Biomedical subjects

Finn Skårderud

Publications and source records attributed to Finn Skårderud.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

The meaning of self-starvation: qualitative study of patients' perception of anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: Anorexia nervosa (AN) patients tend to place a positive value on their symptoms. Many clinicians believe that this plays a central role in maintaining the disorder. However, empirical research on how patients attribute meaning to their symptoms is lacking. This study aims at systematically exploring the meaning that the patients with AN attribute to their anorectic behavior. METHOD: A qualitative, descriptive, phenomenological design was used. Eighteen women aged 20-34 with AN (DSM-IV) were interviewed with an informant-centered interview. The interviews were tape-recorded, verbatim transcribed, coded, and analyzed phenomenologically, using a QSR-N*Vivo software program. RESULTS: The psychological meanings that the informants attributed to their anorectic behavior could be summarized in eight constructs: "Security" (feeling of stability and security), "Avoidance" (avoiding negative emotions), "Mental strength" (inner sense of mastery), "Self-confidence" (feeling acknowledged and worthy of compliments); "Identity" (achieving new identity), "Care" (eliciting care from others), "Communication" (communicating difficulties), and "Death" (wishing to starve oneself to death). CONCLUSION: The eight constructs may have central functions in the maintenance of AN and should be regarded when patients' motivation and goals for treatment are assessed. Further study of the possible functions of the constructs in maintaining AN is warranted.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

[The communicating body--eating disorders and culture].

What is "culture" in eating disorders as culture-bound syndromes? The human body is a flesh-and-blood entity, but it also functions as a symbolic instrument. The body communicates about culture itself, about norms and boundaries. In this paper one central aspect in the phenomenology of eating disorders is emphasised: The subjective experience of lack of control and the sense of an overwhelming "chaos", both on the inner and outer level. On this basis rapid societal transitions are discussed as specific pathogenic factors. Sociocultural instability represents insecure conditions for construction of a healthy and stable identity. "The open body" is a relevant metaphor, with its dialectical relationship to the isolation and delimitation represented by eating disordered behaviour. With reference to history and geography the paper also discusses the pathoplasticity of eating disorders; how they change in time and space. Cultural analysis of eating disorders can contribute to a richer understanding of the complexity of the construction of meaning in these disorders, both across cultures and within our own cultural contexts.

Beauty Culture↗

PubMed2004

[Pathological overeating--an overview].

An eating disorder apart from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa is "binge eating disorder" (BED): eating in a short period of time a large quantity of food and a feeling of lack of control over food intake. There is also an atypical rest category, "eating disorders not otherwise specified" (EDNOS). Diagnostic criteria for BED and EDNOS are incomplete, particularly with respect to the definition of "bingeing" relative to bulimia nervosa. More restrictive criteria for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa skew the diagnostic distribution towards BED and EDNOS, though the total prevalence of eating disorders remains unchanged. For BED and EDNOS taken together the lifetime prevalence in women is about 6%. The relationship between BED, EDNOS and overweight has mainly been overlooked; further investigations are needed. Lasting treatment effects have been found for overweight people with BED. Other eating disorders apart from anorexia nervosa and bulimia are prevalent and clinically important, and research has opened up a potential for effective treatment.

Bulimia↗

PubMed2004

[Eating disorders among athletes].

Over the past 20 years, a number of studies have been published that generally suggest a higher frequency of eating disorders among athletes than among non-athletes. Participation in competitive sport has also been considered an important factor related to the development of eating disorders. Taken together, most studies have suggested that eating disorders are particularly prevalent in sports that emphasise leanness or low body weight. However, some studies suggest a similar or lower prevalence of eating disorders compared with controls or athletes at a lower competitive level. Athletes constitute a unique population and the impact of factors such as training, eating pattern, extreme diets, restriction of food intake and psychopathological profile among them must be evaluated differently from that among non-athletes. A concerted effort by coaches, athletic trainers, parents, athletes and healthcare personnel is optimal in order to recognise, prevent and treat eating disorders in athletes.

Anorexia Nervosa↗

PubMed2004

[Eating disorders--an overview].

This article gives an updated review of the history, epidemiology, etiology, and evidence-based treatment of eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder), with specific reference to the Norwegian situation. In order to improve clinical skills there is an emphasis on the need for more treatment resources, particularly for the most serious cases, better implementation of evidence-based treatment and on continuous medical education. Given the somatic manifestations of eating disorders, medical doctors are essential in assessment and treatment. Many patients can be successfully treated by general practitioners provided that the general practitioner takes an interest in and is knowledgeable about eating disorders. The need to increase the number of general practitioners participating in ongoing Norwegian educational programmes on eating disorders is stressed.

Adult↗