Eating Disorders And Personality Are Linked
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM-5) of the American Psychiatric Association, eating disorders are characterized by persistent disorders of eating or eating-related behavior that result in altered food consumption or absorption that significantly impairs physical health or psychosocial functioning. Most people understand what these diseases are basically all about. But do you know how eating disorders and personality are related?
Eating disorders have increased over the last twenty years. Although they mainly affect young women, more and more patients are young men.
Classification of eating disorders
In the latest edition of DSM, DSM-5, eating disorders include:
- Anorexia nervosa
- Bulimia nervosa
- Binge eating disorder
- Restrictive / avoidable eating symptoms
- Chewing disorder
- Pizza
The first two subtypes are the most common eating disorders of all, which is why in this article we focus only on anorexia and bulimia. It is noteworthy, however, that other eating disorders have also become common in our modern society; examples of these are overweight and obesity (related to lifestyle and poor diet), bigorex, megarex, permarex and drunkorex.
Features of eating disorders
Scientific publications on eating disorders emphasize the multifactorial nature of these diseases. The pressures imposed by traditional beauty ideals also have a significant impact on their emergence. They have a major impact on the development of distorted body image, which is the root cause of these diseases.
Eating Disorders And Personality
The relationship between these two factors suggests that certain personality traits may play a crucial role in the onset and development of eating disorders. Studies show that neurotic personality is often associated with eating disorders.
However, each subcategory of eating disorders has its own characteristics. For example, patients with anorexia nervosa show compulsive symptoms of use and a strong need for control. Scholars also emphasize inflexible thought patterns, especially those related to distorted beliefs. Patients with anorexia nervosa are also prone to addiction and introversion.
In contrast, patients with bulimia nervosa often have low frustration tolerance and poor impulse control. They also typically have low self-esteem, are more anxious, and are “socially more sensitive” than those with anorexia (Macias et al., 2003). This impulsivity also exposes you to unpredictable behavior.
Personality disorders and eating disorders
One cannot talk about personality traits without mentioning personality disorders. The correlation between personality traits and eating disorders is high; in fact, in some studies it has been shown to be as high as 5393%.
Researchers have been able to show an association between anorexia nervosa, obstructed personality disorder, addictive disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Bulimia nervosa, in turn, is associated with emotional disorders, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse disorders.
Because the treatment of eating disorders is complex, the patient’s personality plays a crucial role. The need for control, impulsivity, and inflexible thinking make it difficult for therapists and other health professionals to work with these patients.
For this reason, it is important in therapy to work on these personality traits, as they play a significant role in perpetuating cognitive distortions (inflexible thinking), binge eating and vomiting (impulsivity), and restrictive diets (need for control).
