A lot of individuals think that disordered eating (DE) and eating disorders (ED) are similar in description. However, the two diseases are different in definition and manifestation. Disordered eating is a collective term that point to the various abnormal behaviors of eating meals (Culbert, Racine, & Klump, 2015). On the other hand, eating disorders are diseases that change the eating habits of an individual (Mehler, & Andersen, 2017). The causes of eating disorders include depressions and stress due to changes in body shape or weight. The diseases are characterized by taking little than normal food uptake by an individual. Other people consume excessive chunks of meals when they have the eating diseases. The absorption of excess or a small amount of food interferes with the normal functioning of body organs.
Examples of the disorders are Binge, Bulimia Nervosa, and Anorexia Nervosa (Brownell, & Walsh, 2017). The diseases occur at any developmental phase of human beings. However, physiologists report a majority of cases at the early stages of growth. Therefore, a large percentage of the disorders affect children. Well-Constructed treatment methods help to alleviate the diseases. The affected individuals should visit health facilities for a check-up before the symptoms become severe. Delayed diagnosis and treatment worsen the effects of the dietary diseases and can lead death of an individual (Douglas, 2015). Eating disorders are mental disorders and majorly occur as a result of depression, anxiety, and drug addiction. The clear distinction between DE and ED is the severity level and occurrence frequency. This paper will look at the difference between DE and ED. Furthermore, the essay will discuss the types of EDs and treatment recommendations.
Types of Disordered Eating (DE)
There is a variety of DEs and EDs at the same time. Disordered Eating habits include Binge-eating and fasting (Nagata et al., 2018). The individuals who fast go for days, weeks, or even months without feeding. In most scenarios, the people fasting drink water and entirely forego meals. There is a group of individuals who have the habits of skipping meals. The skippers can take a break first and skip lunch after which they eat dinner. There are those who control the type of food elements that they partake. For instance, an individual can opt to take carbohydrates and refuse to eat proteins.
Some individuals take diet pills to compensate for the foods that they cannot have during feeding. An example is an individual who does not take fatty foods but opts for tablets to cover up the lack of fats in the diet (Herpertz-Dahlmann et al., 2015). The use of creatine and steroids is also an example of DE. Athletes use the mentioned supplements to improve their performance on the various sporting categories. The supplements also change their appearances. However, excessive use of supplements is detrimental to the health of the athletes. The individuals should use little amounts of supplements to prevent harm.
Types of Eating Disorders (ED)
The disease affects both males and females and occurs at all phases of development. However, the complication is rampant in individuals approaching adulthood (Boraska et al., 2014). The affected individuals believe that proper eating leads to weight gain. Furthermore, the persons affected to decline the chance of maintaining their weight. Anorexia Nervosa also makes individuals to view the image of their body in a false perspective (Zipfel et al., 2015). Therefore, those affected are not comfortable with their shapes and sizes. The people crave to maintain their weight by all means. The condition makes people take little food to avoid being overweight.
Anorexia Nervosa makes people see themselves in an oversize scenario. Few individuals may be genuinely overweight, but a majority is of the right weight. The obese individuals minimize feeding to gain the proper pressure. However, those with desirable weight become thin due to the disease. The disease has serious health drawbacks on the affected individuals. The condition leads to brain disorders and bone loss. Furthermore, anorexia causes infertility in women. There are also reported cases of heart and organ failures in the affected individuals (Zipfel et al., 2015). The disease can also lead to coma, and severe cases lead to deaths if not noticed and treated at early stages.
Bulimia Nervosa
The affected individuals tend to have habits of binge-eating which they frequently repeat. The affected persons also develop habits of compensating for their overeating habits. The behaviors include too much exercise and induced vomiting (Wilson, & Bannon, 2018). Certain individuals use diuretics and laxatives to correct their overeating habits. The individuals consume excessive food but fear to gain weight. Moreover, Bulimia makes the affected persons sad due to their expanding body shape and size. Therefore, they use corrective measures to match their feeding habits. The main aim of the victims is to maintain their weight regardless of their feeding behaviors.
