Mental health treatment providers see a high incidence of co-morbidity between mood-related disorders and disordered eating behaviors. This means that when an individual is diagnosed with a mood-related disorder such as anxiety or depression, there is a higher-than-average likelihood that the individual will also be struggling with disordered eating behaviors.

This fact is important for eating disorder treatment providers because both issues must be addressed in order for the individuals to progress in treatment for either problem. Experts are uncertain whether mood-related disorders are more often the cause of eating problems or whether the opposite is true. Many posit a "bi-directional" causality, which means that the disorders tend to facilitate one another and may be most likely to develop in tandem.

From a treatment perspective, it may be less important to focus on which condition is the cause and instead focus on the core psychological processes that are shared by the two disorders. These core processes commonly include perfectionistic thinking, emotional avoidance and distress intolerance, and withdrawal. By targeting these core processes, treatment providers can develop "trans-diagnosis" strategies, which can effectively address both conditions at once.

(Source: www.behavioralhealthcentral.com)

Labels: eating disorder, mood disorders

Posted By: Aspen Education Group