Eating Disorders Flashcards
Historical perspective on Eating Disorders
- saints ‘holy anorexia’
- witches
- insane
- disease
- mental disorder
Sir William Gull on anorexia
- British physician interested in the scientific study of dysfunction of the gastric system
- 1874- makes the first reference to anorexia nervosa
- no physical cause for loss of appetite and emaciation
- concluded that anorexia is a psychiatric phenomenon resulting from psychopathology
Classification of eating disorders in DSM 3
- anorexia and bulimia appeared for the first time in the DSM
- classified as a subtype of disorders usually first diagnosed in infancy, childhood or adolescence
Classification of eating disorders in DSM 4
a separate diagnostic category was created for eating disorders
Classification of eating disorders in DSM 5
- binge-eating disorder added to the DSM
- Anorexia Nervosa- amenorrhea no longer a requirement for diagnosis
Anorexia Nervosa prevalence
young females - 0.4%
10 times more common in women
anorexia course and long-term outcomes
- average age of onset 14-18 yrs
- 50% weight in normal range
- 2-% significantly below normal body weight
- 5% death
- 50% still experience eating difficulties
- can develop new problems: depression, bulimia, social difficulties
Bulimia Nervosa prevalence
- young females 1-1.5%
Bulimia Nervosa course and long-term outcomes
70% symptom free
- 20% some improvement but still struggle
- 10% chronically ill
- rarely fatal but may be at increased risk for suicide
binge eating disorder prevalence
females- 1.6%
males- 0.8%
binge eating disorder course and long-term outcomes
- needs more research
- CBT results in remission rates of up to 50%
- interpersonal therapy- remission of 62%
- improvement in broader areas- depressive symptoms, psychosocial functioning and body dissatisfaction
Reported Prevalence Rates in Non-Western Countries of eating disorders
AN- 0.002%-0.9%
BN- -.46% - 3.2%
- increase in prevalence is attributed to the influence of the media, adoption of Western values and acculturation stress
Le Grange (1998)
university students in SA
- Black students scored significantly higher than white participants on the Eating Attitudes Test and Bulimic Investigatory Test
- An equal percentage of black and white participants scored above the cut-off on these measures
- The percentage of female participants who reported irregular menses and who were underweight was meaningful in all racial groups
- Concluded that eating disorders were present in both groups
Wassenaar (2000)
- Eating Disorders Inventory administered
- White students had significantly higher scores for ‘body dissatisfaction’
- Black students had significantly higher scores for ‘drive for thinness’ and ‘perfectionism’
- No difference in scores indicating bulimia nervosa
- Concluded that significant eating disorder pathology exists in South African women across ethnic groups
Edwards (2004)
- male and female university students
- Initial findings – bulimic pathology evident in 25% of white female students; 10% of black female students and 5% of the black male students
- After interviewing participants – no evidence of a high risk for bulimia nervosa in black female and male participants
- Measures are normed for North America
- Variations in the ease and familiarity with the discourse of eating disorders
- Need to explore the reasons people engage in particular eating behaviours – does it indicate the presence of an eating disorder?
Morris and Szabo (2013) what was the meaning of thinness?
- physical illness and stress are reasons for getting too thin
- Schools A&B (HIV, TB, stress)
- Schools D&E (body dissatisfaction, pressure towards thinness, social comparison)
- sick skinny vs nice skinny
- Cultural identity confusion - thinness is a way to construct a more coherent sense of identity
Morris & Szabo, 2013- Meanings of Thinness -Dysfunctional Eating Behaviour
- Skipping meals – stress, embarrassed to eat food brought from home; having no food
- A way to lose weight
- Zulu Culture – purging is a necessary form of ‘cleansing’ used to promote well-being and as a remedy for a range of physical and emotional maladies
- Laxatives used to get rid of toxins
- Binge-eating – not eating at school, social gatherings
Morris & Szabo, 2013- Meanings of Thinness conclusion
- Typically western meanings of thinness were identified
- South African adolescents may be at risk for developing eating disorders during the period of rapid social-cultural transition that is occurring in post-apartheid South Africa
- Traditional forms of purging could provide a culturally sanctioned remedy for western body image concerns
- Western diagnostic measures may incorrectly identify the presence of an eating disorder
- Western diagnostic systems may not be able to identify dysfunctional eating patterns that may need treatment