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Emily Garza

Instructor Judith R. McCann

ENGL 1302-203

7 April 2023

Eating Disorder Crisis

Introduction/ Background Information

Eating disorder cases date back to 1689 with a boy and a girl demonstrating “nervous

consumption” symptoms; English physician Richard Morton, described the lack of a physical

cause for the atrophy and loss as “this Consumption to be Nervous.” (Muhlheim). This was then

known as the first eating disorder acknowledged and documented at the time being Anorexia

Nervosa. Since then, the knowledge of eating disorders has grown and expanded. The first

eating disorder included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM- I)

was Anorexia Nervosa in 1952 (Muhlheim). The other two major eating disorders, Bulimia

Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder, were later added in DSM IV in 1994 (Muhlheim). Eating

disorders earned the classification of “disorder” because of their notoriety as a harmful

disruption process. Eating disorders are negatively affecting the people who obtain them. Eating

disorders cause an individual to have ever-lasting physical and mental difficulties.

Physical Strain

To begin with, it is apparent how eating disorders are negatively impacting the health of

an individual by prohibiting the accurate amount of nutrients and sleep. In multiple studies

focusing on adolescents, they express how eating disorders can stunt the growth of a child by not

providing enough nutrients. Various studies also review how eating disorders can result in lack of

proper sleep and lead to Night Eating Syndrome. According to Tzischinsky, “Studies suggest
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that ED pathologies tend to be associated with psychiatric comorbidity and insomnia, with

stronger associations as the severity of the ED symptoms increases” (2). To elaborate, the author

experiments with people that suffer from Night Eating Syndrome and people with Binge Eating

Disorder. Understanding both disorders, the author tests which disorder is most likely to have

sleep disturbances. As stated before, people that acquire eating disorders are more likely to be

“associated with psychiatric comorbidities and insomnia” (Tzischinsky 2). This means people

that obtain eating disorders are likely to begin developing sleep disorders and disturbances.

Calderón-Asenjo et al. state and prove that “gender, physical activity, and sleep duration

are all factors associated with negative emotional eating (EmE)” (2). The authors used the

Emotional Eating Questionnaire and created tables with the results. The tables demonstrate the

correlations between emotional eating and the negative effects. On the fourth table, the

experiment expresses how “physical activity, sleep duration, and mental and physical health are

associated with negative EmE” (Calderón-Asenjo et al 8). According to the results, those people

that reported less than 7 hours of sleep would have negative emotional eating patterns and those

that slept more than 9 hours a day were less likely to experience those patterns (Calderón-Asenjo

et al 8). These eating disorders are the leading factor in these experiments; they prove that eating

disorders are causing sleep disturbances and complications.

Mental Correlation

It is known how there is a correspondence between mental disorders and eating disorders.

In most cases, eating disorders cause mental disorders such as Anxiety or Depression. It is less

likely to have cases documented the other way. Johnson et al expresses in “Eating Disorders

During Adolescence and the Risk for Physical and Mental Disorders During Early Adulthood”

how mental disorders are prevalent with people that obtain eating disorders. The author
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approaches multiple topics with a variety of tables. In table 3 of the information gathered

Johnson et al. state “Eating disorders during adolescence were associated with

an increased risk for anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and suicide attempts during early

adulthood” (3) (5). In essence, the author is elaborating on the fact eating disorders are disrupting

the mental flow of an individual. In order to prove this the authors utilize the Diagnostic

Interview Schedule for Children and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

(DSM-IV). Young girls and their mothers are interviewed and their results are measured with

both of these items (Johnson et al. 2). From table 3 in the study, 32% of the youth were recorded

to have ever-lasting psychiatric disorders when transitioning into adulthood (Johnson et al. 4).

In another study,

THE END OF SUBHEADING: This confirms eating disorders have long lasting effects on the

mental condition of a person.

Works Cited

Calderón-Asenjo, Ruth E., et al. “Association Between Emotional Eating, Sociodemographic

Characteristics, Physical Activity, Sleep Duration, and Mental and Physical Health in

Young Adults.” Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, vol. Volume 15, Informa UK

Limited, Dec. 2022, pp. 2845–59. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.2147/jmdh.s391752.

Green, Melinda A., et al. “Eating Disorder Behaviors and Depression: A Minimal Relationship

Beyond Social Comparison, Self-esteem, and Body Dissatisfaction.” Journal of Clinical

Psychology, vol. 65, no. 9, Wiley, pp. 989–99. Crossref,

https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20586

Johnson, Jeffrey G., et al. “Eating Disorders During Adolescence and the Risk for Physical and

Mental Disorders During Early Adulthood.” Archives of General Psychiatry, vol. 59, no.

6, American Medical Association (AMA), p. 545. Crossref,

https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.59.6.545.

Patton, G. C., et al. “The Outcome of Adolescent Eating Disorders: Findings From the Victorian

Adolescent Health Cohort Study.” European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, vol. 12, no.

0, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, pp. 1–1. Crossref,

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-003-1104-x.

Potterton, Rachel, et al. “‘I’m Truly Free From My Eating Disorder’: Emerging Adults’

Experiences Of FREED, An Early Intervention Service Model and Care Pathway for

Eating Disorders.” Journal of Eating Disorders, vol. 9, no. 1, Springer Science and

Business Media LLC, Jan. 2021. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-020-00354-9.

Rieger, Elizabeth, et al. “Identifying the Contingencies of Self‐worth Associated With Eating

Disorder Symptoms: The Use of Choice‐based Conjoint Analysis.” International Journal

of Eating Disorders, vol. 54, no. 12, Wiley, Oct. 2021, pp. 2167–79. Crossref,

https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23634.

Thew, Graham R., et al. “The Phenomenology of Self-critical Thinking in People With

Depression, Eating Disorders, and in Healthy Individuals.” Psychology and

Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, vol. 90, no. 4, Wiley, July 2017, pp.

751–69. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1111/papt.12137.

Tzischinsky, Orna, et al. “Sleep Quality and Eating Disorder-Related Psychopathologies in

Patients With Night Eating Syndrome and Binge Eating Disorders.” Journal of Clinical

Medicine, vol. 10, no. 19, MDPI AG, Oct. 2021, p. 4613. Crossref,

https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10194613.

Muhlheim, Lauren. “When Did Eating Disorders First Appear?” Verywell Mind, 23 Mar. 2020,

www.verywellmind.com/history-of-eating-disorders-4768486.

Wu, Xiu Yun, et al. “The Association Between Disordered Eating and Health-related Quality of

Life Among Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Population-based

Studies.” PLOS ONE, edited by Valentina Cardi, vol. 14, no. 10, Public Library of

Science (PLoS), Oct. 2019, p. e0222777. Crossref,

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222777.