Eating Disorders Flashcards
1
Q
List the questions on the SCOFF questionaire
A
- Do you make yourself sick because you feel uncomfortably full?
- Do you worry you have lost control over how much you eat?
- Have you recently lost more than one stone in a 3 month period
- Do you believe yourself to be fat when others say you are too thin?
- Would you say that food dominates your life
2
Q
Describe the features of eating disorders (aka obsessive weight losing disorders)
A
- There is an obsessive fear of fatness with avoidance of food and other sources of calories
- Compulsive compensatory behaviours when food cannot be avoided
- These behaviours are the only way to avoid the experience of anxiety
- There are secondary physical and psychological consequences of starvation
3
Q
Describe the features of anorexia nervosa
A
- Restriction of intake to reduced weight
- Relies on compulsive compensatory behaviours when food cannot be avoided: self induced vomiting, laxative abuse, , excessive exercise and abuse of appetite suppresants/diuretics
- Considered anorexic if they are 15% below ideal body weight/BMI 17.5 <
- Fear of weight gain
- Absence of menstrual cycle
- Other features: cold intolerance, blue hands/feet, constipation, bloating, delayed puberty, primary/secondary amenorrhoea, dry skin, fainting, hypotension, scalp hair loss, early satiety, weakness, fatigue, short stature, osteopenia and osteoporosis
4
Q
Describe the features of bullimia nervosa
A
- Episodes of binge eating with a sense of loss of control
- Compensatory behaviour of the purging type: self induced vomiting, laxative abuse, excessive exercise, fasting or strict diets
- Binges and compensatory behaviour must occur a minimum of two times per week for three months
- Dissatisfaction with body shape and weight
5
Q
List the signs and symptoms which may occur in a patient with bullimia
A
- Mouth sores, pharyngeal trauma, dental caries, heart burn, chest pain, eosophageal rupture, muscle cramps, weakness, bloody diarrhoea, irregular periods, fainting , swollen parotid glands and hypotension
- Impulsivity: stealing, alcohol abuse and drugs/tobacco
6
Q
Describe the features of a binge eating disorder
A
- Similar to bullimia nervosa
- Absence of purging behaviours
- Ongoing and repetitive cycles
- Unusually fast eating
- Large amounts consumed: uncomfortably full
- Embarrassment, shame, guilt and depression
7
Q
How can patients with eating disorders avoid calorie intake?
A
- Diets
- Not touching food or grease
- Dislikes, pickiness and allergies
- Eating slowly and only at certain times
- Avoiding parties and social occassions
- Spoiling or messing food
- Refusing to eat more than the person who eats least
- Medication abuse: appetite suppressants (gum, cigarettes etc.)
8
Q
How can patients with eating disorders get rid of calories?
A
- Self induced vomiting
- Chewing and spitting out
- Over exercise
- Overactivity
- Cooling
- Blood letting
- Medication abuse
9
Q
What other behaviours can be associated with eating disorders in general?
A
- Body checking
- Displaying emaciated form
- Cruising websites/facebook etc.
- Competing with self and others to attain lower targets
- Compulsive browsing of gossip magazines and websites
- Deliberate self harm
10
Q
What are the psychological consequences of eating disorders?
A
- Extreme overvaluation of low weight and thin/lean shape - resembles religious belief
- Obsessive weight losing feels like a solution, not a problem
- Reduced central coherence and narrowed focus of interest
- Inability to interpret emotion (improves with nutrition)
- Malnourished brains experience depression, anxiety, obsessionality and loss of concentration
11
Q
What are the social consequences of eating disorders?
A
- Lying and cheating
- Potentially stealing
- Withdrawal from friendships and lose interest in sexual relationships
12
Q
What are the physical consequences of eating disorders?
A
- Heart damage, reduced immunity to infections, anaemia, bone loss and fertility problems
- Purging behaviours cause seizures, heart arrhythmias (potassium)
- Growth problems
13
Q
What are the causes of anorexia?
A
- Genetic predisposition
- Perinatal factors
- Life events and traumas
- Perpetuating consequences of starvation and of avoidance
14
Q
What are the precipitating factors for eating disorders?
A
- Puberty
- Dieting or non deliberate weight loss
- Increased exercise
- Stressful life events: neglect, abuse, transitions to high school or uni, deaths, losses etc.
15
Q
What are the perpetuating factors for eating disorders?
A
-Delayed gastric emptying
-Narrowed focus
-Obsessionality
High EE
