Problem 4: You Are What You Eat
Eating Disorders → a persistent disturbance in eating behaviours.
Anorexia Nervosa → a fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, accompanied by behaviours
causing the low body weight observed in patients. Patients deny having a problem with their
perception of food and eating and conceal it by wearing baggy clothes or drinking a lot of water/
hiding bulky objects in their clothing to increase their weight. There are two subtypes of the
disorder:
Restricting subtype → these patients will limit their food intake by all means and tend to be
admired by others with eating disorders.
Binge -eating/purging subtype → these patients have episodes of binging and purging, where
their eating is out of control and excessively in a short amount of time, and then remove the
ingested food from their body with methods like self-induced vomiting, laxatives, etc.
DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria for Anorexia Nervosa:
1. Restriction of energy intake relative to requirements, leading to a significantly low body
weight in the context of age, sex, developmental trajectory, and physical health. Significantly
low weight is defined as a weight that is less than minimally normal or, for children and
adolescents, less than that minimally expected.
2. Intense fear of gaining weight or of becoming fat, or persistent behaviour that interferes with
weight gain, even though at a significantly low weight.
3. Disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence
of body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or persistent lack of recognition of the seriousness
of the current low body weight.
The Face of Anorexia Nervosa → patients with anorexia nervosa often times have brittle
hair and nails, and dry skin with a yellow tone. Downy hair referred to as lanugo grows on their
face, neck, arms, back, and legs. Additionally, low blood pressure and poor oxygen circulation
could cause their skin to adopt a purple or blue shade that is very cold to the touch. Deficiencies in
vitamin B1 accounts for depressive feelings and mood changes, and an imbalance in electrolytes,
for example low potassium, can lead to heart arrhythmia and kidney damage. Due to malnutrition
at a still-developing age, even recovered patients have a higher risk of developing osteoporosis
later in life. Finally, the abuse of laxatives can lead to electrolyte imbalances, dehydration, kidney
disease, and damage to the bowels and gastrointestinal tract.
Eating Disorders → a persistent disturbance in eating behaviours.
Anorexia Nervosa → a fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, accompanied by behaviours
causing the low body weight observed in patients. Patients deny having a problem with their
perception of food and eating and conceal it by wearing baggy clothes or drinking a lot of water/
hiding bulky objects in their clothing to increase their weight. There are two subtypes of the
disorder:
Restricting subtype → these patients will limit their food intake by all means and tend to be
admired by others with eating disorders.
Binge -eating/purging subtype → these patients have episodes of binging and purging, where
their eating is out of control and excessively in a short amount of time, and then remove the
ingested food from their body with methods like self-induced vomiting, laxatives, etc.
DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria for Anorexia Nervosa:
1. Restriction of energy intake relative to requirements, leading to a significantly low body
weight in the context of age, sex, developmental trajectory, and physical health. Significantly
low weight is defined as a weight that is less than minimally normal or, for children and
adolescents, less than that minimally expected.
2. Intense fear of gaining weight or of becoming fat, or persistent behaviour that interferes with
weight gain, even though at a significantly low weight.
3. Disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence
of body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or persistent lack of recognition of the seriousness
of the current low body weight.
The Face of Anorexia Nervosa → patients with anorexia nervosa often times have brittle
hair and nails, and dry skin with a yellow tone. Downy hair referred to as lanugo grows on their
face, neck, arms, back, and legs. Additionally, low blood pressure and poor oxygen circulation
could cause their skin to adopt a purple or blue shade that is very cold to the touch. Deficiencies in
vitamin B1 accounts for depressive feelings and mood changes, and an imbalance in electrolytes,
for example low potassium, can lead to heart arrhythmia and kidney damage. Due to malnutrition
at a still-developing age, even recovered patients have a higher risk of developing osteoporosis
later in life. Finally, the abuse of laxatives can lead to electrolyte imbalances, dehydration, kidney
disease, and damage to the bowels and gastrointestinal tract.
