Psychoanalytic Approach to Bulimia Nervosa - Research Paper Example

Psychoanalytic Approach to Bulimia Nervosa Psychoanalytic Approach to Bulimia Nervosa General of the DisorderBulimia Nervosa is a critical eating disorder associated with a series of overindulgence and counterbalancing actions for instance, self-stimulated vomiting. These actions are triggered as an attempt to undo or counterbalance possible outcomes of overeating and overweight (Levine, 1994). Individuals associated with Bulimia Nervosa are known to be in constant worry about the outcomes of their eating patterns and therefore, contemplate successful ways of eliminating the already eaten food. According to Levine, (1994), some people with this disorder consider use of diuretics or laxatives to flush out the food while others consider fasting or embarking on workout programs to counter-balance their overeating habits. Symptoms of Bulimia Nervosa Bulimia Nervosa is associated with 3 key symptoms which include the following. Patients with this disorder are associated with eating too much food which is attributed to lack of hold back of excessive eating (Gidwani, & Rome, 1997). According to Levine, (1994), these patients apply incorrect counter-balancing actions for instance self-inflicted vomiting, misuse of laxatives and diuretics, frequent and intentional starvation and more or less of fixated or neurotic work outs. A number of patients with Bulimia Nervosa are conscious of their body weight and shape. They always want to maintain a manageable and attractive weight (Burger, 2008). Demographics of Bulimia Nervosa It is certainly intricate to establish factual statistics regarding Bulimia Nervosa. This is because it is a type of disorder that goes identified and in most case patients do not get treated. According to Gidwani, & Rome (1997), this disorder is known to have an effect many people across the world. Research shows that approximately 1 to 2% of mature women in the United Kingdom have Bulimia Nervosa (Gidwani, & Rome, 1997). It has serious impacts on old women as compared to Anorexia Nervosa which is associated with teenagers. Men on the other hand, can acquire this disorder. However, it is known to be less prevalent in men as it is in women. This aspect of few affected men and more targeted women can be as a result of lack of proper record of the affected. Diagnosis of Bulimia Nervosa Bulimia Nervosa can be a reserved condition that can prove difficult even for extremely close friends to establish. However, there are undeniable signs that can be diagnosed which include the following. People with Bulimia Nervosa are associated with over eating which includes consumption of a lot of food in short while (Levine, 1994). It is also possible to find a lot of food wrappings and packaging that indicate that they consume a lot of food. They are also known to frequently visit the washrooms every after a single meal. At times, smells of vomit or the existence of wrappings or packages of laxative or diuretic drugs are clear indicators. People with this condition are known to over exercise with an intention of burning off the calories in their body. They are associated with baby fats around their cheeks, discolored teeth and presence of hard skin on their hands and knuckles from self-inflicted vomiting. According to Gidwani, & Rome (1997), people with this disorder end up creating life patterns that enable them to over-eat and vomit. They frequently pull out from common friends as losing weight becomes their constant worry. General Description of Psychoanalytic Approach Psychoanalytic Approach is a theory associated with Sigmund Freud. This theory emphasizes on the unconscious factors of behaviour and early stages of child growth. This is founded on the transforming contact of factors of the consciousness as they go via the psychosexual stages of growth and on the application of defense mechanisms to shield the ego (Newman, & Newman, 2012). This psychoanalytic approach is associated with 3 main factors which include the following. The personality characters, level of awareness and defense mechanisms. The personality characters include the Id, Ego and the Super Ego. An even incorporation of these 3 characters reduces worry and intra-psychic inconsistency (Burger, 2008). Stimulated unconscious conflicts, anxiety and the defense mechanisms lead to psychosis and fixated disorders. The ego is a feature of personality that manages realism. In this regard, the ego as well has to withstand the inconsistent demands of the Id and the Super Ego. The Id is responsible for fulfilling all the desires, needs and inclinations whereas the Super Ego attempts to obtain the Ego to operate in unrealistic and appropriate way. According to Freud there are instances when the Ego fails to manage the demands of one’s desire, the restrictions of realism and individual moral values (Newman, & Newman, 2012). Freud indicates that anxiety is a distasteful interior condition that individuals attempts to stay away from. It is the anxiety that triggers the Ego indicating that something is not correct somewhere. Freud establishes that there are 3 kinds of anxiety. First is the neurotic anxiety, which is the