The victims carry out the binge-eating in secrecy due to the fear of shame. The individuals also undergo the cycle of plunging away from people since they cannot control the behavior (Wilson, & Bannon, 2018). Moreover, Bulimia makes victims guilty hence most of them live secret lives. Furthermore, they feed and perform habits such as induced vomiting away from people. The disease leads to internal injury like gastrointestinal complications. The condition can also lead to heart failure if not treated at the early stages. Victims also complain of electrolyte imbalance and electrolyte imbalance.
Binge-eating Disease (BED)
The victims of this disorder cannot regulate their eating habits. There is a thin line between the disease and bulimia. The binge-eating illness does not result in fasting, excess exercising, and purging like bulimia (Guerdjikova, Mori, Casuto, & McElroy, 2017). The disorder leads to obesity and related complications such as overweight and diabetes. Recent research has shown that BED also points to several heart complications. The disease affects both male and females and occurs majorly in adulthood. The affected individuals face guilt due to their unusual feeding habits (Cassin, & David, 2014). Moreover, BED causes depression and embarrassment to the affected persons. The effects of the condition increase the severity of the disease hence should get medical attention at the juvenile stages.
Causes of EDs
Recent research speculates that the eating disorders occur as a result of numerous conditions. However, scientists cannot point out the exact causes of the feeding diseases. Researchers have pointed out that a conglomeration of physiological, biological, and environmental factors lead to the occurrence of E.Ds. The natural causes include abnormal functioning of the hormones and genetics (Schulte, Grilo, & Gearhardt, 2016). The other biological factor is insufficient nutrients in food. Physiological factors include a negative perception of an individual’s weight and size (Rozenblat et al., 2017). A majority of individuals also have weakened self-esteem.
The environmental issues that lead to Eating disorders include career paths that require employees to maintain a specific shape and size. Examples of such professions include modeling and ballet. Some sports need the participants to be thin to improve their performances (Saukko, 2017). Such sporting activities include diving, gymnastics and boat rowing. Other restricted sports are wrestling and running for long distances. Childhood and family trauma cause individuals to develop the E.Ds. There are also a peer and cultural pressure to maintain a certain size and shape. Depression also causes an individual to establish an eating disorder.
Approaches to Eating Disorders
The person suffering from the disorder should first develop a plan for treatment before taking the medications. The idea should be able to treat the treat the disease within a specified period. Moreover, the program enables the individual to focus on the specific disorder such as bulimia (Treasure, Smith, & Crane, 2016). The physician should begin by attending to physical complications as a result of the eating disorder. The hospital administration should gather the necessary resources to participate in different eating disorders. The physicians should expose the patient to the available treatment options. The clients should choose an option that is affordable and has little or no side effects.
Medications are ideal in the management of Eating disorders but eliminate the diseases. The limitation of the drugs calls for a combined therapy by the psychological means. A majority of eating disorders occur as a result of depression hence physicians prescribe antidepressants as a remedy for the diseases (Treasure, Smith, & Crane, 2016). The drugs work well in cases of the binge-eating illness. Furthermore, disorders that cause purging habits can also end when the patient uses antidepressants. There are medications which reduce the effects of complications such as anorexia. The antidepressants minimize anxiety and depression hence reducing the chances of contracting E.Ds.
The family members of victims should take them to hospitals in cases of severe eating complications. Anorexia patients who cannot gain weight or eat require urgent medical attention. The disorders can also result from mental or physical health complications. Such cases need immediate medical remedy (Treasure, Smith, & Crane, 2016). The physicians have the responsibility of stabilizing the severe symptoms of the disorder. The stabilization process starts with the normalization of weight and eating habits of the victim. The medical attention of severe cases requires many days and weeks to correct the feeding anomaly. The therapy can be in the form of individual, family, or group therapy.
Psychological Approach
The approach works better than medical and biomedical methods. The patient should regularly visit a psychologist to advise on the remedies to the complications. The therapy can go for a long time until the disorder ends. Psychological assistance rectifies the eating habit of the victim thereby achieving a desirable weight (Hilbert et al., 2015). Moreover, the patient switches from undesirable feeding behaviors to desirable ones. The experts train their clients on the ways of checking their moods and eating habits. Furthermore, the victims develop necessary skills after the learning sessions. Psychological advice also enables individuals to manage stress without altering their eating habits. Expert advice allows victims to improve their relationship with others. Their mood also enhances after the lessons by the expert.
