Eating Disorders: Problems of Contemporary Civilisation – A Review

Abstract

The eating disorders have been reviewed based on state-of-art of contemporary psychology, medicine and nutrition science, with a special emphasis put on different symptoms and forms, origins and testing methods. Among promoting eating disorders, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, night eating disorder, sleep-related eating disorder are among offi cially approved and investigated. Among disorders resulting from lack of acceptance of own appearance, anorexia nervosa and bigorexia nervosa are the most serious improper ones. Disorders arising from health care include orthorexia nervosa and recently pregorexia. Different origins of eating disorders are considered, divided into three groups: social, psychological and pathological. The desire to possess a slim shapely silhouette and young appearance, usually under pressure of a social group, may result in disorders such as anorexia nervosa, pregorexia, ageorexia, and bigorexia nervosa. On the other hand, the focusing on eating mainly the biologically pure food, being a purely psychological and individual problem, may be a source of orthorexia nervosa. Majority of disorders have a psychological background constituting the escape and an answer to everyday life problems diffi cult to overcome. Recently, pathology is often considered as an additional and important determinant, which may cause or enhance the appearance of binge eating or night eating disorder. The eating disorders, if not subject to proper therapy and advising, can tend to incline and develop. The further research in order to properly recognise the eating disorders, and fi nd their roots, is necessary at a strict cooperation of psychologists, physicians and nutritionists or dietetics.