Hope for the Hopeless - Depression and Eating Disorders

by kaffedamen_ Approximately 80% of all severe cases involving anorexia or bulimia have a coexisting major depression diagnosis. Depression is a ver

Anxiety Attacks And Depression

by kaffedamen_

Approximately 80% of all severe cases involving anorexia or bulimia have a coexisting major depression diagnosis. Depression is a very painful and all consuming disorder in and of itself. However, in combination with an eating disorder, depression is beyond devastating and is often masked within the eating disorder itself. Depression in eating disorder clients looks different than it does in clients who have mood disorder alone. One way to describe how depression looks in someone who is suffering with an eating disorder is: hidden misery. For eating disorder clients, depression takes on a heightened quality of hopelessness and self-hatred, and becomes an expression of their identity, not a list of unpleasant symptoms. The depression becomes intertwined with the manifestations of the eating disorder, and because of this interwoven quality, the depressive symptoms are often not clearly distinguishable from the eating disorder. One purpose of this article is to highlight some of the distinctions and differences in how depression manifests itself in someone suffering with anorexia or bulimia. Another purpose is to provide suggestions that will begin to foster hope for these hopeless clients within the therapy setting.

When dealing with eating disorder cases, it is important to understand that if major depression is present, it is most likely present at two levels. First, it will be evident in a history of chronic, low level, dysthymic depression, and secondly, there will be symptoms consistent with one or more prolonged episodes of acute major depressive disorder. The intensity and acuteness of the depression is not always immediately recognizable in how the client is manifesting their eating disorder. Clinical history taking will reveal chronic discouragement, feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, appetite disturbance, sleep disturbance, low energy, fatigue, concentration troubles, difficulty making decisions, and a general feeling of unhappiness and vague hopelessness. Since most eating disorder clients do not seek treatment for many years, it is not uncommon for this kind of chronic dysthymic depression to have been in their lives anywhere from two to eight years. Clinical history will also reveal that as the eating disorder escalated or became more severe in its intensity, there is a concurrent history of intense symptoms of major depression. Oftentimes, recurrent episodes of major depression are seen in those with longstanding eating disorders. In simple words, eating disorder clients have been discouraged for a long time, they have not felt good about themselves for a long time, they have felt hopeless for a long time, and they have felt acute periods of depression in which life became much worse and more difficult for them.

Unique Characteristics One of the most unique characteristics of depression in someone who is suffering with an eating disorder is an intense and high level of self-hatred and self-contempt. This may be because those who have these major depressive episodes in conjunction with an eating disorder have a much more personally negative and identity-based meaning attached to the depressive symptoms. The depressive symptoms say something about who the person is at a core level as a human being. They are much more than simply descriptive of what the individual is experiencing or suffering from at that time in their life. For many women with eating disorders, the depression is broad evidence of their unacceptability and shame, and a daily proof of the deep level of "flawed-ness" that they believe about themselves. The intensity of the depression is magnified or amplified by this extreme perceptual twist of the cognitive distortion of personalization and all-or-nothing thinking. A second symptom of major depression shown to be different in those who suffer with severe eating disorders is that their sense of hopelessness and despair goes way beyond "depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day." The sense of hopelessness is often an expression of how void and empty they feel about who they are, about their lives, and about their futures. Up until the eating disorder has been stabilized, all of that hopelessness has been converted into an addictive attempt to feel in control or to avoid pain through the obsessive acting out of the anorexia or bulimia.

Thirdly, this hopelessness can be played out in recurrent thoughts of death, pervasive suicidal ideation, and suicidal gesturing which many clients with severe anorexia and bulimia can have in a more entrenched and ever-present fashion than clients who have the mood disorder alone. The quality of this wanting to die or dying is tied to a much more personal sense of self-disdain and identity rejection (get rid of me) than just wanting to escape life difficulties. Fourth, the feelings of worthlessness or inadequacy are unique with eating disorders because it goes beyond these feelings. It is an identity issue accompanied by feelings of uselessness, futility, and nothingness that occur without the distraction and obsession of the eating disorder.

