Module 7: Eating disorders Flashcards
Name/recognize the DSM-V diagnostic criteria for: Anorexia Nervosa [AN]/Bulimia Nervosa [BN]/Binge Eating Disorder [BED]) and Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), and their subtypes [paraphrasing] Indicate the relative prevalence and mortality rates of different ED's [paraphrasing] Recognize the correct diagnosis for different eating disorders based on case studies [evaluating] Name controlling behaviors in ED as well as negative consequences of food restriction/underweight [paraph
What are the effects of anorexia nervosa?
- intense fear of gaining weight
- do not recognize severity of low body weight
- disturbed in how they view their own body weight
- exhaustion
- low body temp
- osteoporosis
- stomach complaints
- hormonal inconsistencies (absence of menstruation)
- reduced metabolism
- reduced thyroid functioning
- skin problems
How can AN develop?
Can start out as goal-directed action for weight loss but will lead to habits developing. These can be positively reinforced by weight loss and being in control, leads to enhanced reward sensitivity. Starvation can lead to stress which can result in accelerated habit formation. Also negative reinforcement in AN through avoidance and weight loss. Can become compulsive
How is cognitive control impaired in AN?
- disturbed set-shifting meaning more preservative errors on Wisconsin Card Sorting Task
- perform poorly on Iowa Gambling Task
- stronger focus on delayed gratification and long-term goals
Neuroscientific basis for dual process imbalance in AN
- hyperactivity in caudate important for goal directed control
- disturbed activity in corticostriatal networks important for balance, but not towards habits
How much do habits contribute to AN?
Found patients to perform as well as control on slips-of-action task and shock avoidance paradigm. Perfectionism could reinforce stimulus-response associations between stable contexts. through rigid repetition of dieting and exercising. But more research needs to understand role of habits, but there is some support.
Causes of obesity
- ‘obesogenic environment’ as there are tasty, high-calorie foods out there
- lack of physical exercise
- can lead to higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, joint complaints and cancer, psychological complaints
- evolution lead to preference for fat and sweet food to survive-> nucleus accumbens in network which regulates motivation and food-seeking
Can obesity be linked to drug addiction?
Yes, found to be linked to same brain areas and compulsive as an unhealthy lifestyle continues despite negative consequences. But food addiction could only apply to some people like those with binge-eating disorder.
Cognitive remediation therapy
Improves cognitive processes to improve outcomes, uses specific and explicit training of strategies and transfer techniques. Small to moderate effects for SZ.
How does CRT improve cognitive flexibility in anorexia?
By training set shifting abilities and central coherence strength. It combines simple brain skills, reflecting on thinking styles and translates these to everyday life. Through repetition of cognitive exercise there can be changes in neural pathways and experience self-efficacy. Also allows for generalizing to life functioning
What have results found?
CRT improved flexibility in neuropsychological tasks, increased awareness of thinking styles, greater improvement in cognitive inefficiencies and improvement in quality of life. But unclear whether more effective than CBT
What is a challenge in treating individuals with an eating disorder?
Low motivation to make behavioural changes
How can CRT improve motivation?
Increases intrinsic motivation which is needed to translate cognitive gains into changes in everyday life, but this can change for those with SZ. NEAR program helps those become independent learners which showed improvements. Issues with these are linked to daily activities and functioning, matters how they perceive their competency and expectations regarding failure. Focusses on ease of tasks being done than achievement and has mixed results.
How could CRT be applied across eating disorders?
Issues with set-shifting and central coherence found across eating disorders. Inhibitory control difficulties for those with binge eating and bulimia. Memory-biases and decision making impairments found.
How could CRT be improved?
- motivation important, but should be more personalized as not everyone has the same cognitive problems and evaluating how important CRT Is across eating disorders
- identifying techniques that produce the largest cognitive change and combining CRT with other skill-based interventions
fMRI support for habit model of AN
Dorsal striatum and dorsal frontostriatal systems have been found to be important for guiding food choices for patients with AN which have been linked to habits
How can behaviours become more problematic?
Emotional states can lead to restrictive food choices, maladaptive food choice linked to poorer prognosis, disordered mealtime behaviours
Which method is better than selective satiation?
Habit strength which is the likelihood that a behaviour is elicited by a stimulus or context and can predict future behaviour. Intentions found to be less relevant in guiding behaviour as habit strength increases
Method of this study
Patients randomly assigned to receive supportive psychotherapy with a regulating emotions and changing habits intervention (cue awareness, new behavioural routines, suppression of maladaptive habits and emotion regulation). First phase involved psychoeducation and then behavioural analysis which involved assessing external and internal cues. Then strategies for habit change were introduced like habit reversal stimulus control, urge exposure etc. Then alternate rewards were introduced. Then in the final phase patients evaluated progress in responding to cues with alternative actions and generalization of behaviour change. Primary outcome measure is SRHI.
Competing responses
Counteractions done until the urge
Stimulus control
Alteration of environment to discourage the behaviour