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Anorexia may be caused by bacterial infection, BPS model questioned

adreno

PR activist
Messages
4,841
Anorexia may be caused by bacteria which confuse the immune system, leading it to attack the brain and trigger feelings of personal disgust, scientists have suggested

The theory is the first time that the eating disorder has been linked to a physical infection, in contrast to the traditional view which blames psychological, environmental and social factors.

Experts from Lancaster University and Morecambe Bay NHS Trust also believe that Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) have similar pathologies.

They say it ‘stretches credibility’ to think that such serious conditions are simply the result of mental trauma or psychosocial problems.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/...caused-by-bacterial-infection-say-scientists/
 

TiredSam

The wise nematode hibernates
Messages
2,677
Location
Germany
“It is easy to see how this could influence symptoms in adults but it stretches credulity to imagine abuse as the sole and sufficient cause of the functional disorder.”

It's good to see an article in the Telegraph where someone is allowed to say how ridiculous the BPS model is. The Guardian is improving too, is the SMC losing it's grip at last?

I'd much rather have a tenuous scientific hypothesis than a tenuous BPS one. And note the difference in style - these researchers aren't saying they've found the answer, public policy should be changed immediately, and then shaming patients while they build their careers. They have just identified a potentially useful avenue for further exploration.

Wessels v. Wessely, bring it on :)
 

SilverbladeTE

Senior Member
Messages
3,043
Location
Somewhere near Glasgow, Scotland
the incredible potency of the toxins created by some bacteria/ r other pathogens and the VERY severe effects they can have ont he brain should be no shock to anyone with a brain, lol, sorry couldn't resist ;)

ever seen how someone can have enormous mental changes due to of all things, bladder infections, you'd not think proposing many "mental" illnesses could be caused by infections as being implausible.
 

barbc56

Senior Member
Messages
3,657
One theory and it's just a theory, is that some people start to diet and something triggers the brain to not eat to the point of starving and even death. According to this theory, it's neurological.

This does not support a psychological model as not everyone who diets becomes anorexic. There has to be a physiological reason this happens. While being thin is prevalent in our society that's more of a sociological trend and not an individual mental health problem.

While the article describes a bacterial cause, others have hypothesized other triggers.

Interesting article.
 
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Sidereal

Senior Member
Messages
4,856
One theory and it's just a theory, is that some people start to diet and something triggers the brain to not eat to the point of starving and even death.

This does not support a psychological model as not everyone who diets becomes anorexic. There has to be a physiological reason this happens. While being thin is prevalent in our society that's more of a sociological trend and not an individual mental health problem.

Agreed. Clearly the act of dieting / caloric restriction triggers something in a vulnerable individual. The vast majority of people who go on a diet do not develop AN.

I think the "thin ideal" perpetuated by peer groups and the mass media is erroneously blamed for a physical illness that has existed for a very long time before these sociological factors existed. In the medieval times some women also fasted and starved themselves, but it was for religious piety and purity reasons, not to fit into size 0 jeans.
 

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,092
There has to be a physiological reason this happens.
I think that hypoglycemia can be self-perpetuating both ways:
1) one can't stop eating due to hypoglycemia
2) hypoglycemia can trigger physiological changes (such as not enough saliva and other stuff) that will cause 'inability' to eat.
From own experience.
 

Chrisb

Senior Member
Messages
1,051
It is interesting to compare this idea with the study in the US a few years ago that the spread of obesity followed the epidemiological pattern that would be expected of an infectious cause.

Ultimately whether the idea is right or wrong is of less significance than the fact that it is becoming no longer taboo to consider difficult questions in a rational manner.
 

barbc56

Senior Member
Messages
3,657
I think the "thin ideal" perpetuated by peer groups and the mass media is erroneously blamed for a physical illness that has existed for a very long time before these sociological factors existed. In the medieval times some women also fasted and starved themselves, but it was for religious piety and purity reasons, not to fit into size 0 jeans.

Interesting. Women used to wear bustles (sp?) and would sometimes faint because of them. Makes me hurt just thinking about it.

There was a time when real women who would be considered overweight by today's standards. I'm thinking of the paintings of Peter Paul Rubens but know if this was the style of the times or just in the pictures.

