“Tomorrow I’ll start the diet”, “Hey, what diet are you following?”, “I have to try this new diet, they say he’s used it.” Nugget and that’s why it looks so good now. It must be miraculous!” Very common phrases in our culture and with which we are very familiar. Although there is an important movement to accept our body as it is, trying to avoid the slavery of diets and promoting only good nutrition, without need of restrictions; it is also true that these behaviors within the “healthy and realfooder world” can become obsessive in certain people.
As a consequence, this can cause behaviors typical of Eating Disorders (ED) to be adopted. Permarexia is one of the most recent types of eating disorders. If you want to know more about it, in this Psychology-Online article, we will talk about permarexia: what it is, symptoms, causes, treatmentas well as how to prevent it.
What is permarexia
Permarexia is a Eating Disorder in which the person thinks that everything he eats makes him fat and leads you to try different types of diets, in most cases unbalanced and unhealthy. They are the so-called miracle diets that many celebrities have starred, especially years ago.
The obsession with counting and burning calories consumed is a psychological syndrome that mainly affects the female sex. What motivates permarexia? Those affected They think about food and the calories they eat all the time. and they strictly follow a weight loss diet. Something that seems to be quite integrated into our society.
If we want to look for it in the DSM-5, we could frame it in the diagnosis of eating disorders or food intake disorder not otherwise specified.
Symptoms of permarexia
To know what permarexia is, it is necessary to identify the different manifestations of this eating disorder. Specifically, the main symptoms of permarexia are:
- Constant calorie calculation of food to avoid gaining weight.
- Compensatory behaviors. For example, increase exercise if there is an “excess” of calories ingested.
- Supplement Consumption such as multivitamins, proteins, diuretics.
- Submission to subsistence allowance.
- Guilty feeling for abusing food.
- Very restrictive behaviors regarding the amount of food ingested.
- Feeling of anguish due to weight gain.
- to buy clothes.
Causes of permarexia
There is no single factor that determines the origin of eating disorders. The most common causes of permarexia are related to interaction between genetics and environment and, in this case, surely the environment has a much greater weight.
Eating disorders They usually appear during adolescence., with a higher prevalence in women between 12 and 18 years old. It is known that during adolescence physical, psychological, social, biological and physiological changes begin to be experienced. Due to this, the following factors that cause permarexia may manifest:
- insecurities appear and situations that are beyond the control of young people.
- Hormonal changes In girls, they can cause greater physical change and weight gain at certain stages of the menstrual cycle, which can make them more prone to this type of disease.
- Social pressures to which young people are subjected with social networks. “Perfect and model” bodies that cause pressure and dissonance, as well as a distorted image of their bodies.
Treatment for permarexia
The treatment for permarexia is the same that we would use in cases of eating disorders (ED), since it is these behaviors that are altered. Furthermore, it is convenient to do psychoeducation in good nutritionhealthy and balanced, making it understood that this is not synonymous with restrictive.
It is always important to know the specific causes of each case in order to apply the best treatment. Based on this, below, we show you the most effective mechanisms to treat permarexia:
- Cognitive therapy: on a psychological level, it is the therapy that has shown the greatest effectiveness. In it, cognitive restructuring is prioritized due to negative thoughts associated with body image. In this article you will find.
- Rapid food intakeAnother technique that has proven effective in the treatment of permarexia is eating food quickly and then keeping patients in a warm room. This reduces their anxiety and activity level.
- Psychotropic drugs: If necessary, permarexia is usually treated with psychotropic drugs that increase appetite. Discover what they exist and what they are for.
Prevention of permarexia
89.6% of adolescents prefer fast food and consume it at school, upon returning home, and at home, which shows that the consumption of these products that are harmful to health is widespread. If you are wondering how we can prevent permarexia, you should know that the most important thing is to maintain a good diet and do not base all intakes only on fast food.
When it comes to prevention, the most important thing is always information. The fact that the population knows these behavior patterns can significantly reduce risk behaviors. An example of a preventive campaign could be inform about the existence of permarexia, how it affects healthwhat its consequences are and emphasize the importance of eating healthily.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Permarexia: what it is, symptoms, causes and treatmentwe recommend that you enter our category.
References
- American psychiatric association, (2014). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders DSM – 5. Madrid, Spain. Pan-American medical publishing house.
Bibliography
- Carlson, N. R. (2014). Physiology of behavior. Madrid. Pearson Education, S.A.
- Constantino, S., Peñafiel, JL, Naspud, AL, (2017). Internet advertising and the presence of eating disorders in adolescents. In Proceedings of the third International Congress of Pedagogical Sciences: For an inclusive education: with everyone and for the good of all. Bolivarian Higher Technological Institute. 890-897