Eating Disorders

Shahrazad · Post by **Shahrazad** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 11:48 am

Does somebody know if there is another disease besides anorexia that causes a person to have a revulsion to food?

I appreciate any info.

Elizabeth Isabelle · Post by **Elizabeth Isabelle** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 11:53 am

Many strains of the flu cause people to lose their appetite, it is also a side effect of many medications, and can be from too many multivitamins/mineral tablets - or other kind of toxicity. There are also a lot of more serious diseases that cause loss of appetite. That's actually a fairly common symptom for a lot of things.

And anorexia nervosa, the eating disorder, doesn't cause so much of a revulsion to food as it is a fear of being fat, even if one is underweight - and a body image distortion where one sees one's self as fat even when one is quite thin.
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Shahrazad · Post by **Shahrazad** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 12:08 pm

E,

How about if the person has a revulsion to food more than a lack of apetite?

Elizabeth Isabelle · Post by **Elizabeth Isabelle** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 12:16 pm

You mean like wanting to eat, but seeing or smelling food is disgusting? Medically, that would count as loss of appetite, so that isn't in the books - but my personal guess would be stomache virus if there are no other symptoms. If that's it, they give antibiotics and put a person on the BRAT diet - bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. Those tend to be the only foods that stay down, and they work to bring the stomache acids back in balance.

I'd just try the BRAT diet first and see if that clears it up. If it gets worse, or does not get better in 2 weeks, then see a doctor.
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Shahrazad · Post by **Shahrazad** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 12:28 pm

You mean like wanting to eat, but seeing or smelling food is disgusting? Medically, that would count as loss of appetite, so that isn't in the books - but my personal guess would be stomache virus if there are no other symptoms.

Thanks. I wasn't sure if it counted as a loss of appetite.

I guess it could very well be good old-fashioned depression.
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Kelly Jones · Post by **Kelly Jones** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 7:17 pm

I'll just throw in an idea, to see where it lands.

Revulsion can be a psychological state, involving the self-image.

Psychologically, food sustains the self, so revulsion towards food can be about the individual's ideas about itself, and have nothing at all to do with food. In this situation, trusting one's mind will lead to feeling stronger and more confident, and then the sustaining behaviour will naturally follow.

But if one feels quite stable psychologically, revulsion could be from any number of things. Food poisoning, overeating, lack of exercise, for instance.

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Elizabeth Isabelle · Post by **Elizabeth Isabelle** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 10:26 pm

Kelly Jones wrote:Revulsion can be a psychological state, involving the self-image.

Psychologically, food sustains the self, so revulsion towards food can be about the individual's ideas about itself, and have nothing at all to do with food. In this situation, trusting one's mind will lead to feeling stronger and more confident, and then the sustaining behaviour will naturally follow.

This is actually a pretty good description of the mindset of anorexia nervosa. The individual develops a strong belief that for whatever reason (fat, bad person, unlovable, etc.) that they do not deserve the food. They still have "appetite" as in they still think about food - to the point of dreaming about it - but they resist. They then wear their bodies as more of a badge to represent their strength of will over biological desires. They become emotionally attached to this badge, and that is where the fear of becoming fat comes from.
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Shahrazad · Post by **Shahrazad** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 10:44 pm

Kelly and E,

Putting together what you both said, the person has a self-image problem, and decides to punish themselves, while at the same time punishing those that love them. (I added that last part.)

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Elizabeth Isabelle · Post by **Elizabeth Isabelle** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 11:01 pm

Yes, the last part that you added was correct in two ways. Sometimes they do want to punish those that love them by endangering themselves, but more often they do not see it as punishing others, yet the punishment to those that love them is still there.
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Kelly Jones · Post by **Kelly Jones** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 11:11 pm

Do you have this "eating disorder"?

Shahrazad · Post by **Shahrazad** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 11:37 pm

Kelly,

No, I'm trying to figure out what is happening to my youngest kid. She is 16.