Psychological Treatment
Cognitive therapy
The therapy monitors an individual’s feelings, thoughts, and behaviors concerning the eating disorder (Hilbert et al., 2015). Firstly, the psychotherapist assists the individual to develop acceptable feeding habits. Secondly, the expert provides tips on how to maintain a healthy size, shape, and weight. The lesson ends when the client can keep their weight without supervision. Cognitive therapy also enables one to identify and alter unwanted thoughts that result in feeding diseases.
Family-based Intervention
The therapy is home-based and involves the attention of family members. The members of the family assist in the identification of the disorder. Secondly, the members help in the restoration of desirable feeding patterns (Hilbert et al., 2015). The principal objective of the family is to assist the patient in maintaining proper body weight. The intervention train parents on ways of helping their children to sustain efficient eating habits.
Group intervention
The remedy involves visiting a psychologist in the company of other victims of eating disorders. The forums enable the patients to share their feelings, behaviors, and thoughts concerning the feeding disease (Baer, 2015). The expert, therefore, trains the clients on how to manage their symptoms. Furthermore, the patients acquire skills on ways of restoring proper eating behaviors. Nutritional education helps the victims to maintain a balanced diet. The teaching enables the victims to know how to plan their meals without skipping any meal. The training should sensitize the patients on the need to maintain three square meals in each passing day. The clients should also strive not to diet. The patients should learn how proper feeding impacts their body. The victims should also discover the relationship between eating disorders and physical issues.
Treatment Recommendations
The complications are always severe and complicated in manifestation. Experts recommend that a team of highly qualified caregivers should attend to patients with eating disorders. The medical experts should develop a comprehensive recovery and healing process for the victims. The physicians create the plans of treatment to address the numerous complaints by the victims (Hay et al., 2014). The aim of the procedure should be to restore the regular feeding habits. The remedy for eating disorders is a multi-chain due to the numerous causes of the diseases. The treatment should involve nutritionists, therapists, and medics to ensure recovery of the patients. Therefore, every expert must produce the best treatment to eliminate the disorders.
The nutritionists should advise on the feeding habits and the frequency of eating per day. The victims should have their feeding timetable until they recover from the eating disorder. The patients should take a balanced diet and maintain not less than three meals on a daily basis (Juarascio et al., 2015). The medical doctors have the responsibility of monitoring the patient and taking proper care of them in the health facility. The doctor should examine the condition of the patient and to recommend appropriate medication to cater for the disease. The physician can recommend antidepressants for stressed patients.
Psychotherapists should also play a vital role in the treatment of eating disorders. The fact that no medical remedy can cure the condition necessitates the presence of a psychotherapist. Therapy can take the form of a family, a group, or an individual (McElroy, Guerdjikova, Mori, & Keck, 2015). Any type of therapy is essential in treating the disorders. The patient should choose the treatment that best fits their condition. Therapy creates room for the victim to disclose the causes of their feeding diseases. Furthermore, the therapeutic period enables the patients to recover from the conditions that cause the disease. The healing period is sufficient for complete recovery and restoration of healthy eating habits.
The patients learn about the skills of managing stress hence escape from possible disorders due to depression. The experts encourage the patients to share out their problems to avoid anxiety. The recommended medications vary depending on the seriousness and the type of disorder. The first treatment step should involve the recognition of the kind of the eating disorder that is affecting the patient (Cook-Cottone, 2015). Secondly, the physicians should address the problem and recommend the appropriate medications such as antidepressants. Physiotherapists and nutritionists are essential experts in the treatment of eating disorders.
Conclusion
Disordered eating and Eating disorders are almost the same but differ on the level of seriousness. Disordered eating is a collective term that implies the various abnormal behaviors of taking meals. On the other hand, eating disorders are complications that alter the eating behaviors of a person. The different types of disordered eating include binge-eating and fasting. Other examples are the uptake of dietary pills and selective feeding. Eating disorders include Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. Other examples of ED include binge-eating disease and many others. The eating disorders are as a result of biological and psychological factors. Additionally, environmental issues result in the conditions. The approaches for dealing with the diseases are both medical and psychological approaches. The renowned drug used to manage the disorders is the antidepressants. Psychological approaches complement the therapeutic procedure in the treatment process.
References
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