Eating Disorder Recovery: Perceptions and Criteria

This assignment delves into the multifaceted concept of eating disorder recovery. It analyzes differing viewpoints held by patients regarding the nature of full recovery, considering both psychological and physical aspects. The assignment highlights the challenges associated with assessing recovery due to subjective interpretations and varying criteria. Research studies and blog analysis contribute to understanding patient experiences and perceptions surrounding eating disorder recovery.

LITERATURE REVIEW
RECOVERING FROM EATING DISORDER

RECOVERING FROM EATING DISORDER:
Eating disorder is the very baffling and the confusing disorder not only for the patients but even
for the practitioners. This confusion is because of the myths and the misconception that are
associated with eating disorders. Most of the people do not take this as a serious disorders but it
may lead to serious and harmful effects on the human body. Eating disorder can be defined as the
medical and psychiatric illness that is diagnosed in the people. It is not the disorder that is chosen
by the patients and not the disorder that is inherited from the parents. Now the question arises,
what cause this illness amongst the people? There are various types of eating disorders found
amongst the people. Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa are two of the major disease that
are diagnose in the people suffering from eating disorders. Researches have been made in
concern with the causes of eating disorders and it has been identified that biological factors are
one of the significant factors that play their role in developing eating disorders (Abbate-Daga,
Amianto, Delsedime, De-Bacco and Fassino, 2013). It has been analysed that ether are some
mental conditions that also contribute in developing eating disorders amongst the people such as
depression, social phobia, anxiety etc.
It is the disorder that deals with eating habits of the individuals who suffers from low body
weight as compared to what is required for an individual. It is also termed as Body Mass Index
or BMI. The person with this disorder has very abnormal eating patterns and thus has very low
weight as compared to the required weight for a healthy living. This eating disorder is not only
about the physical aspects but it is also related to the behavioural aspects of the people. It has
some of the psychological aspects as well such as thinking of people regarding their body and
their image about how they look (Bradley and Simpson, 2014). As our present culture is highly
obsessed with weight and food, development of disordered patterns of eating is very common.
This suggest that there are less clinical cause of this disorder but metal illness and conditions is
found to be the major cause of eating disorder amongst teenagers and youth. One of the
researchers suggests that 0.9% of women and 0.3% of men suffers from this disorder in their life
time.

Organizations from all over the world such as Academy for Eating disorders, NEDA etc. have
published some of the guidelines regarding eating disorders and suggest that this is the disorder
that is not inherited and is caused because of the biological issues in the human body. It has been
analysed that different people who are suffer from this disorder have different causes. And thus
there is no single set of rules that need to be followed to cure the disorder. There are majorly
three types of risk factors associated with this disorder that are psychological factors, biological
factors and social cultural disorders.
It has been analysed that the psychological aspect in the recovery is an important part but it has
been very much neglected, this type of recovery without psychological aspect is termed as
pseudo recovery. It has been found by the researchers that when the body weight and the shape
of the body was kept as the criteria for recovering, the recovered group was observed to be less
dissatisfied and do not have social adjustments. It has been analysed in the study that the
psychological recovery of the people follows the behavioural recovery. Researchers suggest that
full recovery can be achieved only when there is no difference between the healthy controls and
the people facing the disorder (National Eating Disorders Association., 2017). Healthy controls
are the people who have never shown any of the characteristics of having eating disorder.
Researchers have described the criteria that are considered for defining a person fully recovered
(Byrne, et al. 2011). The first criteria is that the person has no diagnostic characteristics for any
disorder related to eating and another one is that there is no purging, binge eating or fasting since
last three months. It is believed by the researchers that psychological aspects of the patients need
to be included in the recovery but it cannot be put as the criteria technically. Prior findings have
suggested that some residual symptoms are left among the patients and they may develop again
and thus full recovery is not possible in this context (Hookway, 2008). But now it has been
analysed that full recovery is possible by considering the above stated criteria.
Another study that was conducted regarding the women suggests that the after recovery
behaviour of the women was very different from their earlier behaviour. They start thinking so
positive and the way of looking to themselves and presenting themselves has changed. It has

