The psychology of anorexia and other eating disorders is very complex. Most anorexics are often perfectionists and are very strict with themselves. They set high and unrealistic goals for themselves. They also suffer from extreme body dysmorphic disorder, meaning that they look in the mirror and see themselves as fat and ugly. Often what leads to this kind of behaviour is a lack of control in some other part of their life.
Dieting gives them a feeling of power and control of their lives. This slowly turns into an obsession as they self monitor their food intake and their weight, as they gain satisfaction from finally being in control of something. The power of control helps to block out unwanted feelings and emotions.
It's really a type of mental illness. I've suffered from eating disorders my entire life. I was anorexic as a teenager. I resorted to bingeing and purging in my 20's. I was OK for a while during my pregnancies, and when my children were young. But I've had many recent backslides in my late 40's to now. I'm 55 years old, and I still struggle. I've been through several types of therapy my entire life. Everything works for a while, until a problem arises and I feel out of control. I want to resort to periods of bingeing and starving because it is my place of comfort, in a warped sort of way.
You never really get over it, you just learn to live with it, and live healthy. Like a junkie or an alcoholic, except you need food to survive.
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