Orthorexia Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention
Understanding
Orthorexia is an eating disorder characterized by an obsession with foods that are considered healthy. This term was introduced by an American doctor named Steven Bratman. In other circumstances, a person may go to extremes to avoid foods he thinks are unhealthy and eat only certain types of food.
Symptoms
The symptom of orthorexia is an obsession with eating healthy food. In extreme circumstances, a person will only eat food that he thinks is healthy.
Eating healthy food is of course good for your health. But this state will cause disturbance when it turns into an obsession. Healthy eating habits take too much time and attention. This habit can also cause you to be isolated from social life.
Reason
The exact cause of orthorexia is not known. Some experts classify orthorexia as part of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Food obsessions can have their origins in family habits, social trends, and economic problems. Besides that, a history of illness can also eventually cause a person to eliminate these foods from his diet.
Diagnosis
To determine the diagnosis of orthorexia, doctors need to conduct a series of medical interviews. Through this interview process, the doctor will find out if you care about what you eat compared to the pleasure you feel when eating food.
In addition, the doctor can also find out whether the diet that you apply is isolating you socially.
Treatment
Handling orthorexia requires support from the environment around the sufferer. Orthorexia is generally treated with psychotherapy, behavioral therapy, and medication.
In the early stages, a person with orthorexia may be given cognitive therapy. This therapy is usually given to patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Medication can be given to help reduce the symptoms of orthorexia. The drugs given are usually from the antianxiety and antidepressant classes.
Complications
Long-term complications of orthorexia are mental and health problems. If a person with orthorexia continues to avoid foods with the necessary nutritional content, then his body will be deficient in certain nutrients.