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Elizabeth Isabelle · Post by **Elizabeth Isabelle** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 12:10 am

16 year old girls have a high preoccupation with body image anyway. This is usually influenced by peer pressure, hormonal changes to the body and emotions, and media images. More importantly in this case, you have been losing weight, and this will have some effect on her. Her mother is changing, which will cause insecurity in a child even of that age. You may also be feeling better about yourself, which would contribute to the idea in her mind that if she lost weight, she would feel better about herself, too. Teenagers tend to be prone to depression.

Perhaps it would be helpful to have a discussion with her about weight, including specifically asking if you losing weight makes her uncomfortable in any way. This might be something she would not openly want to say because she loves you, and wants you to be healthy and happy - but it is natural to be disturbed by any change in a person in the close family, and especially so to the child of a single parent. Also, of course, include in the discussion exactly how she feels about her weight and why. Encourage her to learn about nutrition. I don't know about in Panama, but in America, community colleges allow kids as young as 16 to take courses, provided they have taken a particular test. See if you can get her enrolled in a college course on nutrition, if she is interested. This will help encourage her to get adequate nutrition more than anything you could personally do.

If it is in fact anorexia, usually it only runs about a 7 year course, but with life-long preoccupation with food/body image issues. Your goal as her mother would be to get her to survive those 7 years without damaging her heart. Emotional support showing unconditional acceptance of her is a must (although it is okay to share with her that you are worried/concerned), and trying to force her to eat will backfire. Teenagers tend to want to rebel anyway, particularly when what the parent wants is in contrast to what messages they get from media and peers.
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Elizabeth Isabelle · Post by **Elizabeth Isabelle** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 12:36 am

Here is a thread on anorexia on another board that might give you some insight into the mindset, and to the kind of support that other anorexics give when trying to keep someone alive.

BTW, shorthand AN or ana means anorexia, b/p means binge/purge, c/s or c/sp means chew/spit (where you chew the food but spit it out rather than swallow), ED or ed means eating disorder, S/I means self injurious behavior (cutting one's flesh).
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Shahrazad · Post by **Shahrazad** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 1:08 am

Elizabeth,

16 year old girls have a high preoccupation with body image anyway.

This very much applies. She has long been obsessed with the way she looks, and spends a lot of time looking at her mirror reflection.

More importantly in this case, you have been losing weight, and this will have some effect on her. Her mother is changing, which will cause insecurity in a child even of that age.

No, this is not it. My weight loss has been gradual and non-impressive, and to her, I am still so far removed from her standard of what is attractive in terms of weight and shape, that she may not have noticed at all.

Also, of course, include in the discussion exactly how she feels about her weight and why.

Good idea. I need to ask her if she is happy with her weight loss, or if it worries her. She may have mixed feelings.

The problem I'm having is that the child will tell me very little about what is really going on in her life. I have to wait for those moments when she wants to talk to me, and even then, important parts are left out. I do know that she is down because she lost her boy friend and her best friend (2 separate people) at about the same time.

Emotional support showing unconditional acceptance of her is a must (although it is okay to share with her that you are worried/concerned), and trying to force her to eat will backfire.

I won't force her to eat, but I am negotiating with her to do things I want her to do, such as getting therapy and psychiatric help.

Re punishment: the main people that she is punishing is herself and her grandma. She perceives that her grandma ruined her life, so by not eating she is really getting even. (She plays that manipulative game a lot less with me, as she knows that I won't fall for it easily.)

I am worried that she is becoming anorexic.

Thanks, E.

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Katy · Post by **Katy** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 9:56 am

Also, this may be TMI, but I get alternatively repulsed by and obsessed by food in a rather predictable cycle with my monthly cycle. If this is relatively recent you might just see if it goes away in a month or so, or not. I know your daughter hasn't been living with you so maybe you're not quite aware of these cycles with her?

Also, exercise itself can make one not want to eat as much. I'm not sure what the science on that is but I've seen it said repeatedly and found it to be true for myself that if I do a bit of exercise Iw ant to eat less... It maybe that she's started going to the gym with you has caused this.

