
Garfinkel & Gardner (1982)- disturbed hypothalamus function means lack of weight thermostat
What additional evidence supports the hypothalamus dysfunction theory of anorexia?
Other hypothalamus functions are impaired in anorexia
What is BMI correlated with in the hypothalamus?
Grey matter
Why is evidence for the hypothalamus dysfunction theory unclear?
Other brain regions are also atrophied
