CLPS 1700- Readings - Chapter 10

Question 1

What are the four criteria of anorexia?

Answer 1

Refusal to obtain/maintain healthy weight; intense fear of fatness/weight gain, distortions of body image, amenorrhea

Question 2

Symptoms of anorexia overlap with symptoms of what other disorder?

Answer 2

OCD

Question 3

What are the two types of anorexia?

Answer 3

Restricting, and bingeing/purging type

Question 4

Why is exercise discouraged in people with anorexia?

Answer 4

Losing muscle, especially heart muscle, since the body has nothing else to break down

Question 5

List some medical effects of anorexia

Answer 5

Muscle wasting; low heart rate/blood pressure; abdominal bloating/discomfort; constipation, bone density loss, slower metabolism, development of lanugo

Question 6

What are the four methods of purging?

Answer 6

Vomiting, diuretics, laxatives, and enemas

Question 7

Why is purging so bad for the body?

Answer 7

Results in dehydration, electrolyte imbalance: impairs heart muscle functioning when severe

Question 8

What are some unexpected psychological and social effects of the starvation study (Keys et al 1950)

Answer 8

Sensitivity to light, cold, noise; less sleep; depression/anxiety symptoms; obsession with food, hoarding objects, etc.

Question 9

What are the two types of bulimia?

Answer 9

Purging and nonpurging (fasting, exercising, etc)

Question 10

What is the ratio of occurrence of bulimia to anorexia?

Answer 10

2:1 ; bulimia twice as common as anorexia

Question 11

List some medical effects of bulimia.

Answer 11

Swollen parotid and salivary glands (chipmunk look); eroded dental enamel; heart and muscle problems if using syrup of ipecac to vomit; permanent loss of intestinal functioning if too much laxative use; constipation, abdominal bloating, fatigue, irregular menstruation; dehydration and imbalance in electrolytes

Question 12

Why is difficult to determine the causes of eating disorders?

Answer 12

Often only comes to clinicians’ attention AFTER developing, so hard to know whether the evidence caused or was caused BY the eating disorder

Question 13

What four brain areas exhibit lower activity in patients with eating disorders?

Answer 13

FRONTAL LOBES (inhibiting responses and regulating behavior: eating too much/little); PARTS OF TEMPORAL LOBES, LIKE AMYGDALA (fear and strong emotions: should prevent people from putting themselves in danger); PARIETAL LOBES (representing body size); and ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX (monitoring conflicts among competing responses: deficit in learning to inhibit dysfunctional behavior)

Question 14

How does frontal lobe deficit contribute to eating disorders?

Answer 14

Impaired inhibition of responses and regulation of behavior: causes one to eat too much or too little

Question 15

How does temporal lobe deficit contribute to eating disorders, especially the amygdala?

Answer 15

Impaired fear and strong emotional responses: causes one to not avoid self-harm as much, leading to self-destructive behavior

Question 16

How does parietal lobe deficit contribute to eating disorders?

Answer 16

Impaired representation of body size

Question 17

How does anterior cingulate cortex deficit contribute to eating disorders?

Answer 17

Impaired monitoring of conflicts between competing responses: prevents one from properly learning to inhibit dysfunctional behavior

Question 18

Anorexia is associated with the loss of what kind of matter in the brain?

Answer 18

Gray matter AND white matter

Question 19

Eating disorders are associated with the impaired functioning of what neurotransmitter, primarily?

Answer 19

Serotonin

Question 20

What personality traits are evident in people who develop anorexia, before they develop it, usually?

Answer 20

Anxiety and obsessiveness

Question 21

What may be the reason that eating less reduces anxiety?

Answer 21

Eating less means less tryptophan, which is a building block of serotonin, which means lower anxiety levels

Question 22

What are two of the most consistent predictors of the onset of an eating disorder?

Answer 22

Dieting and being dissatisfied with one’s body

Question 23

What is the abstinence violation effect?

Answer 23

The condition that arises when the violation of a self-imposed rule about food restriction leads to feeling out if control with food, which then leads to overeating.

Question 24

How does negative reinforcement contribute to eating disorders?

Answer 24

Removes negative stimuli of other distractions: finances, relationships, etc.

Question 25

How does positive reinforcement contribute to eating disorders?

Answer 25

Contributes positive stimuli of power, sense of mastery of oneself; often short-lived; also positive reinforcement of delicious food during binges for having lost control, so more likely to keep bingeing

Question 26

Name four personality traits that are risk factors for eating disorders.

Answer 26

Perfectionism, harm avoidance, neuroticism, and low self-esteem

Question 27

How does perfectionism contribute to eating disorders?

Answer 27

Persistent striving to attain perfection and the perfect body; very self-critical about mistakes; heightened awareness of personal flaws (aversive self-awareness)

Question 28

What is aversive self-awareness?

Answer 28

Heightened awareness of personal flaws

Question 29

How does harm avoidance contribute to eating disorders?

Answer 29

Likely to be organized planners; view food/weight as a "threat"

Question 30

How does neuroticism contribute to eating disorders?

Answer 30

Propensity to anxiety and emotional reactivity: more sensitive to criticism, etc.

Question 31

What might trigger disinhibited eating?

Answer 31

Eating more than intended (abstinence violation effect goes into action) or an upcomign diet (last supper effect)

Question 32

What is the last supper effect?

Answer 32

Disinhibited eating triggered by an upcoming diet

Question 33

What psychological disorder during early adolescence is associated with higher risk for eating disorders?

Answer 33

Depression

Question 34

What three elements of society "create the engine driving the culturally induce increase in eating disorders?"

Answer 34

Cultural ideal of thinness, repeated media exposure to thinness ideal, and individual's assimilation of the thinness ideal

Question 35

What demographics lead to more eating disorder development likelihood?

Answer 35

Westernized and higher socioeconomic

Question 36

What is objectification theory?

Answer 36

The theory that girls learn to consider their bodies as objects and commodities

Question 37

List some neurological/biological/medical treatments for eating disorders.

Answer 37

Nutritional counseling to improve eating, medical hospitalization to address significant medical problems, and medication to diminish some eating disorder symptoms or comorbid anxiety/depression

Question 38

What medication is sometimes given after a patient's normal weight is restored?

Answer 38

SSRIs to prevent relapse into anorexia

Question 39

What is the most common psychological treatment for eating disorders?

Answer 39

CBT

Question 40

What is the focus of CBT for anorexia?

Answer 40

Focusing on identifying and changing thoughts and behaviors that impede normal eating and maintain symptoms of the disorder

Question 41

What is the focus of CBT for bulimia?

Answer 41

Focus on thoughts/feelings/behaviors that prevent normal eating/promote bingeing and purging; may address perfectionism, low self-esteem, mood issues, etc.

Question 42

What other treatment besides CBT is sometimes used for bulimia?

Answer 42

Exposure with response prevention: exposure to anxiety-provoking foods, consuming foods and not purging, etc.

Question 43

What is the Maudsley approach?

Answer 43

Family treatment for anorexia that focuses on supporting parents as they determine how to lead their daughter to eat appropriately

Question 44

What is the downfall to psychiatric hospitalization for eating disorders?

Answer 44

High relapse rate afterwards