Why do eating neuroses occur: causes, types and consequences

Nowadays, it is “accepted” to lose weight, because stars, catwalk models and fashion magazines dictate to us the fashion for a slender and toned body. But how can you distinguish a healthy desire to keep yourself in good shape from a morbid obsession with food?

An eating disorder is a psychological state of discomfort associated with eating. In a normal situation, a person regularly eating food and understanding the need for a healthy diet should not experience any unpleasant sensations, but in a situation with eating disorders, the process of eating becomes an obsession in the direction of severely reducing the diet, or, conversely, increasing it.

The causes of eating disorders are mainly psychological problems of a person:

1. Lack of mutual understanding with parents, lack of love in childhood, quarrels and early divorce of parents;

2. Rejection of one’s own appearance – dysmorphophobia;

3. Endless propaganda of the ideal body in the media;

4. Obsessive desire to be the center of attention;

5. Disappointment in life and anxiety for the future, severe stress due to dismissal, separation or death of loved ones.

The most common eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia. Anorexia nervosa is a complete or partial refusal to eat; the sick person does not understand what he really looks like and perceives himself to be much fatter than he actually is.

The consequences of anorexia can be very dire: from poor health and appearance to death. According to statistics, every 10th patient dies from anorexia; death can occur due to disturbances in the functioning of internal organs or due to suicide.

Bulimia is a “reverse” anorexia; in this condition, a person cannot control his appetite and eats food indiscriminately in huge quantities. After such “food attacks,” a depressing feeling of guilt sets in, and the patient often induces vomiting in order to get rid of food. The more advanced the bulimia, the more often the attacks occur.

The consequences of bulimia, in addition to an extremely difficult psychological state, are serious disturbances in the functioning of the stomach and intestines, up to the need for surgery. Also, due to attacks of vomiting and the presence of gastric juice in the mouth, the enamel is destroyed and there is a risk of tooth loss.

It must be remembered that anorexia and bulimia are serious diseases that can lead to death. According to statistics, about 5% of women in the world experience serious eating disorders and the main risk group is girls aged 12 to 24 years. To prevent illness from entering your family, pay attention to the behavior of your loved ones, pay attention to them more often, speak words of encouragement, and arrange family gatherings with delicious home-cooked food.