unconscious concern that one will lose the control the power over the demands of Id which will lead to punishment for wrong behaviour. Second is the anxiety of realism is the worry of the earthly occasions. The motive behind this anxiety is commonly established fast and effortlessly. For instance, an individual can worry about a snake bite when they come close to a venomous snake. The highly regarded way of decreasing this anxiety is by staying away from the intimidating target. Finally moral anxiety entails the worry about breaking personal ethical rules and values. To facilitate management of anxiety, Freud claims that defense mechanisms are significant factors in preventing the ego from the conflicts formed by the Id, Super Ego and the real world. Ultimately, the conflicts flanked by the Id and the Super Ego maintain that the Ego activates the defense mechanisms in order to prevent anxiety. A number of Ego defense mechanisms are acclimatizing like self-affirmation and self-sacrifice whereas others are self-overpowering like indifferent pulling out and degeneration (Newman, & Newman, 2012). How the Approach Explains the Disorder The psychoanalytic approach vividly explains the Bulimia Nervosa disorder by relating it to an unconscious behaviour of an individual. This approach is significant to the process of Bulimia Nervosa disorder that is exhibited via psychosexual stages of growth and on the use of defense mechanisms to prevent the anxiety. It is evident that people with this disorder will first develop anxiety, which stimulates the ego unconsciously pointing out that something is wrong for instance overweight concerns or loss of body shape. Later on, the ego activates the defense mechanisms which struggle to counterbalance the outcomes of overeating. Finally, an individual ends up inducing vomiting, starving or the need to take part in strenuous exercises in a bid to lose weight. Possible Treatments for the Disorder The possible Freudian treatments for the disorder include hypnosis, dream analysis, regression and free association. Hypnosis is a sleep related therapy where a patient is induced to in order to boost their receptiveness (Hammond, 2008). This is because Bulimia Nervosa is secretive where the people living with this disorder fail to share their problem. Introducing these patients to this therapy, will enable them to recover suppressed memories, change or get rid of unfavorable actions like overeating and treating constant problems such as anxiety (Kellis, 2011). During the hypnosis treatment patients are known to change their thoughts with the control of a hypnotherapist. They easily do away with old views and take in new and appropriate behaviors. According to Hammond (2008), dream analysis is a therapy that focuses on the level of sleep. Patients can change their behaviors through dreaming by acquiring vision into their unconscious mind which stores the undesirable behaviors. The therapist enables a patient to sleep in order for them to dream. After sleeping and dreaming, a patient develops and individual strength to overcome the undesirable behaviors by the power of understanding their dreams. On the other hand, free association is a Freudian treatment that can be used to unleash the motives and effects of deeply rooted problems in a patient’s subconscious that could have been suppressed to prevent the individual from extreme outcomes such as pain and suffering (Kellis, 2011). Free association therapy can be integrated with hypnosis to enable patients with the disorder to overcome depression, general anxiety, low self-respect and shame. This is by enabling them to go about their life freely and interact freely with friends and relatives who may help them overcome their undesirable behaviors. During this process, the people around them will help them find amicable solutions to their problem. Finally, regression is a therapy that can be applied to patients going through a distinctive sign that could be having an effect on a specific part of their lives (Hammond, 2008). For instance, denial, shame and misery are some of the problems that these people could be going through. Through regression, patients can be helped by a therapist to embark on their former desirable behaviors and abandon the undesirable. References Burger, J.M. (2008). Personality. (8th ed.). Belmont, California: Wadsworth/Cengage. Gidwani, G.P. and Rome, E.S. (1997). Eating Disorders. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, 40(3), 601-615. Hammond, D. (2008). Hypnosis as sole anesthesia for major surgeries: historical & contemporary perspectives. The American Journal Of Clinical Hypnosis, 51(2), 101-121. Kellis, E. (2011). Clinical hypnosis and cognitive-behaviour therapy in the treatment of a young woman with anxiety, depression, and self-esteem issues. Australian Journal Of Clinical & Experimental Hypnosis, 38(2), 155-165. Levine, M. (1994). “A Short List of Salient Warning Signs for Eating Disorders.” Presented at the 13th National NEDO Conference, Columbus, Ohio. Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2012). Development through life: A psychosocial approach (11th ed.). 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