How dramatic is it? Are we talking about won't eat at all or won't eat as much? Is it bothering her or just you?

Shahrazad · Post by **Shahrazad** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 10:26 am

Katy,

More than a cycle, with her it seems to always be triggered by a major emotional event.

It maybe that she's started going to the gym with you has caused this.

No, strangely enough, the gym and her ED are totally separate.

When she was doing well, the gym was a high priority in her life. She had reasonable goals. I wanted to go to the gym 3 times a week, whereas she kept pushing me to go 5, as she had nobody else to take her. All of a sudden, she took up smoking without me knowing it, and her priorities changed. Gym barely mattered to her. I started going to the gym by myself many times.

Her granny has forbidden her to go to the gym on days that she doesn't eat. This whole week she didn't go. Yesterday she was in the car with me when I went to the gym, and she actually waited for me while I worked out. She claimed to be obeying her grandma's orders, but that is out of character for her. She obviously does not care about the gym when she goes into her no-eating spells.

How dramatic is it? Are we talking about won't eat at all or won't eat as much?

The last time she went through this it was pretty dramatic. We had to go to the hospital with her once. Basically she has just been drinking water.

Is it bothering her or just you?

She is unbothered by it all. I am bothered, and her grandma is seriously worried, as always.

E,

I read that anorexia thread, and it disgusts me. But thanks, I'm not complaining.

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Katy · Post by **Katy** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 10:30 am

Well, I've said it several times, but I'll say it again. You need to force your kid to a psychologist or psychiatrist. You're the mom. You can do that. And if your mom is as worried as you say, she should stand behind you on that.

Shahrazad · Post by **Shahrazad** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 10:43 am

Katy,

The reason I can't force her is that it won't do any good if she doesn't cooperate with the therapist. I don't want her to just sit there and answer yes and no, or even worse, get rude with the doctor.

I'm working on it. Will let you know.

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Dan Rowden · Post by **Dan Rowden** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 6:00 pm

She is a teenage girl. That is a disease in itself.

Shahrazad · Post by **Shahrazad** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 6:35 pm

Well yes, but at least people don't die of teenism.

Shahrazad · Post by **Shahrazad** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 6:40 pm

Update for Katy and E:

She told me that everything will go back to normal once she goes back to school, as that will force her into a structured life with a time to sleep, eat and all that.

Oh, and her first day of school is tomorrow.

I asked her what her BMI is, and it's 19. From the anorexic site you linked me to, I found out that anorexics are 15 or less. So technically, she's still healthy. But to me, she is skin and bones.

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Kelly Jones · Post by **Kelly Jones** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 8:08 pm

It's significant that most young blokes don't get eating disorders, because they're more interested in having the energy to do everything they imagine they can. They don't forget food!

You're definitely going to eat everything in sight, in order to keep practising until you achieve a state of grace and elegance.

Though perhaps food is not so important, playing computer pinball.

Katy · Post by **Katy** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 10:06 pm

Shahrazad wrote:Update for Katy and E:

She told me that everything will go back to normal once she goes back to school, as that will force her into a structured life with a time to sleep, eat and all that.

Oh, and her first day of school is tomorrow.
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Oh, yeah, vacation from school will do that too. I've just started my spring break and I'm already on a weird eating schedule. I wouldn't worry so much unless it continues about a week from now.

Shahrazad · Post by **Shahrazad** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 10:29 pm

Katy,

Well, the strange thing is that every time she gets depressed, she gets this food revulsion. I suspect she will be getting many more depressions before she makes it into adulthood.

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Katy · Post by **Katy** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 10:50 pm

Shahrazad wrote:Katy,

Well, the strange thing is that every time she gets depressed, she gets this food revulsion. I suspect she will be getting many more depressions before she makes it into adulthood.

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Yep that tends to happen, too. So long as she eventually comes out of it, it's ok.