Mental health during pregnancy and early parenthood
Mary Steen, Michael Thomas in Mental Health Across the Lifespan, 2015
Eating disorders (ED) can affect the health and well-being of some pregnant women and new mothers. An eating disorder is a complex compulsion to eat in a way which disturbs physical, social, emotional and psychological health (NICE 2004). See the Glossary of mental health terms for a description of common types of eating disorders. Eating disorders appear to be more common in young women, and dysfunctional eating behaviours if not recognised and treated can develop into an addiction (Wolfe 2005). There is often a history of psycho-social problems and some form of abuse within the young woman’s life (Little and Lowkes 2000). Mitchell and Bulik (2006) have highlighted that women living with an eating disorder are at risk of their dysfunctional eating behaviour exacerbating during pregnancy and after giving birth. In addition, those women who have previously experienced such disorders may be at risk of a recurrence during pregnancy because of significant issues around change in body image, weight gain and major life transition.
Restricted eating disorders
Judy Bothamley, Maureen Boyle in Medical Conditions Affecting Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2020
Eating disorders can be defined as a persistent disturbance of eating or eating-related behaviour that results in the altered consumption or absorption of food and that significantly impairs physical health or psychosocial functioning. The majority of eating disorders appear to develop before the age of 25 in otherwise healthy young women1, although men can also be affected. Prevalence is uncertain, but it has been estimated that at least 2% of women will experience anorexia (with similar rates for bulimia) at some time in their life2. However, overall the majority of eating disorders occur in women during their reproductive years, making it a relevant subject for midwives. One recent study in the UK found that during pregnancy 7.5% of women met the diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder3.
What Are Eating Disorders?
Jonna Fries, Veronica Sullivan in Eating Disorders in Special Populations, 2017
Eating disorders often co-occur with certain personality traits and behaviors. In both AN and BN, there are high rates of comorbidity with anxiety, depression, and OCD (Klump et al. 2009). Other traits and diagnoses frequently seen in individuals with AN and/or BN include neuroticism, negative emotionality, harm avoidance, low self-directedness, low cooperativeness, and traits associated with avoidant personality disorder (Lock et al. 2015). Individuals with BN are more likely to have high impulsivity, are more sensation- and novelty-seeking, and are more likely to engage in substance abuse and display traits associated with borderline personality disorder (Kaye 2008). Global childhood rigidity and expression of perfectionist traits often appear in children in advance of weight-related concerns and pathological eating behaviors (Halmi et al. 2012).
Eating disorder risk identification through embedded electronic medical record prompting
Published in Journal of American College Health, 2022
Beth Ann Kotarski, Jill Rodgers
Eating disorders are a complex group of disorders which affect mental and physical health and may be difficult for healthcare clinicians to recognize. The four most commonly diagnosed types of eating disorders named in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-V (DSM-V) are: anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), binge eating disorder (BED), and OSFED (other specified feeding or eating disorder).1 These disorders can affect all races and genders, however, adolescent and young adult females tend to be more vulnerable to the disease. In the general population, eating disorders affect 13–15% of all women.2,3 In college-aged women, expression of eating disorder behaviors may be as high as 20%.4,5 Most concerning is the fact that anorexia nervosa is the deadliest of all mental health disorders, with an adjusted mortality rate of 5.86%. Suicide is the cause of 1 in 5 of anorexia deaths.5,6 Although the number of male students with eating disorders is growing, 10–20% of female college students experience eating disorder symptoms compared with 4–10% of males.5
The Ethical Defensibility of Harm Reduction and Eating Disorders
Published in The American Journal of Bioethics, 2021
Andria Bianchi, Katherine Stanley, Kalam Sutandar
As previously mentioned, eating disorders are mental illnesses, and the symptoms associated with eating disorders have a physiological impact. Due to societal misperceptions and stigmatization, the idea that a person should “just eat” in order to recover from their illness is a common, oversimplified, and unhelpful response. All persons diagnosed with eating disorders are pre-occupied with food intake, body weight, and body image (American Psychiatric Association), however, there are different types of disorders that contribute to these experiences. Three of the most commonly cited eating disorders are: Anorexia Nervosa (AN), Bulimia Nervosa (BN), and Binge Eating Disorder (BED). Although not every person with the same eating disorder will necessarily have a similar experience, there are certain characteristics that contribute to each.
Prevalence of eating disorders and disordered eating in Western Asia: a systematic review and meta-Analysis
Published in Eating Disorders, 2022
Maryam Alfalahi, Sangeetha Mahadevan, Rola al Balushi, Moon Fai Chan, Muna Al Saadon, Samir Al-Adawi, M. Walid Qoronfleh
Body image dissatisfaction is increasingly becoming a global phenomenon and is concurrently associated with eating disorders (Garrusi et al., 2016; Nobakht & Dezhkam, 2000; Tahmouresi & Pashang, 2018). In addition to the socio-cultural factors that contribute to eating disorders, there are also certain biological factors that render some individuals vulnerable to developing eating disorders. Gray (1987) has suggested that human temperaments can be shaped by two biological systems. The first one known as the BIS (behavioral inhibition system) is characterized by inhibition or avoidance. The complementary system is known as BAS (behavioral activation system) which is characterized by a tendency for impulsiveness and sensation-seeking behavior. There is evidence to suggest that characteristics of BIS/BAS, sensitivity to reward and punishment or approach and avoidance motivation (e.g., high constraint, constriction of affect, emotional expressiveness, anhedonia, sensation-seeking or lack of it, perfectionism, obsessiveness) are common among individuals with eating disorders (Claes et al., 2006). There is also evidence to suggest that eating disorders are critically influenced by variations in catecholamine and indoleamine neurotransmission (Kaye, 1997).
Related Knowledge Centers
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Binge Eating Disorder
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Mental Health
- Pica
- Rumination Syndrome
- Mental Disorder
- Health
- Regurgitation
- Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder