Table of contents

Introduction

The Link between Social Anxiety and Anorexia

Fear of Negative Evaluation: A Key Factor in Anorexia

Social Appearance Anxiety: A Specific Type of Anxiety

The Relationship between Anxiety and Anorexia

Implications for Treatment

Conclusion

Introduction

Anorexia nervosa severely impacts health as individuals characterize a distorted body image, fear gaining weight, and adopt restrictive eating habits, causing major weight loss.

The most obvious symptoms of someone who suffers from anorexia are body image issues and food intake problems; nevertheless, an initial study indicates that anxiety has a fundamental part in the genesis and perpetuation of anorexia.

The Link between Social Anxiety and Anorexia

Recent investigations discovered that one of the main factors in the development of an eating disorder, including anorexia, is social anxiety disorder (SAD). People fear negative assessments and feel anxious during social interactions. The fear of inspection is one of the most common manifestations of social anxiety. Those who are socially anxious feel that they are under constant judgment. Hence, SAD leads to them feeling incapable and suffering from low self-esteem.

Fear of Negative Evaluation: A Key Factor in Anorexia

The fear of a negative evaluation is a cognitive distortion that is present in both eating and social anxiety disorders. People with anorexia often fear others’ judgments, especially regarding their appearance and body weight. This fear can very easily trigger dangerous eating habits and other types of anxiety management, which are often part of the disorder.

Social Appearance Anxiety: A Specific Type of Anxiety

Social appearance anxiety is an anxiety that is specific to the fear of being judged negatively because of one’s appearance. Studies show social appearance anxiety can partly predict body dissatisfaction, bulimia symptoms, and other eating disorder signs.

The Relationship between Anxiety and Anorexia

One of the many ways through which anxiety may contribute to the onset of anorexia is provided below:

– Shared Vulnerabilities: Social phobia and eating disorders often coexist, likely stemming from shared factors like neuroticism and negative affect.

– Mediation Model: Anxiety is a process that approximates fear of negative evaluation and further activates the onset of disordered eating disorders.

– Vulnerability Model: Both social appearance anxiety and fear of negative evaluation may be the sources of vulnerabilities for social anxiety and eating disorders.

Implications for Treatment

The realization of the role anxiety plays in anorexia can guide the therapy of that disorder. Exercising therapies that are focused on negative core anxiety beliefs, such as social anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, and social appearance anxiety, may reveal more positive results with their effectiveness in eating disorder symptom reduction. Some suitable treatment approaches may be:

– Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT helps individuals recognize and change negative thought patterns and behaviors. CBT may diminish the social anxiety and fear of negative evaluation experienced by people with anorexia, most appropriately in terms of the reduction of psychological symptoms.

– Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT):

ACT is a therapy that is concentrated on the support of accepting and working towards the set values. In the social appearance, anxiety, and self-esteem, the struggle of individuals can be minimized, as well as their strength and their capability of being their better selves, which will be supported by ACT.

Family-Based Therapy: Family-based therapy is one of the therapies according to which the whole family is involved in the treatment. Family therapy can be used to support people who are afraid of social situations and who are able to eat healthy foods at the end of the day.

Conclusion

Anorexia nervosa is a complex eating disorder that is strongly associated with anxiety and fear of negative evaluation. Social anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, and social appearance anxiety are all linked to anorexia. Therapists who address these symptoms can empower individuals with anorexia to develop healthy coping skills and improve their overall mental well-being. Targeting anxiety and fostering healthy coping mechanisms helps individuals with anorexia build a positive relationship with food and their bodies.