The average size dress in the states is 14. I don't know how that translates in other countries.
4544242_f260.jpg
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Wouldn't a size zero mean you don't exist?:D

Can't resize pic on my phone. I was able to make the Reubens pic family friendly. Changed Paul Reubins to Peter Paul Rubens. Paul Reubens is Pee Wee Herman!
 

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whodathunkit

Senior Member
Messages
1,160
Wouldn't a size zero mean you don't exist?:D
Don't even get me started. I've always thought that "size 0" was one of the absolutely stupidest frakking frakkity frak ideas anyone on the face of the planet ever came up with. tsk

Women used to wear bustles (sp?) and would sometimes faint because of them.
Barb, I think you may have been having a "word selection" moment above. Geez I get so tired of those. ;)

Corsets are what you pictured and what caused the women to faint, by squeezing the entire abdomen (including the internal organs like lungs plus the major arteries) into an unnatural shape. Ironically (or perhaps not, considering the source), the dim and vain Kardashians have sort of engineered a return of the corset, at least among a certain set here in the U.S., via the modern "Waist Trainer". :rolleyes:
 

Invisible Woman

Senior Member
Messages
1,267
Don't forget guys can be affected too - though, like with autoimmune disorders, it is far less prevalent.

My first cousin's son developed it 35-40 years ago. He would have been pre-adolescent/bordering on adolescence. In those days, and in the rural area where he grew up, it would have been considered far more desirable for a young male to bulk up a bit and play manly sports. Something this poor chap was too ill to do.

There is no way, at that place and in that time, it would have been considered desirable for a "normal" male to get smaller.
 

barbc56

Senior Member
Messages
3,657
Corsets! Of course! I am indeed having a "word selection" problem. I'm surprised I remembered bustier. I misspelled it but tbh I had to edit the post so many times, I'm exhausted. I always stop at five edits!

The bustier and the corset share similar characteristics. They are closely fitted to the body and are usually boned. Both corsets and bustiers usually fasten at the front with hooks and eyes or a busk, and they lace up the back. However, the real difference between a bustier and a corset lies in the intent of the garment. Corsets, which were worn in Victorian times, were usually intended to give a smooth line from the cinched-in waist to the bust. There was usually no accommodation for the bust, and the garment was all one piece from bottom to top.

Bustiers, on the other hand, are intended to emphasize a lady’s curves, and tend to push the breasts up and together to create cleavage. Often the bustier has cup-shapes built in to the top part of the garment to facilitate definition of the bust, and the curved lines were more desirable than the smooth lines of a corset. The cups resembled the modern day bra, which also is meant to “boost” cleavage
:bang-head::bang-head:

.
 

rosie26

Senior Member
Messages
2,446
Location
NZ
I experienced perception change after a determined and successful effort to lose weight when I was 15 years old. I had put on more weight than I liked at puberty and decided it had to come off. So I changed my diet and exercised a lot more and I lost the weight in about 3 months. Problem was, I was too good at it and something strange happened to my mind.

I was at a friends house and we were passing a mirror and I remarked that I looked fat. My friend was shocked and told me that I wasn't fat at all and that I was actually underweight. But all I could see in the mirror was fat. Thankfully, my friend woke me up to the fact that I was truly visualizing myself wrong. My perception had changed, very strange. I thought about it a lot and fortunately I realized she was right, I was getting too thin.

So, that was my experience. I will never forget it and it goes to show you do have to be careful when dieting to lose weight, you can get caught up in an altered mind perception and start seeing yourself incorrectly. Just thought I would add that because I was very healthy at the time and it wasn't caused by bacterial infection. But that's not to say that bacteria is not the cause for some, maybe there is a link to bacteria for some anorexic's.
 
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Messages
15,786
My perception had changed, very strange.
Might have been body dysmorphia. Once in a while they seem to get one on "Say Yes to the Dress" ... the bride is never satisfied with how she looks, and is always criticizing her features instead of blaming the dress for a perceived negative effect. Very uncomfortable to watch - I'm actually surprised they aired one of the worse cases, where the bride skipped from body part to body part.