It's Not Because Of The Food, It's The Cause Of Eating Disorders

Illustration of the causes of eating disorders (Unsplash/Mahdi Chaghari)

JAKARTA – Being thin, fit, looking attractive, often makes someone work hard to get it. Unfortunately, the motivation to get a 'good' rating is not only to lose weight, reduce the portion of carbohydrates, a strict diet, it can even make a person suffer from an eating disorder.

Reported by Psychology Today, Monday, February 7, about 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from eating disorders in the United States. According to Kristen Fuller, MD, a writer, doctor, and a lot of attention to mental health, anorexia nervosa is the number one killer of all mental health disorders. But eating disorders are not only caused by food.

The most recognized eating disorders in The Diagnostic & Statistical Manual (DSM-V) are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. The other two disorders in the DSM are known as Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) and Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorder (OSFED). Each of these disorders has different signs, symptoms, and conditions, but has the same triggers.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA) due to the following things are the underlying triggers and contribute to developing eating disorders.

Past trauma Low self-esteem Intimidation Poor parental relationships Threshold personality disorder Substance abuse Non-suicidal self-injury disorder (NSSI) Perfectionist personality Difficulty communicating negative emotions Difficulty resolving conflicts, and Genetics

Eating disorders, according to Fuller, can be treated with psychotherapy. Therapeutic approaches, such as those used in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialect behavior therapy (DBT), aim to identify and reduce harmful thoughts and emotions associated with eating disorders.

From there then develop productive coping mechanisms and tools to help individuals engage in positive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to overcome past trauma and their low self-esteem. Skills practice can also help regulate mindfulness, as with meditation, art therapy, and relationship building.