Eating Disorders

Question 1

What is the rough estimate for lifelong prevalence of anorexia?

Answer 1

0.1-0.9%

Question 2

What are the components of the SCOFF Questionnaire?

Answer 2

Do you make yourself Sick ?
Do you worry you have lost Control?
Have you recently lost more than One stone in 3 months?
Do you believe yourself to be Fat?
Would you say that Food dominates your life?

Question 3

In what ways may someone avoid calorie intake?

Answer 3

• Diets – becoming vegetarian, vegan
• Not touching food or grease
• Developing dislikes, pickiness, even ‘allergies’
• Interpreting all symptoms as allergy or indigestion
• Eating slowly
• Avoiding parties/social occasions
• Spoiling or messing of food
• Refusing to eat more than others etc
• Medication abuse

Question 4

In what ways may someone get rid of calories?

Answer 4

• Self-induced vomiting
• Chewing & spitting out
• Overexercise – often secret
• Overactivity
• Cooling – inadequate dress, open windows etc
• Blood letting
• Medication abuse

Question 5

What behaviours outside of eating may indicate eating disorder?

Answer 5

• ‘Body checking’
• Displaying emaciation
• Competing with self/others to achieve lower targets
• Compulsive browsing of gossip magazines
• Deliberate self harm

Question 6

What are some of the psychological consequences of eating disorders?

Answer 6

• Overvaluation of low weight + thin/lean shape
• Reduced central coherence and narrowed focus of interest
• Inabilities to interpret emotion
• Depression, anxiety, obsessionality
• Failure to achieve other coping methods
• Anxiety eating in company

Question 7

What are some of the social consequences of eating disorders?

Answer 7

• Deceitful behaviours
• Withdrawal from friendships
• Loss of interest in sexual relationships
• Isolation

Question 8

What are some of the physical consequences of eating disorders?

Answer 8

Starvation - heart damage, reduced immunity to infections, anaemia, bone loss, fertility problems

Purging behaviours - neuro-chemical disruption to brain (seizures) and heart (arrhythmias). Potassium is only one crude measure of the problem

Growth problems

Question 9

What are some precipitating factors for anorexia nervosa?

Answer 9

• Puberty - hormone chnages
• Dieting/Non-deliberate weight loss
• Increased exercise
• Stressful life events

Question 10

What are some perpetuating factors for anorexia nervosa?

Answer 10

• Delayed gastirc emptying
• Narrowing focus
• Obsessionality
• High EE in family