The Silent Suffering
Main Menu
Related & Co-existing Disorders
While not everyone with an eating disorder has a co-existing disorder, but there are several illnesses that are related to /contribute to the development or severity of an ED.
On this page, you will find information on:
-Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
-Obessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
-Depression
-Anxiety
-Perfectionism
-Self Injury
-Substance Abuse
-Borderline Personality Disorder
-Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
[Please use the menu to the right to navigate]
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
What is PTSD?
PTSD is an anxiety disorder that is triggered by your memories of a traumatic event. Feelings of extreme fear, helplessness, or horror can start right after a stressful event, but may not occur for 3 months or more after the event. PTSD can occur after a person has experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury to themselves or others.
Symptoms & Effects on Everyday Life
A person may not have all of the symptoms, but most people with PTSD have some of the symptoms in each area listed below.
Re-experiencing the stressful event
-Flashbacks
-Nighmares
-Hallucinations
Avoiding
-Staying away from activities, places, and people associated with the traumatic event
-Feelings of detachment and isolation from family and friends
-Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
Being "hyper-alert"
-Excessive emotions, irritability, anger
-Being jumpy or easily startled
-Difficulty sleeping
-Physical symptoms of increased heart rate and blood pressure, difficulty breathing
When to seek medical advice
It is normal to experience a wide range of feelings and emotions after a traumatic event. The feelings you experience may include fear and anxiety, a lack of focus, sadness, changes in sleeping or eating patterns, or bouts of crying that come easily. You may have recurrent thoughts or nightmares about the event. If you have these disturbing feelings more than once a month, if they're severe, or if you feel you're having trouble getting your life back under control, consider talking with your psychiatric provider.
Treatment
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Medications
Antidepressants and Anti-anxiety meds
Relaxation and Stress Management Therapies
Art and Music Therapies
Maintain a healthy lifestyle
***Information taken from Remuda Ranch***
For more information -
Joshua Children's Foundation
NIMH - PTSD
[COMING SOON]
Depression
Symptoms
*Loss of interest in normal daily activities
*Depressed mood, sadness, feeling hopeless or helpless
*Sleep disturbance
*Impaired thinking or concentration
*Changes in weight or appetite
*Agitation
Fatigue or slowing down of body movements
*Low Self Esteem
*Thoughts of Death
NOTE: There is no single cause. It often runs in families, and environmental factors such as stress or physical illness may trigger an imbalance in brain chemicals, resulting in depression. It affects all ages and races. Women are twice as likely to develop depression.
IF UNTREATED, DEPRESSION CAN LEAD TO DISABILITY AND SUICIDE.
Types
Major Depression - Symptoms affecting you continuously for over two weeks.
Dysthymia - Less severe but more chronic form of depression
Adjustment Disorders - When your response to a stressful event causes signs of depression that are long lasting.
Bipolar Disorder - Recurrent episodes of depression alternating with elation (mania).
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - A pattern of depression related to changes in seasons and a lack of exposure to sunlight.
*Medications & Psychotherapy combined offer the best treatment for depression.
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI's)
Serotonin & Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors
Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitors
Tricyclic and Tetracyclic antidepressants
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOI's)
Stimulants
Mood stabilizers
Source - Remuda Ranch Workbook
For More Information
COMING SOON
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
BDD is characterized by an excessive preoccupation with real or imagined defects in your physical appearance. Unlike eating disorders, it is not limited to concern with size and weight and may extent to areas such as hair, skin, and facial features. An individual with BDD perceives themselves as grossly disfigured and ugly and may not ever want to be seen in public.
Body Image - how a person feels about his or her own physical appearance.
Signs/Symptoms
*Frequently comparing their appearance with others.
*Repeatedly checking the appearance of a specific body part in mirrors.
*Refusing to have their picture taken.
*Wearing excessive clothing and makeup to cover the perceived flaw.
*Using hands and posture to hide imagined defect.
*Frequently touching the perceived flaw.
*Picking at their skin.
*Frequently measuring the imagined or exaggerated defect.
*Elaborate grooming rituals.
*Excessive researching about the perceived flaw.
*Seeking surgery or other medical treatment despite contrary medical opinions.
*Repeatedly seeking reassurance about the perceived defect or trying to convince others that it is abnormal or excessive.
*Avoiding social situations.
*Feeling anxious and self-conscious (social phobia).
*They may drop out of school, quit jobs, avoid leaving home or even consider suicide.
Common Obsessions
*Size, shape or symmetry of nose or other facial features.
*Moles or freckles seem to large or noticable.
*Acne and blemishes.
*Minor scars or abrasions.
*Facial or body hair.
*Baldness.
*Breast size.
*Muscles perceived as too small.
*Size or shape of genitalia.
Causes/Factors
*A chemical imbalance in the brain, such as an insufficient level of seretonin. This may be hereditary.
*Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). BDD and OCD often exist together and a family history of OCD may increase susceptibility to BDD.
*Eating disorders. Patients with BDD often present with an eating disorder. Possibly as many as 25%-39% of patients with anorexia also have BDD.
*Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). People with a history of or a genetic predisposition for GAD may be more susceptible to BDD.
*Psychological, behavioral or cultural factors. People from families of higher socioeconomic status or strict cultural standards may experience BDD more often. Feeling a need to live up to unobtainable or unrealistically high standards for personal appearance or success may increase the risk for BDD. Experiencing a severe traumatic event such as rape may allow underlying susceptibility to BDD to emerge.
Screening and Diagnosis
*The BDD Questionnaire
*The BDD Examination
*Review of your history including any compulsions, obsessions, disappointments regarding your appearance, your general emotional well-being. Reports from your family and friends about your behavior can also be important.
Complications
*Excessive anxiety and distress, leading to impaired social life and performance at school and work, even dependency and disability.
*Depression and suicide
*Social isolation
*Unnecessary medical procedures.
*Antidepressants, particularly SSRI's and Effexor
*CBT to identify unhealthy, negative beliefs and behaviors and replace them with healthy, realistic ones.
Source - Remuda Ranch workbook
BDD Central
MENU