One that I thought of was body image/narcissim. To some degree with both anorexia and bulemia there is a sense of narcissism. The obsessive looking into the mirror and not seeing what others see and wanting to mold that image into the ideal is reflected in this case in the eating disorder. Bulemics' self talk is about what they "hate" too: those cottage cheese thighs, the loss of control and so on. In others who are narcissistic of course it might result in obsession with plastic surgery to get the "perfect" nose for example. See: http://www.futuresofpalmbeach.com/co-occurring-disorders-overview/npd-eating-disorders/
Hi Rose!
Thanks so much for your input. This is a very nice thought about putting up the eating disorders and how they can be correlated to the onset of mental disorders, specially the obsession and personality disorder. There are some articles showing the difference in the mental health of the people eating vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. The possible explanation for these type of association of the mental health and feeding habit might be the lack of some essential nutrients like polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamins (omega-3, omega-6, vitamin B12) that we need to take from outside in our food as we do not have ability to synthesize these essential nutrients and some of these are lacking in vegetarian diet. Studies show the direct relation of tissue concentration of these essential nutrients and psychological disorders i.s major depression, anxiety-like disorder etc. Some of the evidence revealed that it might not be the vegetarian diet rather it’s the mental health of the people who prefer to eat the vegetarian food. Although in some cases where being vegetarian is a part of cultural practice in the community by traditions, it actually improve the mental health of the people in the community. So are these studies suggesting the correlation between feeding habit and psychological disorders? Also how much we have to be more concern about the essential nutrients in the diet to keep our mental health in good shape.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3466124/
I would think that the essential nutririents would be most critical in the early formation in the womb and the fast growing early stage after birth. In countries where the population has traditionally been vegetarian, nursing the child was done longer. I remember a colleague who was from India told me that he was nursed until about age 2 or until he was REALLY bored with it. Thus great omega-3 and 6 and B-12 are there for the child's brain development. Otherwise CAREFUL watch on intake is in order.
I think this review paper might be interesting to you:
Selhub, E.M., Logan, A.C., Bested, A.C. 2014. Fermented foods, microbiota, and mental health: ancient practice meets nutritional psychiatry. Journal of Physiological Anthropology 33:2 http://www.jphysiolanthropol.com/content/33/1/2
Hey Pitor,
Thanks so much for your comments and sending the links of this very interesting article
Yes, I think there is a correlation between feeding habits and psychological disorders.
Most certainly as exemplified by eating disorders anorexia and bulimia. Both of these are cognitive disorders, meaning the person is not happy with the way they look and out of compulsion engage in unhealthy habits such as overeating (binge) or purging.
Yes, there is a correlation between feeding habits and psychological disorders like: Excessive appetite disorder, loss of appetite and Bulimia Nervosa.
Please go to this link: Article Dietary habits and psychological disorders in a large sample...
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