Associated psychological disorders

Conditions that may co-exist with eating disorders

Eating disorders are complex conditions in and of themselves requiring specialized care. Often people with eating disorders have co-existing conditions that can contribute to or exacerbate the pattern of disordered eating. There are many psychological factors that are associated with eating disorders including an inability to cope with stress, anxiety, relationships or other ‘every day’ occurrences.

For treatment to be effective physicians have to work to identify any co morbid conditions, which may include depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, perfectionism or OCD. Often a patient will demonstrate one or more of these conditions in addition to their eating disorder.

Depression

Depression and Anxiety are not the same thing. Often depression can lead to other disorders or conditions such as anxiety and eating disorders. Depression can also be triggered by other disorders, such as eating disorders. Many patients with eating disorders find themselves depressed over time. There are some however that are depressed at the onset of their illness.

Anxiety

Anxiety disorders produce a state of apprehension and fear in their victims. They can occur at any time, and result in physical discomforts such as a racing hear, rapid breathing and increased blood pressure. Women are more often linked with anxiety disorders than men, which might explain why more women than men suffer from eating disorders. Obsessive Compulsive disorder is actually considered a form of anxiety disorder.

OCD/Rituals

People with obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD suffer from anxiety. An eating disorder presents a way for an individual to introduce control into their lives, which they perceive to be out of control.

Likewise, the obsessive rituals associated with OCD represent a mechanism or tool for controlling ones environment and circumstances. For the person that is eating disordered, these rituals become necessary to maintain a sense of control and as a method for ‘balancing’ one’s life.

Patients may engage in behaviors that include obsessive hand washing, counting, exercising or cleaning in a precise manner. If a person does not perform their rituals, they may become more anxious and this can lead to an increased pattern of disordered eating behaviors. Women again are more likely to be affected than men.

OCD is sometimes accompanied by other disorders in addition to an eating disorder, including depression, substance abuse or even attention deficit disorder.

Perfectionism

Patients with eating disorders, particularly anorexia nervosa, often exhibit perfectionist behavior. Their personalities are often very rigid, and they view perfectionism as a way of maintaining or gaining control of their life.

Perfectionists engage in very rigid behaviors, and often feel devastated when they are not able to live up to their ideals, a pattern that might result in eating disordered behavior. A bulimic patient may see binging as a way to purge themselves of unwanted behaviors in addition as a mechanism for maintaining control of their lives.

Low Self-Esteem

Likewise, a majority of patients with eating disorders will have a low sense of self esteem or a confused self identity. They often view themselves as overweight, whether or not they are, and often have a hard time feeling they truly fit in with others.

Whether this behavior is the result of the eating disorder itself, environmental or cultural/social factors or other psychological conditions may vary from person to person.

Eating disorders are complex psychological conditions requiring a multi-faceted approach that addresses not simply the eating disorder but any underlying or co-existing psychological issues that might be affecting the patient.