Trauma is the response to a distressing or disturbing event. The longer we live, the more inevitable it is that we will experience some kind of trauma. Probably around a third of people have experienced some kind of traumatic event during their lifetimes, and around 70% of people who meet diagnostic criteria for a recognised mental…
Dissociation is a psychological experience in which people feel disconnected from their sensory experiences (sight, hearing etc), their sense of self, or their personal history. It is usually experienced as a feeling of intense alienation or unreality, in which the person suddenly loses their sense of where they are, who they are, or what they…
Traumatic memories are thought to be stored in a different part of the brain from processed memories (the amygdala rather than the hippocampus). This is important because whilst the hippocampus is involved in memory forming, organising, and storing long-term memories, the amygdala attaches strong emotional significance to memories, but is unable to store when or…
Whilst our “ideal” or “desirable” body shape is culturally determined, recent studies have shown that body weight is strongly influenced by genetic and familial patterns. This is quite at odds with the messages presented by the media and by the diet industry: that anyone can achieve any body weight. We know from studies looking at twins…
There are many serious physical, psychological and emotional consequences of a severe or long-term eating disorder. Most of these are reversible following recovery, however some are not. Some of the consequences are potentially life threatening. If we think that your physical health could be at risk at assessment, we will make recommendations about how best…
The following are excerpts from a number of ‘life stories’ written by people who have or are experiencing long term anorexia. They were asked to think about how they experience anorexia now, and what they wish they have known at the start of their anorexia. “Anorexia is a surprisingly powerful mental illness. It deceives you…
Good health is a balance between social, spiritual, mental and physical well-being. Mental and emotional health depend upon good physical health and nutrition, along with rest and exercise. If the nutritional needs of your body are not met, sleep patterns can become disturbed, the capacity to do physical exercise can become impaired, mental concentration…
Refeeding syndrome is a very dangerous disturbance in fluid and electrolytes that can occur when nutrition is reintroduced after a long period of very restrictive eating. When a body is starved, it starts to use its own fatty acids and amino acids (as it does not have access to carbohydrates for energy). This leads to…
‘Orthorexia’ has gained increasing attention in the press in recent years, but what is it? Sometimes described as orthorexia nervosa, it describes those who may be seen as having “unhealthy obsessions” with otherwise healthy eating. Orthorexia usually starts out as a harmless attempt to follow certain healthy eating rules. However, in some cases, these rules…
Eating disorders may not be suitable for outpatient treatment at their most severe. This may be because motivation is low, physical health is too compromised for changes to be made without daily medical monitoring, anxiety may be too high to make changes without support, or the home environment may prohibit changes. In this case, inpatient…
Going to university is a time of huge transition and challenge for most people. This may be particularly challenging for people with an eating disorder, or who are in recovery from an eating disorder. New relationships, new pressures, new eating habits, the need to shop, cook and eat independently, can all present challenges for people…
Autism spectrum disorder is not a mental health condition, and certainly not everyone with autism will have an eating disorder, or vice versa. However, there does appear to be an overlap in symptoms such that high rates of autistic traits are often found in people with anorexia. Due to the structured routines that are often…
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