A fifth, distinct factor in the depression of those with eating disorders is that their excessive and inappropriate guilt is tied more to emotional caretaking issues and a sense of powerlessness or helplessness than what may typically be seen in those who are suffering with major depression. Their painful self-preoccupation is often in response to their inability to make things different or better in their relationships with significant others.

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History Of Eating Disorders Center for Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders

Source : http://imentalhealth.net/mental-health-disorders/eating-disorders/hope-for-the-hopeless-depression-and-eating-disorders

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Physical Signs of Depression

Physical Signs of Depression When you think of depression you probably think of sadness anxiety and hopelessness But depression can also have physical symptoms Thats Hope for the Hopeless - Depression and Eating Disorders

Commonly question about Hope for the Hopeless - Depression and Eating Disorders

Question :

Recovering from an Eating Disorder and NEED help and hope?

So... about three years ago i became anorexic and lost about thirty pounds. Then I went through a period of depression and gained all the weight i lost back through lack of control over my anorexia. Then because i was suicidal and still had bad (horrible) eating habits (only eating brownies,. over exercising, laxatives and so on) I went into inpatient for 90 days.

Now I am back from treatment but i ve been struggling with bingeing... i think its partially because i m afraid that NOT eating will mean I m anorexic. However, i have gained 10 pounds since i came back.. mostly from binging. I am working with a dietician and she says i am allowed to lose weight (about twenty pounds) which will mean i m right in the middle of my low and high weight.

I am okay with this but i m really struggling with feeling hopeless and that things will never change.

I also used to be a really avid (and decent) runner... but i haven t run for about a year. Is it possible to get that back? and lose an okay amount of weight? And can i ever be happy and unobsessive?

I m 18 so i feel like my body might be resiliant but i m not sure...

Thank you

Answer :
Edison failed 10, 000 times before he made the electric light. Do not be discouraged if you fail a few times.

Best of luck!

http://whataweightlossjourney.blogspot.c

Question :

You Struggled With Depression/Anxiety For Years. What Cured You?

I m curious about this. I ve suffered from anxiety/depression for most of my life (now 40), and also low self esteem, negative thinking, guilt, etc. I m curious how long you suffered from any of the above or other mood/brain disorders, how bad you were, and how you finally overcame it. Whether it be taking a drug, eating different, changing your thoughts, etc. Just curious if there is hope for some of us that feel hopeless out there.

Answer :
Metal-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONZ9bL2WG

Question :

Do I have teen Depression?

Alright well I am currently 12 years old and my Mom + stepdad emotionally abuse me, I cut my arms (I have about 13 scars that Ive made in the past 3 months) I have been feeling worthless, cant sleep, eating more, and I just feel hopeless. I mean I have hope for the future because I wanna move to dads and become famous with my best friend but Im kinda wondering if thats ever gonna happen. It just seems like Im slipping into insanity. I never wanna do the things I used to do like hang out with friends and my mom is always asking why. Yeah I smile and laugh and have some fun at school but when I get on the bus and get home it seems like everything just falls apart. I have a therapist and I was wondering if I should talk to him about depression in teens? Also, how should I ask? I told my friend Liz who had depression and an anxeity disorder and she said to talk to him. His name is Barry so thats how Im gonna say it. I just feel that I dont wanna tell him because he ll tell my parents and they wont believe Barry and theyll judge me and tell me to cheer up. Please help me and thanks in advance. xoxo

Answer :
i think you should talk to barry, as you really need some to have a good talk to about everything that is conflicting in your life, and they can try and help you out to resolve this situation.
when your cut your self, its like taking everything else out on your self, but you dont ned to do this to yourself, there is other ways to handling things in life, and so speak to someone, you could just talk to barry and make sure everything disscussed is 100% confidential. cheer up, you have many years ahead with a life that is only yours, meaning that whatever you want, you can do it in life aslong as there is hope, and when there is hope, there is a will, to live on as long as you always try and never give up!
xx