Understanding Eating Disorders: Types, Causes, and Substance Abuse - Prof. B. Zwibelman, Study notes of Abnormal Psychology

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Zwibelman and more Study notes Abnormal Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! • Normal vs. Abnormal eating ○ All forms of social gatherings, celebrations. ○ Statements that people have made who have issues with eating: (Not all related to body image or weight) § I eat when I am upset, lonely, angry, depressed, etc § I stuff myself with food. § I am terrified of gaining weight. § I feel guilty after eating. § I have gone on eating binges that I could not stop. § I get confused as to whether or not I am hungry. § I have a few other pleasures in life besides eating. § If I gain a pound, I worry that I will keep gaining. § I have the thought of trying to vomit in order to lose weight. § I eat or drink in secrecy. § I feel ineffective as a person. § I get confused about what emotion I am feeling. § As a child, I tried very hard to avoid disappointing my parents and teachers. • 4 Eating Disorders 1) Anorexia Nervosa-Restricting type i. Refusal to maintain body weight above the minimum normal weight (15% or more below) ii. Obsession with food and exercise. iii. Food intake is dramatically limited (leading to extreme weight loss) 2) Binge-Eating Disorder i. Unusually large amounts of food in short time. ii. Out of control. iii. Several binges iv. Most but not all are obese, defined as having a BMI greater than 30 v. Binge episodes +a loss of control over their eating. vi. Body max index=the individuals weight divided by the square of his height. vii. More common than anorexia and bulimia viii. More common in women than men 3) Bulimia Nervosa: purging & non-purging type. i. Episodes of out of control binge eating ii. Followed by purging of the food through vomiting or other means. iii. Ipecac syrup (makes you throw up) iv. May also take laxatives. v. Compensatory behaviors (excessive exercise) (Emphasizes that it's not always purging) 4) Anorexia Nervosa: Binge-Eating-Purging type (Bulimarexia) i. The anorexic who has turned to bingeing as a way of dealing with the recurrent violent hunger pangs. ii. Vomiting or other compensatory behaviors as a way of keeping weight at very low levels. iii. Intense fear of becoming fat, obese. iv. Potentially fatal: has the highest mortality rate of all psychological disorders. v. Medical complications that are associated with anorexia: 1) Bradycardia (abnormally slow heart rate) 2) Hypotension (low blood pressure) 3) Hypothermia (body temp. drops below minimal amount) vi. Bulimarexia, binges may be small or excessive. • *Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa SIMILARITIES* ○ Intense fear of becoming obese ○ Preoccupied with food, eating, weight. ○ Ritualistic, secretive eating. ○ Self-destructive behaviors. ○ Disorder begins after a period of dieting. ○ Restrictive dieting makes it worse. ○ "Impaired functioning" refers to: § Chronic § Progressive § Compulsion to use □ Loss of control § Continued use despite consequences ○ "Psychoactive substance" refers to: § Alters mood or behavior. ² What is "addiction"? ○ That the particular substance manifests both tolerance and withdrawal. ○ What is the evidence needed to show that a psychoactive substance (drug) is addictive? (AKA what is the operational definition) § Tolerance: the process through which the nervous system becomes less sensitive to the effects of a drug. § Withdrawal: the symptoms experience when a person stops using a drug. ² 4 Levels of Involvement: 1) Use: i. Ingestion of psychoactive substance in moderate amounts that do not significantly interfere with a person's social, or educational, or occupational functioning. 2) Intoxication i. A temporary substance-specific syndrome due to recent ingestion of a psychoactive substance. 3) Abuse (doesn't have to do with how much, has to do with behavior consequences due to the behavior) i. (Serious consequences) ii. Failure to fulfill major role obligations iii. Use in situations in which it is physically hazardous iv. Substance-related legal problems v. Continued use despite having persistent social or interpersonal problems cause or exacerbated by the effects of the substance (continue to use despite these problems) 4) Dependence i. Tolerance ii. Withdrawal iii. Substance taken in larger amounts or over a longer period of time than intended. iv. Persistent desire of unsuccessful effort to reduce or control substance use. v. Spending a great deal of time in activities necessary to obtain the substance (drug- seeking behaviors) vi. Giving up or reducing important social, occupations, or recreational activities because of substance abuse. vii. Continued use despite awareness of physical of psychological problems caused by the use. **Know how to compare Abuse and Dependence!!** ² Flow Chart Leading to Dependence or Abuse Positive attitude->Experimentation->Regular Use->Heavy Use->Dependence or Abuse ² Pleasure/reward pathway: ○ Many (perhaps all) drugs activate a "reward center" or "pleasure pathway" in the brain.