Appetite disorders are a group of mental illnesses that affect people of any age and gender. Patients with this type of disorder use disordered eating behaviors as a way to cope with their difficult situations or emotions. This behavior can include limiting the amount of food eaten or consuming large amounts of food at once.
The important thing to know about appetite disorders is that in such a disorder, it’s not all about eating; Rather, what affects the patient more is their emotions and control. If you want to know the causes and complications of appetite disorder or eating disorder and the best solutions to solve the problems caused by it, this article can help you.
Causes of loss of appetite
Loss of appetite is when you don’t feel hungry or don’t want to eat. This condition is seen in three different ways in patients:
- Having a constant feeling of fullness
- Aversion to food or not enjoying the taste, smell or sight of food
- Reluctance to eat with others
This condition can occur suddenly or gradually over a period of time. In any case, if it lasts more than a week, it will require medical follow-up. Note that loss of appetite is different from an eating disorder called anorexia nervosa. In anorexia nervosa, the person restricts food intake despite being hungry. But in the case of loss of appetite, no motivation and desire to eat food is observed. Doctors have identified several reasons for loss of appetite, the most important of which are:
- Physical changes in the body such as pain, injury, loss of taste or smell, recovery after surgery, and dehydration.
- Emotional changes in mental health such as anxiety, depression, fear, shock, etc.
- Having an illness such as a cold, food poisoning, diabetes, cancer, dementia or hypothyroidism
- Side effects of a drug, including antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, fluoxetine, amphetamines, etc.
Types of appetite disorders
The most common appetite disorders are:
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is one of the most serious mental disorders and has the highest death rate among sufferers after drug use. These patients often face a severe fear of being overweight, and this causes a drastic reduction in calorie consumption, excessive exercise, etc. Some of these patients periodically overeat and then try to reduce the effect of food in the body by vomiting or taking laxatives.
bulimia nervosa
Bulimia means eating a large amount of food in a short period of time and is associated with a feeling of losing control over the type and amount of food. This type of overeating is usually secret and makes the patient feel ashamed and embarrassed. Bulimia nervosa is usually periodic, and the person then tries to compensate for the consumption of excessive food with some extreme behaviors. These patients are too involved in thoughts related to food, weight, and their body shape, which strongly affects their feelings about themselves.
binge eating disorder
This disorder is similar to bulimia nervosa in many ways; With the difference that these patients do not use compensatory behaviors to reduce the effect of food after eating excessively. This is an anxiety-inducing behavior that can lead to diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
Avoidant restrictive eating disorder
This appetite disorder, which was recently defined by doctors, is said to be a condition in which the patient does not respond well to his nutritional needs and avoids one or more food items for various reasons. Some of these reasons include not being interested in eating food, fear of choking, nausea or allergic reaction, avoiding food because of its texture or smell, etc.
Atypical anorexia nervosa
This type of anorexia includes people who have already lost a lot of weight, but are not yet considered underweight in terms of body mass index. The behaviors and concerns of this group are similar to people with anorexia nervosa in terms of fear of being fat. Since these people often try to lose weight with extreme behaviors, they usually face medical problems such as weakness and lethargy, lack of minerals, etc.
Complications of appetite disorders
Appetite disorder can have a negative impact on the health of the body, mind and the ability to perform various body functions. Most of these disorders include an excessive focus on weight, body shape, and food and lead to dangerous eating behaviors. These behaviors significantly affect the body’s ability to receive the nutrients it needs and can seriously damage the heart, digestive system, bones, teeth, etc.
Just as a decrease in appetite can disrupt the absorption of minerals and vitamins and the vital functions of the body, its excessive increase will expose a person to obesity, diabetes and heart problems by entering a large amount of calories into the body. If these appetite disorders occur in childhood and adolescence, children may face problems such as lack of weight or severe weight gain, growth disorders, etc.
Identification and treatment of appetite disorders
Appetite disorders are diagnosed based on a person’s symptoms and habits. If the doctor suspects the existence of this disorder, he will make an accurate diagnosis of the disease through physical examination, psychological evaluation and other tests. After this disorder is diagnosed in a person, it is time for treatment measures through the following methods:
Healthy diet
It does not matter whether you have lost or gained weight due to an appetite disorder. A nutritionist can help you in your treatment process by providing a diet plan for weight gain or weight loss and prevent complications from this disorder. Seeking help from a nutritionist online can be a good solution to treat these problems.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy, which includes cognitive behavioral therapy and family-oriented therapy, is one of the most important parts of eliminating appetite disorders. In this method, with the help of a psychologist, the causes of this disorder are identified and therapeutic measures are taken to resolve it.
drug therapy
Sometimes psychiatrists prescribe medication to control overeating or reduce thoughts related to increased or decreased appetite. Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications can help treat eating disorders. If you are looking for the best psychologists and psychiatrists to treat appetite disorders, you can visit haal.ir.
being admitted to the hospital
Serious health problems, including severe malnutrition, may prompt doctors to order hospitalization. Some clinics also specialize in treating people with appetite disorders and help these patients by providing treatment solutions and food plans.