been analysed that the patients suggests that psychological treatment of recovery directly does
not followed by the actual or physical recovery (Kessler, et al. 2013). It takes years to recover
from this disorder physically but psychological recovery provides a different mind-set to the
patients that give their courage to adjust in the society without having any fear of eating. Their
habits may not change so early but their way of thinking may change. The women suggest that
meeting their target weight is just the part of their full recovery. Full recovery can only be
achieved if the eating habits of the person changes totally without any pressure. It has been
analysed that different people have different perception about recovery. Some think that
psychological recovery is followed by the behaviour and the physical recovery while some
studies suggest that physical recovery is achieved after the achievement of psychological
recovery (Rohde, Stice and Marti, 2015). There are many ways to give therapy to the patients
who have been found to have this disorder. It has been analysed that the most effective way is
family based treatment. It is the therapy in which the session has been conducted for the family
by bringing them together and discussing the issues they are facing. It has been done so that the
issues can be resolved collectively (Ferguson, et al. 2014). Another therapy is related to
cognitive behaviour therapy. This deals with the way the patients think about the food and their
habits of eating. This study also does not consider the psychological aspect that is the reason
behind this behaviour and the physical weakness of the patients.
It has been concluded from different articles that there are three major aspects of full recovery of
the patients from eating disorder that are psychological, behavioural and physical. It has been
analysed that different patients that are suffering from this disorder have different perception
about the full recovery (National Eating Disorders Association., 2017). It is required to find out
the tools that assist the doctors to identify the perception or the definition of the full recovery of a
particular patient. This is because some people think that recovery of psychology is the full
recovery from the disorder while some think that achieving the weight target is the recovery
(McNamara and Parsons, 2016) The full recovery that has been defined by the researcher
includes all the criteria such as psychological, physical and behavioural. It is required by the
patients to show the characteristics of the health controls, and then only the patient is considered
as fully recovered. It has been concluded that eating disorder recovery is the very difficult target
to achieve as it is differently perceived by the patients and also have different criteria to assess
the success of recovery of eating disorders.

References:
Abbate-Daga, G., Amianto, F., Delsedime, N., De-Bacco, C. and Fassino, S., 2013. Resistance to
treatment and change in anorexia nervosa: a clinical overview. BMC psychiatry, 13(1), p.294.

Bradley, M. and Simpson, S., 2014. Inside the experience of recovering from anorexia nervosa:
An interpretative phenomenological analysis of blogs. Counselling, Psychotherapy, and
Health, 9, pp.1-34.
Byrne, S.M., Fursland, A., Allen, K.L. and Watson, H., 2011. The effectiveness of enhanced
cognitive behavioural therapy for eating disorders: an open trial. Behaviour Research and
Therapy, 49(4), pp.219-226.
Ferguson, C.J., Muñoz, M.E., Garza, A. and Galindo, M., 2014. Concurrent and prospective
analyses of peer, television and social media influences on body dissatisfaction, eating disorder
symptoms and life satisfaction in adolescent girls. Journal of youth and adolescence, 43(1), pp.1-
14.
Hookway, N., 2008. Entering the blogosphere': some strategies for using blogs in social
research. Qualitative research, 8(1), pp.91-113.
Kessler, R.C., Berglund, P.A., Chiu, W.T., Deitz, A.C., Hudson, J.I., Shahly, V., Aguilar-
Gaxiola, S., Alonso, J., Angermeyer, M.C., Benjet, C. and Bruffaerts, R., 2013. The prevalence
and correlates of binge eating disorder in the World Health Organization World Mental Health
Surveys. Biological psychiatry, 73(9), pp.904-914.
McNamara, N. and Parsons, H., 2016. ‘Everyone here wants everyone else to get better’: The
role of social identity in eating disorder recovery. British Journal of Social Psychology, 55(4),
pp.662-680.
National Eating Disorders Association., 2017. Blog. [online] Available at:
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/blog [Accessed 13 Oct. 2017].
Rohde, P., Stice, E. and Marti, C.N., 2015. Development and predictive effects of eating disorder
risk factors during adolescence: Implications for prevention efforts. International Journal of
Eating Disorders, 48(2), pp.187-198.