Eating too much, too fast or not enough:this behavior, if it is compulsive and recurrent, can be a sign of an eating disorder. A disease likely to worsen during a possible reconfinement. How to identify them and react to avoid their adverse health effects?
Eating disorders, or eating disorders (ED), are transient or persistent behaviors that come in different forms and disrupt the relationship to food. It is a way of eating that is not in line with the needs of the body and that leads to over- or under-nutrition.
Bulimia
Bulimia causes a person to eat excessively, frequently and in large quantities, without any control. We then speak of "bulimia attacks", during which the person will ingest food, often rich (fatty, sweet), until they experience a feeling of overflow, even disgust. People with bulimia are often prone to a feeling of guilt for overeating, which follows these attacks. This feeling can then lead them to compensate for their behavior by taking laxatives and diuretics, by observing a fast or by voluntary vomiting.
Anorexia
Anorexia is characterized by undernourishment:People with anorexia exhibit a lack of craving and refusal of food. They are often too big. The image they have of themselves is then distorted, which pushes them to have a very low calorie diet. Anorexia is often accompanied by voluntary vomiting in order not to gain or lose weight. This cult dedicated to thinness, even thinness, can go so far as to endanger one's health. This disorder mainly affects young women.
Overeating
Binge eating is similar to bulimia in the binge eating of food. On the other hand, unlike bulimia, there are no compensatory behaviors here (sport, vomiting, deprivation, etc.). Thus, hyperphagia leads to overweight, even obesity.
Anyone concerned?
Eating disorders affect both men and women, at all ages. However, in France, more than 80% of people with these disorders are women, most often in adolescence. If all eating disorders are taken into account, it is estimated that nearly 10% of the population could be affected by one of these pathologies[1].
The confinement due to Covid has been a source of anxiety. Declining morale, behind closed doors and food within easy reach can lead to crises. The national Anorexia Bulimia Info Listening hotline noted a 20% increase in calls last April[2].
For a bulimic, repeated excessive ingestion of food can lead to weight gain, or even obesity. This is often also accompanied by an increase in cholesterol levels and the risk of diabetes. For its part, hyperphagia can also lead to strong weight gain, even to a situation of obesity, as well as to psychological suffering.
Undernourishment due to anorexia can lead to severe weight loss and therefore deficiencies, absence of menstruation in women, or even hair loss. We can also observe in people with anorexia problems of osteoporosis, a drop in blood pressure, frequent bouts of fatigue and malaise. At an advanced stage, malnutrition can have lifelong sequelae, even in the most serious cases lead to death.
Vomiting to be taken seriously
In both cases, repeated vomiting can cause esophagitis, which is an inflammation of the esophagus due to the acidity of bile rising from the stomach. They can also cause severe dehydration.
There are different signs to recognize in order to detect an eating disorder in a loved one or in oneself. The origin of an eating disorder often comes from a malaise:anxiety, depression, lack of self-confidence, etc. It can also result from a bad relationship with one's body. A person with an ED is a person who is in bad shape.
It can show different signs:
For an anorexic:
Some disorders are only temporary and resolve on their own. They can be caused by a phase of stress, anxiety, anguish or disruption in daily life, and cease when these upheavals disappear. Others, more persistent, require care.
First Step:Talk About It
Talking about your eating disorder is the first step towards recovery. We put our finger on the pathology and then begin the treatment phase. You can talk to someone close about it if you want. If you don't dare, there are listening platforms:
A Blue Buddy mobile application can also accompany you on a daily basis with a food diary, psychotherapy techniques, etc.
However, seeing a GP is key to diagnosing the disorder, talking about it and finding help from suitable medical professionals.
Behavioral therapy and/or psychological follow-up
To manage eating disorders, behavioral therapy is usually advised. It is a therapy that aims to modify a behavior in a person through a series of exercises.
A psychological follow-up, with a psychologist or a psychiatrist, is also recommended:this work makes it possible to highlight internal sufferings which may have led to these behaviors. In severe cases, if health is in danger, treatment in a hospital or specialized establishment may also be considered.
Alternative and Alternative Medicine
Mindful yoga and meditation sessions to do at home, thanks to the Petit Bambou application, or even hypnosis, can also help patients find a balanced diet, in parallel with therapy. You can find alternative medicine specialists through the Médoucine network of practitioners.
Eating disorders have many levels and can be temporary or very serious. An untimely urge to finish a chocolate bar or a jar of spread does not necessarily require panic. If the phenomenon becomes recurrent, however, be more attentive to your eating habits in order to detect a possible disorder.
Source:
https://sante.journaldesfemmes.fr/fiches- Maladies/2537660-anorexie-mentale-definition-causes-treatment/
https://psychotherapie.ooreka.fr/comprendre/eating-troubles
https://www.ameli.fr/assure/sante/themes/boulimie-et-hyperphagie-boulimique/boulimie-hyperphagie-boulimique-definition-causes
https://www.doctissimo.fr/medicines-douces/medicines-douces-perte-de-weight/medicines-douces-et-troubles-du-comportement-alimentaire-tca
[1] Figures:https://www.frm.org/recherches-autres- Maladies/troubles-des-conduites-alimentaires/focus-troubles-conduite-alimentaires
[2] https://www.rfi.fr/fr/podcasts/20200429-troubles-conduite-alimentaire-confinement
