Link Between Autism and Eating Disorders May Be the Reason Emotions Are Hard To Identify
A specific group is excessively affected by these disorders—they are the people with an autism spectrum disorder or ASD.
Eating disorders are found to have the highest death rates of mental condition. They don't choose the people they are affecting. Meaning they attack anyone regardless of ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and age.
Nevertheless, a specific group is excessively affected by this disorders-they are the people with an autism spectrum disorder or ASD.
Experts say autistic people who have an eating disorder are hardly understood, although they tend to be reported "more severe and long-lasting.
This means that the longer an individual lives with a particular eating disorder, the more difficult it is for him to recover. This may partially explain why some studies are proposing that people with ASD have a poorer projection in therapy.
Studies also indicate that eating disorders are linked to a higher possibility of mortality. The fact that individuals with autism are susceptible to "chronic eating disorders" along with other mental conditions may be among the reasons for their death 10 to 30 years after, averagely, compared to people who are not in the same condition.
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Diet and Autism
One of the most common and significant risk factors for the likeliness of developing an eating disorder is diet. For individuals who might be inherently susceptible to such conditions, dieting appears to "kick-start something in the brain" that can cultivate the disorder.
While people with this condition are not more possible to go through a diet compared to the average individuals, certain features of autism-like "attention to detail, determination and strong fixated interests" may make them become more able to retain the limitations needed for lasting weight loss should they opt to diet.
Meanwhile, the cognitive inflexibility seen in people with ASD may make it simple for them to get trapped in some patterns of eating behavior. Simultaneously, their uniformity options or sameness may lead them to have a restricted diet for a start.
For some autistic people, not feeling hungry, gastrointestinal issues, and being sensitive to tastes, smells, and textures make eating quite a struggle.
Furthermore, since people with ASD are frequently bullied and in social isolation, diet and weight loss may both give them a sense of management, likelihood, recompense, and self-esteem.
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First-Person Accounts from People with ASD
This particular study is unable to present decisively that "alexithymia" leads to symptoms of eating disorder in people with ASD or those already with the condition.
Researchers claim that possibly, the links work backward, and symptoms of an eating disorder give rise to alexithymia, as well as the features of autism.
Nonetheless, according to the study, "first-person accounts," coming from autistic individuals are consistent with the notion that "alexithymia" might play a vital role in their eating behaviors.
Specifically, one participant even reportedly described the manner restrictions in her calorie intake lessened internal sensations that, not known to her and not having the ability to identify them, resulted in too much anxiety for her.
Further Research Needed
If backed by more studies, these research findings have potential treatment effects. Clinicians already know that such treatments should be custom-made for individuals both with and without autism, although the best way of achieving this remains uncertain.
Preliminary studies like this may provide some hints by emphasizing "alexithymia" as a probable target. Presently, "alexithymia" is not dealt with by clinicians in either people with ASD or those eating disorders.
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Sep 02, 2020 09:20 AM EDT
