Eating Disorders linked to anxiety?

[Cleo]

Hello,

Just wondered i if anyone knows if anxiety is linked to eating disorders? I was bulimic for two years in my late teens and had a couple of minor slip ups in my early twenties (literally only being sick 5 times in about 6 years). I had no therapy but bizarrly my turning point was having to live in an isolated and dangerous place doing a very dangerous job. I was with a team of people 24/7 all working on the same project. It was like I didn't get the opportunty to be introspective I was too worried about basic survival and looking out for other people. When I came back I felt absolutely amazing like a new person so confident and totally free of self-doubt.
I'd been totally free of it for two years until I was 25 and then panic attacks, intrusive thoughts and anxiety started (due to overwork) this has subsided as I learn more and more how to deal with it. Just wondered if anybody has any thoughts on these experiences?

Cheers Cleo

[Karen]

Hi Cleo

I have had anxiety since childhood and started getting panic attacks just before my teens.

My experiences are kind of the reversed way round of yours as I developed anorexia in my 30s and I am currently still receiving treatment for anorexia/bulimia as I found my eating disorder seems to go in kind of cycles of restricting and starving, and then usually after some intervention I'm forced to gain weight and the bulimia rears its head again.

I definitely believe anxiety plays a very important part of eating disorder issues, along with low self esteem and depression sometimes too. I've also learnt in my recent readings that people with eating disorders have a problem which means they are more likely to get stuck in one way of thinking - like for me I think "I am fat and I am bad" and I can't let go of the intrusive thoughts. There has been some research carried out about that.

I wanted to say I think it is great you've overcome the eating disorder as that is something I am still working on. I'm better than I've been in a long time but still a long way to go.

Your work situation did seem to play a role in recovery and I don't know but maybe many of us would find outcomes if placed in such an extreme role.

Sounds like you are managing the anxiety well now too which is great.

I'm no expert but I personally think anxiety pretty much plays a role in the development of eating disorders and over the years sometimes our actual 'issues' change. You had managed to control the eating disorder but the underlying tendency to anxiety was still there Just one thought.

Karen xx

[Cleo]

Hi Karen,

Thanks for talking to me about this stuff! It must be hard especially if your still suffering occasionally. To this day only three people know about my eating disorder (only 1 when I actually had it) and none of them are even family members

It's Interesting that anxiety does seem to play a role in the development of eating disorders. As a teenager I was very shy and very anxious in social situations but still had friends and went out and did normal stuff. So I would say i had normal teenage angst but then at University the pressure of 'supposed to be having the time of your life' along with intense academic pressure started off the kind of cycle you talk about.
I wonder if the whole eating disorders/anxiety thing is part of a big cycle of negative thinking which is stabilising to us because being stuck in it is almost comforting knowing there is just one answer to everything 'Oh he doesn't like cos I'm fat', 'I am hideous because I'm fat' etc. Maybe we are both in different parts of the same cycle.

I hope you continue to progress well. Just giving my disorder some thought on how and why it literally seemed to disappear. I think there where several factors;

1. I was scared for my life and self-preservation did not include harming myself.
2. I had to work in a team. I didn't want to be the weakest I wanted to be part of the team.
3. I'd was with different people and had no contact with home or other friends for three months. In hindsight I had surrounded myself at university with self obssessed girls who were not actually very nice to me.
4. When I came back I made a new group of friends and only saw the others occassionally.
5. I was away from the controlling and sometimes bullying type influences of my family.
6. I felt I had achieved something.


I just thought I would share these things with you in case they could help. Also whats kept me going is a loving relationship were I can talk freely about how I feel and not hide.

Lol Cleo x

[belle]

I've had an eating disorder since 1987. My panic attacks starting in the 90's. My family are convinced due to lack of food and obviously causing the brain not to function properly it was definitely a factor in my panic disorder.

I would like to see medical proof.

[Cleo]

Hi Belle,

I'd like to see some proof too! Reason is I would say that your brain only doesn't function properly when you are at a very low hospitalisation style weight. I was never hospitalised and although was underweight and unwell I still managed to function socially and academically. I didnt suffer from severe anxiety until about five years later after the height of th eating disorder I had. I would have thought if the brain was not functioning properly due to an eating disorder it would have been when you had the disorder or immediatley after maybe? I'm no doctor and I'm certainly no fan of a medical perspective explaining and treating psychological disorders although I will admit it has it's place and often seems like the most common sense explanation and thus very appealing especially in a society were you go to the doctors first about a psychological disorder.

Sounds like an interesting idea your family have. I think I'll try and do some research and see what comes up! Let me know if u find out anything.

Lol Cleo

[Karen]

There is a lot of information about research into eating disorders here

I think, from what I've read that anxiety and certain other pre-disposing factors make some people more likely to develop an eating disorder.

One of the interesting findings from research is that anxiety lessens when someone starves and loses weight beyond a certain point. I certainly feel less anxious when I'm restricting food and when my weight has been low.

Karen xx

[Cleo]

Hi Karen and Belle thanks for the link (Karen) there's so much interesting stuff on there I've read about four or 5 abstracts there seems to be quite a lot of evidence about cognitive functioning of people who currently have eating disorders. It seems though theres a gap in the literature as to Belle's question i.e. the long term effects of eating disorders on brain function.

What was also interesting was the paper on how your family can effect eating disorders and how it was depicted in a diagram. Belle's question comes from something her parents raised as an explanation for anxiety. May be it would be better trying understand from my point of view why they said that.

Thanks Karen fascinating stuff I'll defo read a bit more of it. Problem is I am starting to feel a bit anxious just reading all that stuff its obviously very negative e.g. anorexics are more likely to have high distractability, impaired cognitve functioning etc. I think I'm taking it a bit personally and starting to anaylse myself too much!!

Cheers Cleo x

[Dawn2]

Hi Karen and Belle thanks for the link (Karen) there's so much interesting stuff on there I've read about four or 5 abstracts there seems to be quite a lot of evidence about cognitive functioning of people who currently have eating disorders. It seems though theres a gap in the literature as to Belle's question i.e. the long term effects of eating disorders on brain function.

What was also interesting was the paper on how your family can effect eating disorders and how it was depicted in a diagram. Belle's question comes from something her parents raised as an explanation for anxiety. May be it would be better trying understand from my point of view why they said that.

Thanks Karen fascinating stuff I'll defo read a bit more of it. Problem is I am starting to feel a bit anxious just reading all that stuff its obviously very negative e.g. anorexics are more likely to have high distractability, impaired cognitve functioning etc. I think I'm taking it a bit personally and starting to anaylse myself too much!!

Cheers Cleo x

Hi Cleo
Although I have type 2 bipolar disorder(manic depression)My anxiety levels are really high as a result my body says I'm hungry but I carnt eat and when I do I feel sick-so I end up not eating,just drinking. I have been told that this is not unusual with high levels of anxiety.
yours Dawn