Eating Disorders Support Group
Eating disorders are marked by an obsessive need to control the intake and/or purging of food. This community is dedicated to those struggling on the road to recovery. Join to discuss your experience with others and find support. Get advice, ask questions, and meet others who are going through similar struggles.
Eating Disorders and Brain Damage
One thing that people tend to overlook and be in denial over is brain damage caused by severe restriction. Often we dont notice it, we just think we cant concentrate because were tired, or irritable because were hungry, or high on a fast because were in control, or were depressed because were fat - but this is the beginnings of brain damage.
Early on in anorexia brain scans and tests show the brain shrinks, there are HOLES where the brain has been eaten away for energy, the brain has physical defects, IQ lowers, memory worsens and concentration falls. The brain is the first organ to be damaged by an eating disorder; the worse the restriction the worse the brain damage.
Restriction causes most of the ED symptoms - distorted body image, fear of weight gain, obsession with food etc. Some of these symptoms are present before the restriction, but its restriction that worsens them into a clinical ED, kinda like the restriction flicks a switch in the brain. Restriction of some type (intentional or accidental) - whether its a diet, stomach bug, depression-induced appetite loss, drug-induced-appetite loss, appetite loss from grief, can induce an ED.
The vast majority of people with EDs have clinical level depression, which is one part of the brain damage. Anorexics are 56 times more likely to commit suicide than the average person. Often depression occurs first and can play a part in the start of the ED, and the ED makes the depression worse. Someone with depression and an ED cannot fully recover from their depression unless they seek treatment for their ED too.
Many people with EDs get a feeling of euphoria when they are fasting or restricting, or bingeing and purgeing. This is a form of brain damage where the brain becomes addicted to endorphins which are released when you indulge in these behaviours. The endorphins have an affect similar to heroin causing pleasure, less pain and less stress.
On another level severe brain damage can be caused by electrolyte imbalances, fits and heart problems caused by the ED which cause the brain to be starved of oxygen.
The main part of any anorexia and bulimia treatment is refeeding - making sure the person has enough calories for their brain to recover to some extent.
When people start to slowly increase their calories to healthy levels and lose weight gradually, the first thing they tend to notice is feeling happier. They then start to have reduced feelings of depression and anxiety, and their ED symptoms lessen significantly. Theyre also in less physical danger (muscle loss, electrolyte imbalances etc) and are still losing weight and can become thin, happy, and able to see and enjoy it.
One thing that people tend to overlook and be in denial over is brain damage caused by severe restriction. Often we dont notice it, we just think we cant concentrate because were tired, or irritable because were hungry, or high on a fast because were in control, or were depressed because were fat - but this is the beginnings of brain damage.
Early on in anorexia brain scans and tests show the brain shrinks, there are HOLES where the brain has been eaten away for energy, the brain has physical defects, IQ lowers, memory worsens and concentration falls. The brain is the first organ to be damaged by an eating disorder; the worse the restriction the worse the brain damage.
Restriction causes most of the ED symptoms - distorted body image, fear of weight gain, obsession with food etc. Some of these symptoms are present before the restriction, but its restriction that worsens them into a clinical ED, kinda like the restriction flicks a switch in the brain. Restriction of some type (intentional or accidental) - whether its a diet, stomach bug, depression-induced appetite loss, drug-induced-appetite loss, appetite loss from grief, can induce an ED.
The vast majority of people with EDs have clinical level depression, which is one part of the brain damage. Anorexics are 56 times more likely to commit suicide than the average person. Often depression occurs first and can play a part in the start of the ED, and the ED makes the depression worse. Someone with depression and an ED cannot fully recover from their depression unless they seek treatment for their ED too.
Many people with EDs get a feeling of euphoria when they are fasting or restricting, or bingeing and purgeing. This is a form of brain damage where the brain becomes addicted to endorphins which are released when you indulge in these behaviours. The endorphins have an affect similar to heroin causing pleasure, less pain and less stress.
On another level severe brain damage can be caused by electrolyte imbalances, fits and heart problems caused by the ED which cause the brain to be starved of oxygen.
The main part of any anorexia and bulimia treatment is refeeding - making sure the person has enough calories for their brain to recover to some extent.
When people start to slowly increase their calories to healthy levels and lose weight gradually, the first thing they tend to notice is feeling happier. They then start to have reduced feelings of depression and anxiety, and their ED symptoms lessen significantly. Theyre also in less physical danger (muscle loss, electrolyte imbalances etc) and are still losing weight and can become thin, happy, and able to see and enjoy it.
Alice
Brain Damage- ok. No there is no significant brain damage in ED, the side effects of not feeding are of course depression, losing weight/not losing weight when we do it often enough. What can I eat tonight without some saying something negative to our ED?
Lets break it down:
A body that is having the correct calories and nutritional intake may find themselves depressed but not necessarily through ED. There are anti-depresssants such as SSRI (serotonin re-intake inhibitors). The body loses these chemicals and the result is overwhelming depression.
