Eating disorders and body image

The term "body image" refers to a person's feelings, perceptions, and attitudes regarding their physical appearance. When you look in the mirror, how do you perceive yourself, and how do you feel about your body (e.g., height, shape, and weight)?

A clear, genuine impression of your shape is a positive body image, perceiving the various aspects of your body as they are. Body positivity (or body contentment) is feeling at ease and secure in one's own skin, embracing one's natural body shape and size, and understanding that one's physical appearance says nothing about one's character and worth as a person.

A skewed impression of one's form is associated with a poor body image. Shame, anxiety, and self-consciousness are all symptoms of a negative body image (or body dissatisfaction). People with high levels of body dissatisfaction believe their bodies are defective in contrast to others. They are more prone to experience sadness, loneliness, low self-esteem, and eating disorders as a result.

Although there is no one cause of eating disorders, studies show that body dissatisfaction is the most common component in the development of anorexia as well as bulimia nervosa.

Body dysmorphic disorder

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a form of obsessive-compulsive and associated illness that is categorized as a mental condition. BDD affects people who are obsessed with one or more absent or minor faults in their physical appearance, such as body shape.

A person must engage in recurrent activities (such as checking or reassurance-seeking) linked to the fixation to be identified with BDD, and the fixation must cause difficulty in functioning. Solely the eating disorder is diagnosed if the individual's body image issues occur only in the setting of an eating disorder.

Binge-eating disorder

Binge-eating disorder is a dangerous eating problem in which you consume large portions of food on a regular basis and find it difficult to stop.

On occasion, almost everyone overeats, such as taking seconds or thirds of a festive dinner. Excessive overeating feels out of control and becomes a frequent occurrence for some people, however, it crosses the line into binge-eating disorder.

When you have a binge-eating disorder, you may feel ashamed of your eating habits and resolve to stop. However, you are so compelled that you are unable to ignore the cravings and continue to binge eat. Treatment for binge eating disorder is available.

Bulimia nervosa

Bulimia nervosa, often known as bulimia, is a severe and sometimes fatal eating illness. People with the condition may binge — consume a considerable amount of food without control — and then purge, attempting to get rid of the additional calories in an unhealthy way.

People with Bulimia may employ a variety of techniques to burn calories and avoid weight gain. After bingeing, for example, you may self-induce vomiting or abuse laxatives, weight-loss supplements, diuretics, or enemas. Alternatively, you can utilize alternative methods to burn calories and avoid weight gains, such as fasting, rigorous diets, or extreme activity.

Conclusion

To combat a negative body image, several treatments have been developed. These interventions can be classified into various groups, including:

● CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy)

● media literacy

● enhancing self-esteem

● psychoeducation