Depression And Eating Disorder

The longer an eating disorder condition goes untreated, the greater the chance there is of developing a depressive disorder, and yet at the same time, depression and other mental health problems are also known to increase the risk of developing an eating disorder. The fact is that, there is a relationship between mental depression and eating disorders and other mental health problems can coexist with both.

Both mental depression and eating disorders are becoming increasingly common. According to the Mental Health Foundation nearly 10% of the population in the UK actually experience some form of depression every year, and 2% of women as well as some men will suffer from an eating disorder. Anorexia is more common condition to affect young women whereas bulimia is more likely to affect older women and is more common than anorexia. Compulsive eating badly affects both women and men equally and approximately 10% of all people with eating disorders are men.

A depressive mental disorder can be defined as a set of symptoms ranging from mild to severe that coexist with overwhelming feelings of sadness and an inability to take pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed to the extent that they interfere with normal daily routines. There are a number of different types of depressive disorders including clinical depression, bipolar disorder or manic depression, post natal depression, seasonal affective disorder or SAD and post traumatic stress disorder. No actually one knows why some people become severely depressed and not others, but low self esteem is known to increase the risk of developing a depressive disorder and is also an underlying factor in eating disorders.

The symptoms of seasonal affective disorder are, feeling tired and lethargic for most of the time; persistent low moods and sadness, a feeling of despondency, sleep disturbances, either inability to sleep or sleeping too much, a pessimistic outlook on life, feeling anxious and nervous, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, low self esteem, frightening and irrational thoughts, loss of pleasure in activities and lack of interest in sex, avoidance of social contact and social situations, changes in appetite involving either loss of appetite or an increased appetite and associated weight loss or weight gain, emotional outbursts for no apparent reason and/or irritability.

There are three main types of depressive eating disorders and these include Anorexia Nervosa which can be characterized by a fear of putting on weight to such an extent that the person doesn't eat or eats very little, sometimes to the extent that they can starve themselves to death. Another is Bulimia Nervosa, in which someone with bulimia eats copious amounts of food and then feel guilty and out of control so try to purge themselves by vomiting, starving themselves or taking laxatives. And the last one is compulsive eating which involves eating for comfort or for emotional security and is characterized by nibbling all day without being able to stop. People who tend to eat compulsively are usually obese or overweight. It can be a way of denying or avoiding depression problems and is often associated with low self esteem, feelings of worthlessness, loneliness and emptiness.

• Cassandra Bagley
• 06/02/2009, 4:59 PM
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