Neurotransmittors such as the 'pleasure seeking ones' need filling often otherwise you can feel suicidial. Trust me, I beat an 11 year heavy drug addicition'. These SSRI's are useless whilst you take drugs or do not meet adequate nutritional needs FOR YOUR BODY.
Where do you get your stats about people with ED attempt suicide 56 times? As a long term 36 year ANA the idea is NOT TO DIE, that would be far too easy. We want to see/feel bones not die. Have you met the perfect anorexic, I haven't - normally they are dead.
A body cannot get addicted to its own endorphins - sorry, don't know where you got that research from.
Ordinary people can top up our endorphins by making us feel good in a HEALTHY WAY. Each of us have 'normal' endorphins. The type that get boosted such as you after a run or playing sport. Even having a good time with mates on a weekend.
Bit like the chicken and the egg, did anorexia cause our endorphins to reach an all time low OR could it be we are depressed as we dont like what we feel or see or refuse to eat?, Hence the 'endorphin' depression deepens.
"When people start to slowly increase their calories to healthy levels and lose weight gradually, the first thing they tend to notice is feeling happier. They then start to have reduced feelings of depression and anxiety, and their ED symptoms lessen significantly. Theyre also in less physical danger (muscle loss, electrolyte imbalances etc) and are still losing weight and can become thin, happy, and able to see and enjoy it."
Where the hell do you get this information from? - Less likely in physical danger, but still losing weight and can then become thin, "happy" and able to see and enjoy it."
No doubt others may see me as attacking you through this post. This is not my intention. I think you have a very very disorted ANA ED voice and it makes you go and look at statistics to back up what you are saying or thinking.
No, I have not recovered. it never stops me trying but it has got sod all to do with my 'happy and unhappy' endorphins. It is what I feed my brain with and perhaps going through a "normal" walk for the pure pleasure of it it rather than how many calories you may have walked off. I hope you see my point.
OK, I have suffered longer than you but I am trying to put some perspective into your ED head that, might one day finally listen. Dig deeper missyS - there are answers but not those you seek through endorphins. My stats come from a registered Psyche Nurse.
Take Care of Yourself and each other.
Ruth x
(And I think Missy reported that ED sufferers are 56 times more likely to committ suicide than the average person, NOT that we EACH attempt to kill ourselves 56 times! That would be absolutely insane, and with stats like that, 99% of us would already be dead from suicide.
Thank you for this informative post, Missy. It makes 100% sense to me.
I don't think this post is trying to imply that depression and ED are *always* linked -- just that there is a clear link. Neurotransmitters like serotonin require certain dietary factors for synthesis; thus, if you starve yourself and deprive the body of these building blocks, the transmitter pool will become depleted, leading to depression in some cases. Not everyone becomes depressed, obviously. And not all depressed people have an ED. There has to be an underlying biological susceptibility. Luckily, serotonin is one of the neurotransitters that can recover from depletion. Others -- and the neurons that rely on them -- cannot do this as easily (this is why taking ecstasy is so dangerous!) I don't think there should be any argument with the correlation between ED and depression though -- the biological link is clear.
As for endorphins. The "high" that starvation, or even a carb-free diet, can cause is often due to the metabolic results of ketosis. Being ketotic can be great; you're fuzzed out, it's a natural painkiller, etc etc -- this is why terminally ill and elderly patients without an appetite are often not forced to ingest anything (look it up). I wouldn't say that this is a form of "brain damage" per se, just that it is a well-documented result of being in a starved state, and also one of the reasons why trying to argue the benefits of re-feeding can fail. Personally, I only experience this kind of "euphoria" early on during a restrictive period. After a certain point, it becomes more agonizing than anything else.
And clearly things like a loss of focus or concentration are not indicative of only brain damage but can result from many different things (lack of sleep, for example).
So -- I don't really see what the problem with this post is. If anything, it serves as a good warning and hopefully a wake up call that our brains are suffering from our behaviors more than we might know.
It has been found that the CT scans of people who have chronic anorexia or people who have starved for long periods of time, show signs of brain aptrophy. It is not clear as to its effects or to have much it is recoverable, should the person manage to recover. As most people with Anorexia are not given CT scans as a matter of routine, it is hard to give statistics on how many people are effected by this.
But if the question is asked "Does anorexia and starvation, cause Brain Damage", the answer is yes, it does, so in this respect, Missy is right on the money ;)
please please anyone in denial, try harder to get out of it...
missy love you but thats you too....
But I agree with Yazz, missy. You need t be taking some more of your own advice and heeding the warnings you post. Good luck Dear. I am rooting for you!
Intelligence is surprisingly resilient. I hope!
and yes, i know this is me to.......i am no exception....when i read this article,i knew my brain was one of these ed rotting brains....and because of how i felt knowing that this was happening to my brain, i thought that perhaps others might want to know what is happening to them....what can happen...if nothing changes.....