Over the last few years, eating disorders have gained the attention of mental health experts. One of the factors that have caused the experts to become more involved in eating disorders is the spike in the number of cases. As individuals attempt to satisfy the societal standards of beauty, they are adopting unhealthy eating habits that have resulted in an increase in the number of cases of eating disorders. In the past, the world needed to feed those who were malnourished. Focus has now shifted to intervening in cases where people starve themselves so as to achieve the beauty ideal. If the war on eating disorders is to be won, the mental health experts need to accord these disorders greater attention, effort and seriousness.
Fatality of Anorexia Nervosa
It is understood that anorexia nervosa can be fatal. Jáuregui-Garrido and Jáuregui-Lobera (2012) conducted a literature review to determine the mechanism through which anorexia nervosa causes death. They determined that cardiovascular complications are the main symptom that leads to death. Essentially, when they starve themselves, those ailing from anorexia nervosa deny their cardiovascular organs the energies that they need for proper function. Jáuregui-Garrido and Jáuregui-Lobera note that the death resulting from anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders is usually sudden and unexpected. Anemia and leukopenia are other complications that have been linked to anorexia nervosa. It is possible that if left untreated, these complications could yield death. According to the text, 5% of individuals with anorexia nervosa die prematurely. This figure shows that fatality resulting from this condition is significant.
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Dr. Cynthia Bulik on Eating Disorders
In Replacing Eating Disorders, Replacing Myths with Realities, Dr. Cynthia Bulik highlights various aspects of eating disorders. For the most part, her presentation confirms the insights in the text. She notes that individuals with anorexia nervosa are unable to fully recognize how precarious their situation is and engage in eating behaviors that pose serious threats to their health (Makman100, 2015). This issue is echoed in the text. However, there are some discrepancies between the text and her presentation. One of the discrepancies lies in the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa. According to Dr. Bulik, one can be diagnosed with the condition even when their body mass index (BMI) is not low (Makman100, 2015). The text makes it clear that to be diagnosed, it is required that one’s BMI should be below the normal interval. Another discrepancy concerns the role that families play in encouraging unhealthy eating habits. In the text, it is stated that by siding with the individual with anorexia nervosa, families essentially endorse their lifestyles. Dr. Bulik adopts a different approach. She absolves families of blame and says that the blame only discourages people from seeking help (Makman100, 2015).
Diagnostic Criteria for Anorexia and Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Anorexia nervosa and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) share a number of similarities. These similarities can be seen in their diagnostic criteria. To be diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, one needs to induce weight loss through such behaviors as induced vomiting, and should experience an image-body distortion (APA, 2013). Furthermore, individuals with this condition express dissatisfaction and discomfort with their bodies. On the other hand, the main symptom exhibited by those with this condition is a general discontent with their body (APA, 2013). For both conditions, sufferers are not satisfied with their bodies. The main difference can be seen in the behaviors that accompany the two conditions. Whereas BDD’s sufferers merely express dissatisfaction, those ailing from anorexia nervosa engage in unhealthy behaviors such as induced vomiting. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), BDD is classified among obsessive compulsive disorders whereas anorexia nervosa is not. The reason for this is that BDD is often accompanied with intrusive and uncontrollable thoughts. These thoughts are a defining feature of compulsive disorders.
Ethics of Treating Eating Disorders
There are some practitioners who treat eating disorders despite lacking necessary credentials. Personally, I feel that it is inappropriate for these practitioners to treat the disorders. I think that these disorders are delicate and require professional experience and expertise. One needs to know how to handle patients who are deeply dissatisfied with their bodies and are going great lengths to achieve the ideal body. If there are no clinicians who are specially trained to treat eating disorders, I think that exceptions can be made. However, even then, the clinician without credentials should limit their involvement in the treatment process to general areas that do not require special expertise or training. I think that it is difficult to justify denying individuals with anorexia nervosa treatment even when a credentialed clinician is not available. I believe that all clinicians possess some knowledge that they can use to help patients who are grappling with an issue that is beyond the clinician’s area of expertise.
References
American Psychological Association (APA). (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.
Jáuregui-Garrido, B., & Jáuregui-Lobera, I. (2012). Sudden death in eating disorders. Vascular Health and Risk Management, 8 , 91-8.
Makman100. (2015). Replacing Eating Disorders, Replacing Myths with Realities. YouTube. Retrieved November 9, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7wqLlIiyi4
