Sheffield South Yorkshire +44(0)114 221 4632 & 0794 833 6993 diana@dianaluke.net
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Home Page > Hypnotherapy/Psychotherapy/NLP/CBT > Emotional Physical and Mental Issues > Eating Disorders - Anorexia & Bulimia
Eating Disorders - Anorexia & BulimiaEating Disorders are becoming a major concern in today's affluent society. Many young women in particular (although some boys can and do present with this issue) are finding that they have issues around their control of food and their lives and eating disorders of bulimia and anorexia are increasingly worrying many families. What sometimes feels like a way of controlling their life then takes hold of them and they spiral even further out of control with low self worth, depression, increased anxiety, possible self harm attempts and even thoughts of a suicidal nature.Anorexia and Bulimia have become major problems for some people in our competitive society- striving more and more for perfectionism. Whether it is self harming through cutting, vomiting, laxatives, binging, excessive exercising, negative self talk, it is an area of mental health that needs further support and guidance. The media depiction of waif like individual celebrity status sadly encourages young women to starve themselves in their attempts to emulate this appearance and the belief that they will feel better in themselves when they have lost the weight. Diana has specialised in eating disorders training and recognises how complex this issue is for the individual and her family. The number of therapeutic sessions for eating disorders tend to be more than other issues as they are both mental and physical and in the case of anorexia can be life threatening. Consequently a longer term goal plan needs to be recognised. Diana has trained extensively in this subject and has many books to lend as well as appropriate health questionnaires and homework so the individual can begin to look at her life from a different perspective. Her therapeutic work includes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Neuro Linguistic Programming, Behavioural Therapy, Ego State Short Term Psychotherapy, Hypnotherapy and Creative Visualisation. When a client embarks on treatment she needs to be aware that it is an ongoing process that may take many months but that each week there is an opportunity to feel better in herself. Anorexia is a real diseaseThis week, experts announced that the eating disorders anorexia and bulimia may be biological diseases rather than mental conditions. Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden say that they have linked eating disorders to infections which hit the immune system. Here, a leading UK expert in eating disorders, Professor Janet Treasure, Professor of Psychiatry at Guy's Hospital, Kings College London, explains why she welcomes the findings: "For a long time, I've thought that eating disorders were biological diseases. Young women, who make up 90 per cent of sufferers, do not just decide to starve themselves because they want to look slim. Instead, they become anorexic because of a complex interaction between biological, psychological and social factors. Anorexia has been recognised as a condition for hundreds of years, but it is becoming more common in the Western world. Between 1970 and 1980, the number of people with anorexia increased threefold. The main symptom is noticeable weight loss caused by excessive dieting. Some people also take laxatives or make themselves vomit. Excessive exercising is another feature. People with anorexia typically weigh 15 per cent or more below the expected weight for their age, sex and height. Antibodies attack brain appetite controls The Swedish research showed that sufferers of anorexia and bulimia have unusually high levels of certain antibodies in their blood. These antibodies are produced by their own immune system in response to infections. It seems that the antibodies then begin to attack chemicals in the brain that control appetite. If the researchers are right, then anorexia could be reclassed as an auto-immune disease (a bit like rheumatoid arthritis). This research is interesting because there is already evidence that eating disorders can follow an infection. My own research suggests that anorexia runs in families and has a genetic element, too. In the 1980s, I was involved in research that compared levels of eating disorders between identical and non-identical twins. The fashion then was to think that anorexia was a psychological disorder. Our research, however, clearly showed that identical twins were much more likely to both suffer from anorexia than non-identical twins. Over 70 per cent of identical twins both suffered from the disease, as compared to just 10 to 15 per cent of non-identical twins. Identical twins have identical genes, so the evidence was compelling that genes played a part. I think that research started to attitudes, and many more scientists started to look at the biological causes. Over the past decade, researchers have been trying to pinpoint the genes that can trigger anorexia. Last year, I published a study looking at the brains of people with anorexia. Using sophisticated scans to show which parts of their brains reacted to food, we found that in people with anorexia this was different to normal. The orbital frontal cortex is the part of the brain that normally agonises over decision-making. But in anorexics, this cortex is activated by food stimuli. Perhaps, people with anorexia find it difficult to make a decision about whether they are going to eat. Alarming social pressure to stay thin In my view, biological factors trigger the disease but environmental factors and social pressures make it worse. There is no doubt that there is an alarming pressure on young girls to stay thin. Many pre-teens now say that they are unhappy about their weight and are on a diet. Personality and family environment probably play a role, too. Anorexics often have poor self-esteem. They may also be disturbed due to an unhappy childhood. For example, about three in 10 people with anorexia will have suffered some form of sexual abuse. We think that developing anorexia may be a response to dealing with complex emotions and a way of maintaining control. It is very important that we look for ways to treat this disease more effectively. Anorexia does not just make someone painfully thin. Prolonged starvation can lead to infertility and osteoporosis. In some cases, people with the disease die from the effects. Singers Karen Carpenter - the first 'celebrity' anorexic - and Lena Zavaroni both fought long battles with anorexia and died young; Karen aged 32 and Lena aged 35. Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell is another high-profile sufferer. Many people with anorexia refuse to admit they have a problem. They either never get help, or delay getting help for many years. I am now very optimistic that we will now be able to find a better way to help people who develop this condition. Gene therapy is an exciting possibility for a complete cure, but it is still a long way off. Behavioural therapy may be the best way to tackle the problem now. We have found that people with eating disorders are often high-achievers and perfectionists and you can see traits developing in childhood. The good news is that even people who have suffered from anorexia for years can be treated. Around four in ten patients fully recover, and many more live with the disease in a less acute form. The more we know about this disease, the more likely it is that we will one day find a cure. ANOREXIA NERVOSA
BULIMIA NERVOSA
COMPULSIVE OVEREATING
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