Why are Eating Disorders so dangerous?

Eating disorders, also known as Eating Disorders (Eating Disorders) are serious diseases that chronically disrupt the patient's dietary behaviors, sometimes with effects fatal. When we think of these clinical entities, the first things that come to mind are anorexia and bulimia, but in reality there are other conditions associated with caloric intake recognized at the level international.

For example, recently pica, rumination syndrome, avoidance / restriction of food intake and binge-eating disorder, among others. Eating problems no longer lie only in not eating or vomiting, because doing it in excess for very specific periods of time, counting calories at all times or ruminating food and then spitting it out are also clinical entities that should be taken into account account.

Beyond psychiatric terms, it should be noted that 1 to 2% of women and 0.2 to 0.4% of men in the world suffer from eating disorders, especially in the form of anorexia and bulimia. It is necessary to normalize these diseases and talk about them openly so that the patient can receive the necessary help without stigma, but we can never lose sight of what

Eating Disorders are extremely dangerous. Here we tell you why.

• Related article: "Anorexia nervosa: symptoms, causes and treatment"

Diagnosis of Eating Disorders

Before exposing the prognosis of some Eating Disorders, it is necessary to define them. As indicated by the United States National Library of Medicine, eating disorders are serious mental health conditions, involving serious problems with how people think about food and individual dietary behavior on a day-to-day basis.

For now, the clinical entities already mentioned are included in this group, but not those related to obesity or derived from other factors (such as pregnancy or alcoholism).

The American Psychological Association (APA) publishes its Diagnostic and Statistical from time to time Manual of Mental Disorders, which sits on the chair in the diagnosis of psychiatric illnesses refers. According to the fifth edition, published in 2013, Anorexia nervosa is diagnosed based on the following criteria:

• Restriction of caloric intake relative to physiological needs, resulting in a body mass index (BMI) lower than expected, taking into account the age, sex, physical health and trajectory of the development of the patient.
• Intense fear of gaining weight or "getting fat." Also included in this category are those behaviors that interfere with weight gain.
• Alteration in the way weight or body shape is experienced. Lack of recognition of the severity and the problematic of low body weight.

What's more, Disorders such as anorexia nervosa can be classified from mild to extreme according to the Body Mass Index (BMI) and also based on the behaviors of the patient (restrictive type or compulsive / purge type). The rest of eating disorders follow equally strict diagnostic criteria and are also divided into various categories: for example, the severity of bulimia is quantifies around the number of compensatory episodes (laxatives, diuretics, self-inflicted vomiting, etc.) that the patient performs, from 1 to 14 a week.

Why are TCAs so dangerous?

In the first place, we want to make it clear that eating disorders have a solution, as long as you go quickly to the clinic and seek help, both from professionals and the family nucleus. It is not our intention to generate fear in a patient with an eating disorder, since it has been shown thousands of times that it is possible to get out of the destructive cycle that these clinical entities represent.

In any case, we cannot ignore reality either: according to professional clinics, Anorexia nervosa is the psychiatric disease with the highest mortality rate in the world, above schizophrenia, chronic anxiety, major depressive disorders and any psychological clinical entity that occurs to you. It is estimated that, neither more nor less, 2 out of 10 untreated patients end up dying from their condition, either by suicide or by physiological consequences.

It is not for less: anorexia and bulimia prevent the proper functioning of the body in all senses, since without energy, cells cannot continue with their metabolic reactions necessary for existence. Reduced caloric intake to a minimum causes osteoporosis (by reabsorption of calcium), loss of muscle tone, problems gastrointestinal disorders, electrolyte abnormalities, kidney damage, and ultimately heart disease that can lead to death.

In addition to the harmful effects of TCAs on the body, it is also necessary to emphasize that the healing process is very slow and emotionally expensive. Clinical studies such as "Current approach to eating disorders: a clinical update" affirm that, after 9 years of professional care, half (50%) of the patients with anorexia nervosa achieve a complete remission of their condition, not counting the permanent effects of the disorder at the physiological level.

The results for bulimia are somewhat more encouraging, as it is estimated that up to 75% (or more) of those patients make a full recovery at some point, which is reflected in a significantly lower mortality rate elevated. Ruminant syndrome, pica, and other conditions do not present conclusive long-term results in all cases, but are also associated with a better prognosis.

• You may be interested in: "The 4 types of bulimia and their characteristics"

These pathologies have a solution, but they must be tackled quickly

In general, it is estimated that the prognosis is worse the later the disorder is diagnosed, the lower the Index of Body Mass (BMI) and other associated diseases present in the patient, such as depression, anxiety and other entities clinics. For all these reasons, the conclusion is more than clear: in an Eating Disorder, every second counts. So it is important to seek professional help as soon as possible.

As these conditions have been studied, the human being has realized that eating by eating food without energy repeatedly, counting calories at all times, spitting out food after chewing or applying compensatory mechanisms to avoid gaining weight after eating are not behaviors normal. Beyond vomiting and lack of food intake, if you have seen yourself reflected in these lines, go to therapy quickly.