Characterizing & Predicting Trajectories of Disordered Eating Over Adolescence

Summary with Literature Review

It is no question that eating disorders (ED) are ones of the biggest mental issues in the state-of-the-art world. As a result, the majority of adolescents are prone to different types of ED due to various factors. Eating disorder (ED) symptoms often begin in adolescence with prevalence increasing over development (Pearson et al., 2017, p.748). Scholars determine many types of eating disorders, though the most common are anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), binge eating disorder (BED), pica, and avoidant food intake disorder. As a rule, their components manifest themselves in adolescence and are often combined with depression and anxiety disorders. For instance, Glasofer et al. (2016) concede that “several lines of evidence support links between anorexia nervosa and anxiety” (p. 223). Though little is known about the real cause, scientists believe that ED occurs with the mixture of biological, psychological and/or environmental abnormal factors:

  1. Biological factors comprise nutrition deficiencies, unstable hormonal structure and circulation, and genetics.
  2. Psychological factors include low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, negative body image.
  3. Environmental factors contain child abuse or neglect, cultural pressure from family or peers, significant life changes.

According to the survey (2017), many adolescents start or continue suffering from disordered eating through adolescence and early adulthood. There was a 40% chance that individuals, particularly females, who were asymptomatic at baseline would transition to one of the two symptomatic groups by adulthood (Pearson et al., 2017, p. 753). Therefore, ED is gradually becoming common among adolescence due to puberty period, distress, depression, emotional instability, and so forth.

Application of Course Concepts

As it was mentioned, eating disorders have unknown cause for its occurrence, but three central abnormalities (biological, psychological, and environmental) play a significant role to research the ED’s premises. Behavior is one of the main components which deserves in-depth consideration. Scholars have tried to analyze people with different ED regarding their behaviors and attitudes toward specific events.  ED behaviors are complicated since they estimate more than 20 signs of an eating disorder. Findings also suggest that once ED behaviors begin, they are very difficult to stop (Pearson et al., 2017, p. 753). They are as follows: fear of gaining weight, refusing to eat, distorted self-image, social withdrawal, irritability, mood swings, hyperactivity or the lack of energy, and so on. For instance, people’s behavior with anorexia nervosa manifest repetitive behaviors (i.e., food rituals) used to decrease anxiety about food (Glasofer et al., 2016, p. 223). It happens because a person has intense fright to gain weight; thus he/she tries to invent other things to lower their hanger and anxiety.

Cognition is also of importance. Scholars prove that it plays a great role in the perception of an eating disorder. Though mental health issues depend on various factors, an individual’s cognition can impact the entire situation. A person suffering from an eating disorder should grasp the cognitive part of the problem. Dysfunctional cognitions relate to low self-esteem feeding and negative body image. People suffering from eating disorders are prone to have deficient cognitive development (Glasofer et al., 2016, p. 225). Thus patients with ED are bound to worsen their health issue due to their thoughts, intentions, perceptions, and reactions.

Myers (2016) defines such a concept as consciousness, which affects a person with ED. Heightened self-consciousness links to weight and body image concerns. Social anxiety is common in eating disorders, and it also overlaps with consciousness during the ED occurrence. The anxiety is maintained by rituals and avoidance, even in the context of “eating” (Glasofer et al., 2016, p. 230). Consciousness is the executive control system of one’s mind. Thus ED occurs when a person makes the situation complex by failing to control anxiety and self-consciousness.

Emotional perception and sensory adaption play a significant role in eating disorders. Perception is preserved in people with ED. For instance, AN patients show increased fear regarding intimacy and stimuli comprising anger while BN patients show decreased fear rate (Pearson et al., 2017, p. 754). Perception is crucial for sensory information, and it persists in patients with ED due to their instability; hence, they are likely to fail to understand the environment.

Solution

Eating disorders are underway to detect all weak points and abnormalities in different psychological concepts. Little is known about social perception and sensory adaptation, though it becomes apparent that these factors are one of the first persisting in ED patients. Individuals show a low quality of life and the occurrence of other mental disorders, such as mood disorder of obsessive-compulsory disorder (Pearson et al., 2017, p. 754). Since there are a bunch of prevention programs and treatments, the most effective is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Myers (2016) concedes that various cognitive therapies can help in depression, eating disorders, and other mental issues. Moreover, he states that CBT is more likely to assist patients with OCD and ED, especially in adolescence.

It was stated above that behavior and cognition are one of the leading components for ED. The cognitive approach is based on the assumption that psychological problems and neuropsychiatric disorders are caused by irrelevant or inappropriate thoughts and beliefs of a person, as well as dysfunctional stereotypes of thinking (problems can be solved by changing them). The behavioral approach based on the theory of behaviorism which involves changing human behavior by encouraging and reinforcing desired behaviors and the lack of reinforcement of unwanted forms. Thus, CBT is deemed to be the most useful treatment to reduce ED in patients.

Conclusion

Learning psychology on a daily basis, I have had some overall background of eating disorders in adolescence. Besides, a lot of celebrities and studies prove that it is one of the common diseases today. Writing this paper made me realize that not only biological factor can be the reason on ED but also own perception, cognition, and psychological state due to various events in a lifetime. I reckon that scholars are trying to do much research in different fields (perception, sensory adaptation, and others) which will open even more facts and factors impacting people who are prone to ED. Therefore, literature and own research helped me to get more insight into this issue and analyze its components and possible solutions with the help of treatments.

References

Glasofer, D.R., Albano A.M., Simpson, H.B. & Steinglass, J.E. (2016). Overcoming Fear of Eating: A Case Study of a Novel Use of Exposure and Response Prevention. Psychotherapy, 53(2), 223-231. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pst0000048

Myers, D. G. (2016). Psychology in Everyday Life (4th edition). London: Worth Publishers.

Pearson, C. M., Miller, J., Ackard, D. M., Loth, K. A., Wall, M. M., Haynos, A. F., & Neumark, S. D. (2017). Stability and change in patterns of eating disorder symptoms from adolescence to young adulthood. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 50(7), 748–757. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22692

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
Available at:

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]
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