Eating Disorders, Depression and Obsessive-compulsive disorder
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Introduction
Overview
Human beings experience many health problems that interfere with their day-to-day activities. Human behavior is unpredictable and complex and only experts can be able to analyze and understand it through various tests and observations. Examples of these health problems experience by people are eating disorders, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). All the three problems are related to each other and an individual may suffer from any one of these, or even all of them at the same time. On the other hand, most people find it hard distinguishing between what is good and what is bad because the judgment depends on the individual’s perception. A person suffering from any of the three disorders above behaves in a different manner from a normal human being. Teenagers are at greater risks of suffering from eating disorders, and even people in their young adulthood (Lenzenwege et al, 2007).
Arguments
Many researchers have investigated the relationship between eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders. The main area of focus that researchers base their studies on is the symptoms of these disorders. Even with the high number of researches on this topic, there has never been a clear picture of what caused eating and OCD among people, especially young children. Others have gone even further to gather information from elderly people on how they used to perceive such problems if they attacked one of their family members. On the other hand, the topic on eating disorders is diverse because it involves a lot of input from health specialists who have knowledge on how to identify and diagnose affected individuals. Some studies even mistaken normal people to suffer from OCD because they claim that any person showing signs of mind disturbance, stubbornness, or uncooperative with peers is definitely suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Findings in the area
In every psychodynamic concept of obsessive thinking, the parent-child relationship comes into action. A child experiences a void-like state when he or she grows in absence of key parental relational processes that include; emotional proximity and childhood monitoring. On the other hand, a child develops anxiety that plays the role of a ‘dead’ inner world arising from a parental abandonment and loss of good things in life. Eating disorder, depression and OCD make an individual more active and increase the need for controlling his or her own environment. A person affected by any Personal Disorder is always under control of his or her actions and even orderly, but it also makes a person inflexible and unable to surrender control (Marano, 2010). The findings from Fridman’s research play an essential role in understanding the disorder through looking at the dangerous symptoms and how they affect the victim physically and emotionally.
The following characteristics make such individuals unable to express their feelings towards other people, lack close relationships, and unable to enjoy successes they achieve in life. Psychologists argue that the key feature of obsessive thinking occurs due to compulsive and repeated occupation of mind with many images, words, and ideas that always disturb a person. The following discussion found out that different people have varying beliefs on the existence of eating disorders, depression, and OCD and yet, research has not exhausted materials required to fully cover the topic. The most significant finding in the area of eating disorder is the
Literature review
Critical assessment of the literature
Fridman (2006) researched on some major symptoms of eating disorder. In his research, Fridman found out that symptoms of obsessive personality disorder are associated with emotional, mental, and behavioral control of victims and others. In cases where the victim shows excessive conscientiousness, the problem is associated with general poor problems. People showing such symptoms experience difficulties in making simple decisions making them highly inefficient. In addition, such people always urge for control of situations and are easily upset by small changes on schedules or planned events. In addition, Fridman investigated on the negativities faced by OCD victims through victimization by family members, friends and the community. Most communities associate personality disorders with evil and belief that any victim is a bad omen to the family (Freid, 2006).
Another important literature that assists in understanding eating disorders, depression, and OCD is its prevalence. A study by Fursland & Watson (2014) revealed that women have 15% prevalence of acquiring eating disorders, while the people at the adolescence age have 10.5% prevalence. Higher cases of eating disorders are reported in populations such as outpatient mental patients with prevalence of 16.5% in women and 2.0% in men. Fursland & Watson also found out that most of the eating disorder victims go unnoticed because they never seek treatment from healthcare centers. Moreover, others fail to seek medical attention because their families hide them and fear being associated with mentally challenged individuals. Out of the many studies conducted on the prevalence of personality disorders in the United States population, only 9.1% of the population has recorded the disorder characteristics. The study carried out in 2007 showed that 1 out of 11 people in US suffered personality disorders of various types. A survey carried out by Crawford et al in 2005 showed that 4.7% of US population suffered obsessive personality disorder while another survey by Lenzenweger et al (2007) recorded 2.4 % disorder prevalence.
Applicability to understanding of eating disorders
Experts have developed many theories on the causes of eating disorders in the society today. These theories have found many applications in the diagnosis and treatment of eating disorder, but they also have some drawbacks. The ability to maintain and initiate a secure relationship with another person is a function of social emotional development. Rachman’s theory of cognitive obsession claims that professionals and religious leaders should be on the first line in guiding people of how to face issues of personality disorders in the society. These people can influence large groups and increase the vulnerability of obsessive among their followers. The cause of any OCD should be determined by first looking at the environment of the victim. Some people grew in hostile conditions where quarrel was the order of the day. Such people are likely to develop personality disorder. However, Rachman gave exceptional of people who follow the law, like the military, because they only follow orders.
Another theory of significance deals with self-concept. This should be the first characteristic to be enhanced by recognizing, and realizing the unique qualities each child possess. Researchers must pay attention to the children’s nature to avoid the development of obsessive characters. Moreover, self-confidence gives eating disorder victims internal worth making it easy for the child to face challenges and eliminate a sense of fear that triggers obsessive personality disorder. Lack of self-confidence makes the child focus on failure instead of success making a child want to grow to be always a perfect person. Self-esteem is another vital characteristic.
These theories have limitations because they fail to give the society the correct path to take. Firstly, they introduce a state of confusion when they involve community leaders, and yet do not call upon the affected people to seek medical attention. In addition, the theories do not boost people’s self-esteem because instead of complimenting victims they only scare those claiming eating disorders are associated with evil.
Possible directions for future research
In the future, researchers should focus on studying how eating disorders could be minimized during early stages of life. Most studies concentrate on the cause of eating disorders, their prevention, prevalence, and treatment. Future studies should establish the way forward by searching ways that victims can cope with the situation. In addition, they should introduce policies requiring health practitioners to undergo special trainings on how to detect personality disorders, and find the best solutions to cope with the problem early enough.
Conclusion
The information discussed in the above analysis plays a significant role in the health industry, and the society at large. Eating disorders, depression, and OCD are abnormalities among people, and the only way to get rid of them is through researching about them deeply. The discussion has provided the statistics of eating disorder prevalence in United States. This is a worrying fact. When such a large number of people are affected in a developed world, how about the developing country like Kenya where approximately 40% of people leave below the poverty line? The proposed directions for future research should be implemented in order to help minimize eating disorders and instead develop a healthy nation.
References
Freid C. (2007).Beliefs Associated with Eating Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:
The Development of the Obsessive Beliefs About Body Size and Eating Survey (OBBES).Nashville TN
Fursland, A. & Watson, H. (2014). “Eating Disorders: A Hidden Phenomenon in Outpatient
Mental Health?” International Journal of Eating Disorders 47:4 422–425
Lenzenweger, M. F., Lane, M. C., Loranger, A. W., & Kessler, R. C. (2007). DSM-IV
Personality Disorders In The National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Biological Psychiatry, 62(6), 558.
Marano, D et al. (2010).Binge Eating Disorder and Depression: A Systematic Review. The
World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 11 (2): 199-207
Rachman, S. J. (1998). A cognitive theory of obsessions. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36,
385-401
