Transcript exercise disorders

Chelmsford Mind
Eating Disorder Project
Role Models, Exercise
and
Eating Disorders
Donna Pieper
If you were a teenager again
who might be your role
models?
Do girls aspire to look like these gifted
young ladies…?
Or these…?
Do boys aspire to look like these
young men…?
Or these…?
Unfortunately, it isn’t
always achievable and
young people may
end up looking like these…
QUESTION?
What do you think might be a
common trigger for severe
disorganised eating and the
possible onset of an eating
disorder in young people?
DIETING…
True or False?
Dieting causes severe
psychological and physical
changes.
Dieting causes depression and irritability
 Metabolism slows down
 When you stop dieting, you are likely to gain
weight faster and more easily.
 Each time you diet, this cycle continues and…
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The only way to speed up your
metabolism again is to eat!
What are the common problems
related to dieting and severe
weight loss?
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intense hunger
low energy and tiredness
low blood sugar
poor sleep/insomnia
dizziness, headaches and visual problems
gastrointestinal problems, wind and IBS
lower body temperature leading to feeling cold
overall lowering of body's metabolic rate
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lowered heart rate
irregular menstruation or loss of periods
dry, pasty skin
muscle loss
moodiness and irritability
electrolyte imbalance
difficulty making decisions/difficulty concentrating
What Causes Anorexia Nervosa?
Recent research - Neuroscience
A key area of the brain called the Insula has been shown
to be linked to appetite regulation, anxiety and
perception of 'self'. This means that this area
essentially integrates your feelings and emotions with
how you visualise and perceive your body. Studies
have suggested that those with anorexia may have a
dysfunction within this area of the brain affecting
perceptions and feelings leading to a disturbed body
image.
KNOWN FACTORS
IN YOUNG PEOPLE
 FAMILY
 SOCIOCULTURAL
 PERSONAL
Family Factors
family history of depression
 family history of alcoholism
 family history of eating disorder
 family conflict or trauma
 parental deprivation
 physical, sexual or emotional abuse
 high expectations from family
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Sociocultural Factors
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mixed messages for young people
intolerance of fatness
pressures on young people (some media based)
emphasis on ultra-thinness/ glamorization of eating
disorders
pressure from areas where thinness is viewed as
desirable or even essential to success, such as
dancers, models, gymnastics and jockeys.
What is the sociocultural message?
That by losing weight and attaining the slim
ideal you will be happy, healthy, successful
in work and love, and that all of your
problems will be solved!
This was French model Isabella Caro featured in an ad campaign by Italian
photographer Oliviero Toscani in 2007 for an Italian fashion house.
At Isabelle's lowest, she weighed under 24kgs, (3st 9lbs) her
BMi would have been 9.16.
Personal Factors
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low self-esteem
low mood, high anxiety and depression
perfectionism and self-criticism
feeling unprepared for adulthood
discomfort with the changes at puberty
fears about sexuality
relationship problems
Christy Henrich, an elite US gymnast shown
competing and again a few months before her
death of anorexia. At the time of her death her
4ft 11 frame had shrunk to 47 pounds (30.8kgs).
Jessica Ennis
Jessica’s coach, Toni Minichiello, claimed a highranking Olympic Games Official said she was “fat and
she’s got too much weight”.
Dieting can be a trigger for
anorexia which affects
health by causing a state of
chronic starvation
Longer-term effects of starvation on
children and adolescents :
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stunted skeletal development
circulatory problems
susceptibility to viruses and infections
severe electrolyte imbalances
osteoporosis and may result in premature
death.
EXERCISE DISORDERS
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Exercise disorders are not classed as eating
disorders
They are generally perpetuated by an
individual’s need to lose weight
This in turn can lead to excessive control of
food intake and/or bingeing and purging.
Excessive exercise as a compensation after a
large meal or a binge
COMPULSIVE EXERCISING
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Excessively exercise for many hours - usually every
day
Sometimes secretly
Increasingly bothered by weight/size
Have ambitious fitness targets
Will cancel social events to train
Ignore and/or train through injury
Mood swings
BIGOREXIA
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Bigorexia or muscle dysmorphia is excessive
exercise to increase muscle size.
Individuals eat to get bulkier
Exercise and/or weight train obsessively
Cancel social events to train
Ignore and train through injury
Mood swings
Despite the gender differences, anorexia,
bulimia and exercise disorders are
characterized, in both men and women, by
essentially the same traits: self-induced
starvation, eating a narrow food group, an
excessive fear of becoming fat even when thin,
and a tendency toward compulsive living
patterns.
What Is Anorexia Nervosa?
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It is a serious eating disorder
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It is defined as the loss of extreme weight through restricting
food intake.
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Anorexia is a psychological disorder and sufferers see
themselves as fat
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Sufferers are critical and have a need to be in
control
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A common illusion is that if they lose weight they
will be happier
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4 in 10 people will make a full recovery. 3 out of
10 will continue to suffer from major long term
illness.
Treatment
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For very low BMI’s, re-feeding (in-patient)
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Nutritional counselling
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Therapy recommended
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Support to regain social inclusion
What is Bulimia Nervosa?
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Bulimia is used as a weight loss strategy
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Approximately 80% of sufferers are female
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It is characterized by bingeing and purging
Warning signs and symptoms
include:
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Secrecy surrounding eating
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Absence after a meal
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Signs of vomiting/evidence of laxatives or diuretics
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Skipping meals, irregular eating habits/disappearance of
large amounts of food
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Poor body image, a distorted body perception
Bulimia Nervosa in the Mouth
Enamel erosion of the
teeth
due to chronic
exposure to acid
in vomit
What are the causes and risk
factors for bulimia?
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Poor body image
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Psychological issues
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Trauma
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Biological predisposition
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Dieting
Treatment
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Therapy
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Nutritional Counselling
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Anti-depressants are sometimes offered
ANY QUESTIONS?