
Obsession with dietary restrictions, obsessive calorie counting, post-dessert guilt, and intense fat-burning workouts that dessert is sure to burn are a reality for many girls who strive for a perfect figure. But in pursuit of illusory ideals, they acquire a mental disorder that has nothing to do with a healthy lifestyle. Psychologist Iryna Deshpit explains how to recognize an eating disorder and what to do about it.
Let's start with the fact that RPP is a disease, a disorder that is associated with eating disorders, unhealthy attitudes towards food, excessive concentration on meals, as well as on one's body and weight. Although there is a genetic predisposition to RPP, this disorder is considered a mental disorder. It has been proven that if relatives of the first line had or have a history of this disorder, then the probability of the appearance of this disease is many times higher.
What is RPP?
Different types of disorders should be distinguished in order to understand and assess whether there are reasons for concern.
Anorexia nervosa - this is too little food consumption, which leads to exhaustion of the body. It is characterized by a painful appearance of the body. The body weight is extremely small. There is a violation of the work of internal organs. It is considered the most difficult and most dangerous type of RPP.
Bulimia nervosa - excessive consumption of food. Binge episodes are followed by compensatory behavior. Most often, this causes vomiting. But taking laxatives, fasting and excessive physical activity are also symptoms.
Overeating - consumption of food in large quantities in a short time.
It should be noted that obesity is not a type of eating disorder. This is a chronic disease in which the increase in body weight is pathological with the help of adipose tissue. Obesity in 20-70% of cases is hereditary and has no pronounced psychological causes.
The causes of RPP are largely unclear. There is a genetic, social, family factor. Society determines the beauty canons of the female body. Slender models flaunt on the pages of glossy magazines. Social networks are full of photoshopped photos in swimsuits without a single fold on the body. These stereotypes push girls to improve their body, bring it to the ideal. Restrictions in food, various diets begin, which leads to failures, disturbances in the functioning of the body as a whole.
What could be the reasons?
- Neglect by parents in childhood;
- Rejection of one's body in adolescence, when an active physical change of the body takes place;
- Resentment of parents;
- Weight-related bullying at school;
- Excessive control and hypervigilance on the part of parents;
violation of self-esteem; - Blurred or absent personal boundaries;
- Inability to understand and accept one's feelings and emotions;
- Anxiety, vulnerability;
- The feeling of the world as dangerous;
- Distorted perception of your body;
- Boredom, emptiness inside and the desire to become invisible;
- Psychological trauma (violence, parental divorce, bullying).
How does it work?
For example, the girl grew up in a complete family with her mother and father. The child had everything, she was taken care of. Parents fulfilled their function. But parental concern mainly concerned only social and household issues. The girl never felt that she was loved. Mother was "cold", did not pay due attention to the girl. No one in the family was interested in the feelings and emotions of the child, it was not important. The main thing is to feed, clothe, and put on shoes. As a result of this upbringing, the child developed low self-esteem, a sense of deprivation by the closest people, a feeling of invisibility. The girl felt very small physically. There is a big world around, many people, but she is simply invisible. In order to correct this situation, at least somehow attract attention to herself, the girl begins to eat excessively. To become big and noticeable, only this will help to make it visible. And then they will begin to notice her, love her, give her their attention. This is a private example of the psychological mechanisms of RPP, in the case of bulimia.
The situation is different. The girl in the family had loving parents, they took care of her. They did not give an opportunity to express themselves as a person. The girl could not make her own decisions, her mother decided everything for her. Eventually, mom began to control every step. It was she who knew what and how to do. Control applied to everything: what to eat, what to wear, who to be friends with, how to think. This method of upbringing led to the fact that the girl wanted to run away, become invisible, so that her mother would reduce control, in fact, simply stop noticing her again. A psychological attitude is formed: the more inconspicuous and smaller my body is, the less control there will be. Hence the reduction in the amount and frequency of food intake, exhausting diets. The girl is losing weight, but the weight does not go away, she continues to lose weight. And this turns into a painful disorder - anorexia.
And there can be many such examples, since each person will have his own personal psychological reason.
How to understand that you have RPP?
You can conduct a small self-diagnosis that will require honest answers. You shouldn't lie here.
- You do not perceive your body adequately. Some part seems too fat or too thin. You can't look at yourself in the mirror, it disgusts you. You start hating your body.
- Lie about how much you eat.
- You try to eat so that no one sees it. You are hiding.
- Uncontrolled obsessive thoughts about food and weight appeared.
- They started counting calories. It was necessary to first calculate the number of calories, and then eat.
- Weight fluctuates constantly.
- Check your weight often. It gets to the point that you weigh yourself after every meal.
- You are on strict diets.
- Exhausting yourself in the gym.
- Your weight is below the norm, but you are trying to reduce it even more.
- Empty your stomach after every meal.
- You feel ashamed of what you want to eat.
- Blame yourself after every meal. It can even lead to self-punishment.
- You feel constant hunger, there is no feeling of satiety.
- Do you think that your weight is the cause of your life problems?
If you have detected at least some of the signs, you should immediately consult a doctor. Since RPP is a multifactorial disease, such treatment should be complex: medical, psychological. It is worth contacting such specialists as: a gastroenterologist, an endocrinologist, a gynecologist, a therapist, a nutritionist, a psychologist or a psychotherapist. The coordinated work of specialists, led by work on the psychological state, will help to change both eating habits and thinking itself, rewrite negative attitudes, accept your body and love it.
Self-treatment is possible. But this is a rather long and well-informed process that will require strict systematicity. Individuals cope with RPP independently, because the basis of the disorder lies in the fact that a person does not accept, does not realize what is happening to him and denies the traumatic experience that could lead to this disease. Self-acceptance, the ability to express one's emotions and feelings, awareness of one's experiences, fears are excellent prevention of RPP.